Blu-ray Movie Reviews

A birthday weekend in Southern California goes off the tracks when sunrise arrives two hours early while a mysterious light source draws unsuspecting humans outdoors and are swept into massive alien ships that have appeared over the Los Angeles skyline.

There are a lot of bad movies that come out of Hollywood, but Skyline may be the worst I've seen in years. Character development is non-existent, the dialog is cringe-inducing, and the ridiculous twist ending is the cherry on top of a steaming pile—yes, it's that bad.

Video Highlights

• AVC/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
• Decent detail
• Mostly deep blacks with adequate shadow detail
• Accurate color palette
• Seamless visual effects

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Excellent dynamics
• Ample bass
• Occasional discrete effects from the surround speakers
• Intelligible dialog (unfortunately)

Although the movie is pure trash, the audio and video presentation is very good and features an excellent DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack and first-rate visual effects.

Bonus Materials

• Commentary with directors Greg and Colin Stause
• Commentary with co-writer/producer Liam O'Donnell and co-writer Joshua Cordes
• Deleted & Alternate Scenes
• Animation pre-visualization
• Theatrical Trailer
• BD-Live Enabled

I love the sci-fi genre but this production is pretty bad. In fact, I'm not sure it would garner much of an audience on cable TV. Granted, the A/V is pretty impressive but even it can't overcome the horrendous script and poor acting. Skip it!

Release Date: March 22, 2011
Studio: Universal

Movie: 1/10
Picture: 8/10
Sound: 9/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS40 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Integra DTC-80.2 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PVA-PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics