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Skyline

 Skyline
type
TVTItem
 Skyline
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Skyline
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Skyline
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Skyline is a 2010 science fiction disaster film directed by the Brothers Strause.A young couple, Jarrod (Eric Balfour) and Elaine (Scottie Thompson), travel to LA for their friend Terry's (Donald Faison) birthday party at his penthouse apartment. After the wild party, everyone goes to sleep it off... only to be awoken by mysterious blue lights that fall from the sky into the city. As people are drawn to the lights in a twisted trance, they are snatched by the light, never to be seen again.As the survivors draw the blinds to protect themselves from the light, they're faced with a dilemma: do they brave the hypnotic blue lights outside to try and escape, or do they hide in the darkness and hope that help comes for them? Things get worse when the aliens start sending out scouts to search every apartment with their blue lights, and especially when they learn what the aliens do to the people they take...A sequel, Beyond Skyline, was released in 2017, starring Frank Grillo and Iko Uwais. It was followed by Skylin3s in 2020.At least one key plot element — why the aliens are here — could be considered a reveal, but it's also intrinsic to the discussion of the work. Per Handling Spoilers, blocking out 1/3rd of the examples doesn't work. So if you haven't seen the film and want to keep the alien's modus operandi a surprise, stop reading here.
 Skyline
fetched
2024-02-29T19:35:40Z
 Skyline
parsed
2024-02-29T19:35:41Z
 Skyline
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Skyline / int_115d318
type
And Then John Was a Zombie
 Skyline / int_115d318
comment
And Then John Was a Zombie: Jarrod's brain is removed and installed into one of the war machines.
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1.0
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Skyline / int_115d318
 Skyline / int_1161fb48
type
Bizarre Alien Biology
 Skyline / int_1161fb48
comment
Bizarre Alien Biology: The aliens appear to be biomechanical, and most have an abundance of metallic tentacles and other strange appendages, and run on human brains. Their leader, who appears to be the only 'true' alien seen is still extremely alien and it appears the biomechanical drones are modeled off him.
 Skyline / int_1161fb48
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Skyline / int_1161fb48
 Skyline / int_1237828f
type
Anyone Can Die
 Skyline / int_1237828f
comment
Anyone Can Die: By the end, only two members of the main cast are still alive.
 Skyline / int_1237828f
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1.0
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 Skyline / int_143939c1
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Trailers Always Spoil
 Skyline / int_143939c1
comment
Trailers Always Spoil: Arguably the best surprise in the film is when the car is crushed by the alien's foot as it comes out of the parking garage, so of course this was displayed prominently in the trailer. One of the commentary tracks laments the fact that the helicopter getting grabbed while it's attempting to pick up Jarrod would have been a nice shot if it was wasn't used in the trailers.
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 Skyline / int_1c7555f1
type
The Virus
 Skyline / int_1c7555f1
comment
The Virus: The light seems to act like this, particularly for Jarrod.
 Skyline / int_1c7555f1
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1.0
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Skyline / int_1c7555f1
 Skyline / int_1ebbdddb
type
Power at a Price
 Skyline / int_1ebbdddb
comment
Power at a Price: At the end of the film, Jarrod is immune to the alien bio-tech reprogramming, and retains his personality. While that does grant the strength and speed of the bad guys, the downside is... you're stuck as one of them.
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 Skyline / int_24321e44
type
Only Sane Man
 Skyline / int_24321e44
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Only Sane Man: Oliver is the most reasonable and pragmatic member of the main cast, though his insistence on hunkering down inside the building gets him killed. At least he gets a Dying Moment of Awesome.
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 Skyline / int_2e8441c9
type
The Bad Guy Wins
 Skyline / int_2e8441c9
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The Bad Guy Wins: Sure, Jarrod may get a somewhat happy ending if he and Elaine can escape the ship, but these aliens have killed most of humanity already, and it's implied they aren't going to leave... at least until they run out of humans, at any rate. Subverted in the second film, where the aliens' overlord gets killed by Trent, who is in an alien biosuit, but regained his human memories in the final battle.
