Review: A boldly bonkers ‘Beyond Skyline’ takes on alien invaders
“Beyond Skyline,” written and directed by Liam O’Donnell, is ostensibly a sequel to the 2010 alien invasion thriller “Skyline,” though the motivation behind this film seems purely a desire to watch Frank Grillo and the guys from “The Raid” beat up some aliens. Fair enough. The only connection to the first film, aside from the mysterious glowing blue light emanating from the brain-sucking aliens, is the Los Angeles setting for the initial attack.
Grillo stars as Mark, a washed-up LAPD cop when the invasion starts. He and a motley crew manage to survive a trip in an alien ship that subsequently crashes in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia. There, Mark, a subway driver named Audrey (Bojana Novakovic), and a half-alien baby link up with an underground team fighting the aliens.
“Beyond Skyline” is a boldly bonkers film, and it leans into its genre goofiness with a straight face thanks to Grillo. But more humor would have gone a long way in sustaining interest and entertainment, as it’s not quite funny, and too low-budget to take seriously. The ambition for the special effects far outstrips the resources, and it all ends up looking incredibly cheesy. A mash-up of “Independence Day,” “Predator” and others, “Beyond Skyline” just isn’t quite good enough to match up to its references.
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‘Beyond Skyline’
Rated: R, for sequences of bloody sci-fi violence, and language throughout.
Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Playing: AMC Dine-In Sunset, West Hollywood
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