In addition to the obvious, the term ‘Direct-to-DVD’ also holds a particularly derogative connotation towards those films on which it is applied. Simply put, the phrase implies that for whatever reason, any movie carrying the associated tag is not of sufficient value to warrant a cinematic release. Such assumptions however, are flawed for two primary reasons. Firstly, there are numerous Direct-to-DVD releases every year that are of excellent quality. Secondly, there are just as many cinematic releases that should be considered lucky to receive distribution of any form. Skyline falls definitively within that latter category.

Ostensibly a SF invasion narrative, the plot of Skyline is paper-thin. A New York couple arrive in Los Angeles to visit a friend, cybernetic aliens invade with dazzling lights to lure unsuspecting citizens to their doom and the survivors attempt to escape a skyscraper apartment building. Beyond a tacked on ending that is every bit as ludicrous as it is poorly executed, that’s the extent of proceedings. At a running time of just over eighty minutes (not including final credits) the only upside to this movie is its brevity.

It really is hard to fathom how anything this excremental ever made it through financing let alone to production or distribution. The script by first time writers (Joshua Cordes and Liam O’Donnell) is a cliché-ridden mess that would still seem rank by comparison with those in the pornographic film industry. Cardboard characters, preposterous action sequences, a nonsensical structure and dialogue so awkwardly bland that even Tommy Wiseau would be ashamed to call it his work. And that’s just for starters.

Given the screenplay at their disposal it would be almost unfair to criticise the performance of the actors. Two in particular, best known for their television work, Donald Faison (Scrubs) and David Zayas (Dexter) may have done irreparable damage to any potential film career by signing on for this. If that turns out to be the case then the medium of cinema won’t have been Skyline‘s only victim.

Useful as an educational tool, Skyline is a sublime example of how not to make a film. One can only wonder what the directors (The Brothers Strause) have learnt during their fifteen years (predominantly in visual effects) within the cinema industry. Certain fundamental concepts of direction such as conflict, pacing, suspension of disbelief, and even basic continuity must have been overlooked during their tuition.

It may be an overstatement to declare Skyline the worst movie of all time – besides, that would be granting the film notoriety that is simply doesn’t deserve – although there is one legacy it could do well to leave behind. If the industry ever needed a new derogatory term for its lesser works, ‘Skyliner’ would serve as a worthy replacement for the much-maligned ‘Direct-to-DVD’.