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 Skyline / int_3114c1e5
type
Ramming Always Works
 Skyline / int_3114c1e5
comment
Ramming Always Works: The Hydras fight human aircraft by ramming into them at top speed. This leaves the Hydra unharmed...even though getting hit with a missile will kill one. In an unintentional instance of this trope, the Tanker seems invulnerable to anything short of having an F-22 crash into its head.
 Skyline / int_3114c1e5
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 Skyline / int_31c5e7fb
type
Starfish Aliens
 Skyline / int_31c5e7fb
comment
Starfish Aliens: They sure don't look like anything on Earth.
 Skyline / int_31c5e7fb
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1.0
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Skyline / int_31c5e7fb
 Skyline / int_337a0f4
type
TrailersAlwaysLie
 Skyline / int_337a0f4
comment
Trailers Always Lie: The trailers and commercials contained snippets of news broadcasts talking about "Every city in the world" being attacked. These never appear in the film.
 Skyline / int_337a0f4
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 Skyline / int_33fa230b
type
Your Princess Is in Another Castle!
 Skyline / int_33fa230b
comment
Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: Yeah, we had to nuke L.A., but the alien mothership is down... what do you mean the film is only half over?
 Skyline / int_33fa230b
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1.0
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Skyline / int_33fa230b
 Skyline / int_3456f3c5
type
Good Thing You Can Heal
 Skyline / int_3456f3c5
comment
Good Thing You Can Heal: The aliens can recover from anything short of having their brains physically torn out, and even that might not stop them if they can grab a nearby human. However, it seems fire is effective against them and enough heavy ordinance can bring them down.
 Skyline / int_3456f3c5
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Skyline / int_3456f3c5
 Skyline / int_36e63b81
type
Rule of Cool
 Skyline / int_36e63b81
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Rule of Cool: Who knew such an alien invasion with no hope would somehow be exciting?
 Skyline / int_36e63b81
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1.0
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 Skyline / int_3a90dc63
type
Aliens Are Bastards
 Skyline / int_3a90dc63
comment
Aliens Are Bastards: These are some of the most assholish aliens in cinema. They invade Earth and start killing people, making them slaves, and using them as People Farms. When they come across pregnant women, they try to suck out their babies.
 Skyline / int_3a90dc63
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 Skyline / int_3b856be9
type
The Enemy Weapons Are Better
 Skyline / int_3b856be9
comment
The Enemy Weapons Are Better: A major plot point in the sequel: the aliens' tech edge is massive, but humans can use it under the right circumstances and when the human turned aliens are able to be freed, they can as well.
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 Skyline / int_3d4f266f
type
Convenient Color Change
 Skyline / int_3d4f266f
comment
Convenient Color Change: When Jarrod loses their brain, it's a different color from that of everyone else thanks to having built up an immunity to their mind control. Once inserted into a giant monster, they keep control and use it to rebel. This becomes a major plot point in the sequel, as it provides a means for humanity to fight back.
 Skyline / int_3d4f266f
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 Skyline / int_3d699462
type
Curb-Stomp Battle
 Skyline / int_3d699462
comment
Curb-Stomp Battle: A really brutally honest example. So a super advanced alien race invades Earth? How will humanity fight off these powerful foes? They don't. You didn't really think humanity stood a chance against alien beings advanced and powerful enough to travel across millions miles to fuel their unstoppable war machines did you? It says a lot that in the sequel, the only thing that starts turning the tables is humans getting their hands on alien tech and turning it against them.
 Skyline / int_3d699462
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 Skyline / int_3f92ad39
type
"I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight
 Skyline / int_3f92ad39
comment
"I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Happens often due to the corrupting nature of the alien light's brainwashing effect, as well as the converted pilots. Played totally straight in Skylin3s several times with Trent and Rose. Trent begins suffering the effects of a virus that's been plaguing converted pilots on earth for years, eventually turning them hostile again, and needs to be talked down.
