Skyline

The best that can be said for this sci-fi effort about marauding aliens is that it occasionally rises to the level of decent mindless diversion. Only occasionally, though. The creatures are interesting enough, a physiologically varied bunch that descends on Los Angeles and unleashes claws, tentacles and blinding beams of light that vacuum up the city’s population. The invaders use human brains for power, which is appropriate given that earthlings are represented here by a handful of characters with the collective charisma of a double-A battery. Following a brief introduction to the protagonists, it’s alien attack after alien attack, with almost no plot to get in the way of the action. This reptilian simplicity would be an asset if any of the humans were worth cheering for. –Matt Semansky