Beyond Skyline (2017) Frank Grillo, Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian

[DragonClaws]

Not surprised by the negative comments for this one, the first movie is one of the worst sci-fi actioners I've sat through. Imagine Battle L.A but even dumber and less entertaining.

[DrNgor]

2 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

Not surprised by the negative comments for this one, the first movie is one of the worst sci-fi actioners I've sat through. Imagine Battle L.A but even dumber and less entertaining.

But that wackadoo ending...!!!!

[DragonClaws]

2 hours ago, DrNgor said:

But that wackadoo ending...!!!!

I must have blocked this out my memory, honestly cant recall the movies final moments.

You'll have to enlighten me and others here @DrNgor.

[DrNgor]

4 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

You'll have to enlighten me and others here @DrNgor.

Well, the first movie was something of an alien invasion flick from the point of view of a bunch of hipsters holed up in an apartment complex. Suddenly, the last five minutes hints at this over-the-top Guyver-esque action flick of a totally different genre, which really has no basis in anything we've seen before.

[DragonClaws]

18 hours ago, DrNgor said:

Suddenly, the last five minutes hints at this over-the-top Guyver-esque action flick of a totally different genre, which really has no basis in anything we've seen before.

Vagualey recall thisnow t,hat you have described it to me. It didnt come across as a cheap movie, just a really badly made movie.

Random that they've stuck some Martial Arts stars in the sequel.

[robbie]

On 30/12/2017 at 12:12 PM, DragonClaws said:

Not surprised by the negative comments for this one, the first movie is one of the worst sci-fi actioners I've sat through. Imagine Battle L.A but even dumber and less entertaining.

Have you or anyone on here  actually seen beyond skyline. To me it looks pretty good.  

[DragonClaws]

1 hour ago, robbie said:

Have you or anyone on here  actually seen beyond skyline. To me it looks pretty good.  

It's not a film I'm keen to seek out or buy to be honest, so no, I havent seen this one yet.

[Drunken Monk]

4 hours ago, robbie said:

Have you or anyone on here  actually seen beyond skyline. To me it looks pretty good.  

I'm in the minority, it seems. Everyone seems to tout it as a "guilty pleasure" or "b-movie classic". Me? I just hated it, from start to finish. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it was the worst film I sat through in 2017.

[kami]

I watched it since its already available in Germany. It starts a little dull as a very generic alien invasion movie but as soon as the setting changes to south-east asia the film starts to get momentum. I wondered how they would incorporate martial arts into this kind of story but they did and somehow it works. I was particularly fond of the showdown. Don't want to spoil anything but it's rather crazy. It's quite a different movie from the first one, more action, more trashy fun, less horror, less War Of The Worlds.

[robbie]

6 hours ago, Drunken Monk said:

I'm in the minority, it seems. Everyone seems to tout it as a "guilty pleasure" or "b-movie classic". Me? I just hated it, from start to finish. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it was the worst film I sat through in 2017.

I think the worst film I  saw in  2017 was  final master as that was pretty boring . I will probably wait for it to become cheap then.    I was hoping for across between aliens and predator.

[mpm74]

Z Ravas shares his thoughts on BEYOND SKYLINE.... 

http://cityonfire.com/beyond-skyline-2017-review/

[thehangman]

was ok nothing special some ropey cgi tho

 

[DrNgor]

So, the first Skyline was an unexpected hit, despite most people agreeing that it wasn't very good. It boasted good FX--the Strausse brothers are FX artists first, directors second--and a low budget, so it didn't have to make quite as much money to clear a profit. Beyond that, it was a fairly standard alien invasion thriller with a completely out-of-left-field ending. And then we got this sequel...

Beyond Skyline feels like four or five different movies in rapid succession. If you slice it into 25-minute blocks, you'll get something completely different from the other piece. The movie starts off as a rehash of the first movie, albeit from the POV of other characters, including alcoholic policeman Mark (Frank Grillo). Then the film intersects with the crazy ending from Part 1 and becomes an "escape from the spaceship" sci-fi action movie. Then you get to the second half of the movie...For a while Beyond Skyline becomes a jungle adventure movie. Then it becomes a martial arts movie. And finally it becomes a friggin kaiju movie!

For those looking for MA action, there are three fights of note. One of them has Iko Uwais fighting some random guy. Then Uwais and Grillo go at it in the mud. That fight has a bit of shaky cam (although thankfully few quick cuts). Then Uwais and Yayan Ruhian fight alien exoskeletons: Uwais wields two-fisted daggers while Ruhian goes buck with the machete.

The film was crazy enough to entertain me, although you'll definitely ask yourself "How did we get here?" when comparing the first scene with the climax.

[Drunken Monk]

If you consider yourself a member of "Action Twitter," you may have seen a lot of people campaigning for Liam O'Donnell to direct the upcoming Mortal Kombat 2. Donnell directed Beyond Skyline and I remember shitting all over that film the first time I watch it. But it's become somewhat of a cult classic it seems, so I decided to return to it today.
Admittedly, I was overharsh first time around. But not by much. This film is an average sci fi B movie. However, it is very competently directed. O'Donnell obviously has an I for action set pieces. Unfortunately, it's bogged down by an iffy structure, a pretty lame script and, at times, its budget (though O'Donnell does wonders with what he has).
It's nowhere near as good as some people say it is, though it is an enjoyable alien invasion romp that features Iko Uwais slicing up one of the aforementioned aliens with twin knives.
It's fine. It's not a DTV classic but, if you have a lazy Sunday where you can sit back and enjoy the show, it's certainly worth a watch. Just don't expect Independence Day.