What is Skyline?

 

The Skyline Trilogy is a science fiction trilogy of movies with a fourth in the works that started with the original Skyline in 2010. “Positing a worst-case morning-after scenario, scripters Joshua Cordes and Liam O'Donnell get things started by having hearty-partying acquaintances awaken to find the skies of Los Angeles filled with the warships of extraterrestrial invaders.” [1].

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The basic premise of the films is the traditional alien invasion, alien warfare and taking the battle to them trilogy format but with a twist in the form of what the alien’s purpose for invasion is and this creates a very interesting premise for the franchise. The first of the sequels (Beyond Skyline) takes the concept of a sequel a flip it on its head. The film beginning during the events of the first film but form a different perspective and eventually moving on to the immediate events after answering the long-awaited cliff-hanger of the first film. Finally, the conclusion to the trilogy Skylines is a full-on sequel taking place years later where humanity takes the battle to space.

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Personal interview with Director Liam O'Donnell:

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The experience of interviewing the Producer/ Writer of the first film, who went on to direct and write the sequels Liam O’ Donnell was of course unexpected; the normality being little to no reply when attempting to contact someone in his profession as it can be a very busy job. However, I was overwhelmed by the positivity in his response and just how interested in the concept of this blog he was. I found myself having a very interesting conversation with him on his franchise which resulted in the interview I did with him that you can see in PDF and Video below.

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“The initial inspiration for the first Skyline was primarily the location. Greg Strause, co-owner of Hydraulx VFX and co-director of Skyline, had bought a new penthouse condo in Marina Del Rey overlooking Los Angeles and it was a very unique view of the city. Paranormal Activity was fresh in everyone’s mind at the time and how the director had just made a movie at his house with his own equipment.” (O'Donnell, L). Such a concept feels so at home in the cult genre of films as it feels very intimate, the idea that the franchise was started in one of the crews own house makes it feel very home movie like. “We all loved the idea of waking up hungover to see the world ending outside your window. From there it was coming up with the most intriguing apocalyptic scenario we could think of.” (O'Donnell, L). This idea of the location making the film feels at home with cult classics like Evil Dead’s cabin in the woods approach a film that when asked about cult classics Liam O’ Donnell said he personally loved Evil Dead. “Considering the simple locale, there is an admirable sense of scale to the assault from a group of invaders, gatherers, and genocidal recyclers. The Strauses achieve that scope on a comparatively minor budget (a reported $500,000 for actual filming), with an overwhelming proportion spent on the efficient, often convincing visual effects (stated at $10 million).” [2].

 

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Is Skyline 'Cult'?

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To truly determine if this Trilogy is a 'Cult' franchise, we must look at multiple factors. Firstly, how much money did it make? Well with the first film having a budget of 10 million and box office earnings of 68.3 million it is easy to think of this a huge profit but at the time with massive Hollywood blockbusters released to commercial success each year it was considered to have underperformed. The IP (Intellectual Property) has also had mixed reviews from the start from critiques which has meant that perhaps it has not gotten the praise from many that it deserves with the first film only getting 16% from critiques on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score of 18%. “Skyline is neither a clever District 9 twin nor even a cut-rate War of the Worlds/Independence Day mash-up. It's a wannabe epic, but make no mistake: this is strictly B-movie fare, punched up by some occasionally inspired imagery.” [3]. “First-time writers Joshua Cordes and Liam O'Donnell may sketch their characters with minimal nuance but they show plenty of genre savvy.” [4]. However, the sequels did fair better with Beyond Skyline achieving 67% and Skylines getting 52% from critiques.

 

In summary the Skyline trilogy is a 'Cult' film as it is outside of general pop culture with a small but loyal following when asked if he thinks in the Skyline franchise has a 'Cult' following Liam O’ Donnell said “I don’t know really! It’s definitely a passionate niche. But with Beyond and Skylines both coming out day and date on VOD it’s a lot less marketing being spent on them than the first movie. So most people have no idea this entire franchise exists. I noticed once Beyond hit Netflix it was the equivalent of a wide release. A lot more people starting talking about it and championing it.” It also has gained a small but not insignificant profit that has allowed it to get two soon to be three sequels. With such a passionate fanbase at its side and a director with a unique and interesting vision at the helm is there any doubt that this franchise is bound to be looked back as a 'Cult' franchise by those who are aware of it.

 

 

 

 

Bibliography:

[1] Leydon, J. (2010) 'Skyline', Variety, 421(2), 21. [9 February 2021]. 

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[2] Dujsik, M. (2011) 'Skyline' in Tallerico, B., ed., Magill's Cinema Annual 2011: A Survey of the Films of 2010, 30th ed., Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 355-357. [9 February 2021]. 

 

[3] Lehmann, M. (2010) 'SKYLINE', Film Journal International, 113(12), 78+. {9 February 2021]. 

 

[4] Bitel, A. 2011, Skyline, British Film Institute, London. [9 February 2021]. 

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[5] The Movie Database. 2021. Skylines. [online] Available at: <https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/560144-skylines/images/backdrops> [Accessed 24 February 2021].