 Skyline / int_3f92ad39
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Skyline / int_3f92ad39
 Skyline / int_4287342d
type
Appendage Assimilation
 Skyline / int_4287342d
comment
Appendage Assimilation: The aliens can take human brains and use them as processors for their war machines. If damaged, they just grab a new brain. It looks like the rest of the body is melted down in the motherships (they throw them into a glowing pool). In the sequel a character falls in and reacts to it like water; it then "flushes" its contents into the sky.
 Skyline / int_4287342d
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Skyline / int_4287342d
 Skyline / int_43c77dd9
type
Hellish Copter
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comment
Hellish Copter: A Blackhawk is taken down by Combat Tentacles.
 Skyline / int_43c77dd9
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 Skyline / int_45a177f1
type
Touched by Vorlons
 Skyline / int_45a177f1
comment
Touched by Vorlons: Albeit horribly underused here.
 Skyline / int_45a177f1
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Skyline / int_45a177f1
 Skyline / int_45f63263
type
Mistaken for Quake
 Skyline / int_45f63263
comment
Mistaken for Quake: When the aliens attack, some of the characters assume it's a minor earthquake.
 Skyline / int_45f63263
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1.0
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 Skyline / int_49d18492
type
Scenery Gorn
 Skyline / int_49d18492
comment
Scenery Gorn: It would appear humanity loses. All we see are shots of devastated cities, and even our best weapons appear to only slow them down for a bit.
 Skyline / int_49d18492
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1.0
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 Skyline / int_49f21688
type
NotUsingTheZedWord
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comment
Not Using the Zed Word: The aliens are only referred to as "they."
 Skyline / int_49f21688
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 Skyline / int_49f8c18f
type
Ace Custom
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comment
Ace Custom: The alien overlord has a personal 'mecha' that's larger and more humanoid than the rest.
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 Skyline / int_4aa5f9f7
type
Ominous Floating Spaceship
 Skyline / int_4aa5f9f7
comment
Ominous Floating Spaceship: All over the sky of every major city, apparently.
 Skyline / int_4aa5f9f7
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Skyline / int_4aa5f9f7
 Skyline / int_4e3d253b
type
Downer Ending
 Skyline / int_4e3d253b
comment
Downer Ending: Humanity is done. Worse than done — based on what the aliens did when they discovered Elaine's pregnancy and the other pregnant women nearby, humans are going to be farmed. It's cool though. Jarrod's an alien war machine now and is going to kick some major alien ass in the upcoming sequel. For how long he's going to survive against an entire armada while trying to protect his wife is anyone's guess though. Subverted in the sequel, as the humans manage to steal alien tech and turn it against them, ultimately manage to win.
 Skyline / int_4e3d253b
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 Skyline / int_504a1991
type
Body Horror
 Skyline / int_504a1991
comment
Body Horror: Staring into the light makes your veins turn a dark, inky colour. Then you learn what the aliens want with humans — to rip out their brains for use as biological CPUs in their war machines.
 Skyline / int_504a1991
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Skyline / int_504a1991
 Skyline / int_506bf16a
type
Sex Signals Death
 Skyline / int_506bf16a
comment
Sex Signals Death: Terry is cheating on his girlfriend and gets killed. So does the girl he's cheating with.
 Skyline / int_506bf16a
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 Skyline / int_52600ad6
type
Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu
 Skyline / int_52600ad6
comment
Almost literally. Jarrod starts off with a cinderblock but then goes to fisticuffs. The alien breaks his leg during the sequence, leading to a non limb-specific Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu.
 Skyline / int_52600ad6
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 Skyline / int_53c5f30e
type
Happy Ending Override
 Skyline / int_53c5f30e
comment
Happy Ending Override: Subverted: Jarrod and his wife both die in the sequel, but in the process their daughter becomes the one hope of stopping the aliens, and Jarrod manages to down the alien overlord's mothership, buying the heroes enough time to figure out a way to stop him. Ultimately Inverted as what seemed to be a certain Downer Ending of the first film is turned around over the course of this one, leading to Earn Your Happy Ending.
 Skyline / int_53c5f30e
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Skyline / int_53c5f30e
 Skyline / int_5874eb12
type
Organic Technology
 Skyline / int_5874eb12
comment
Organic Technology: The aliens. Word of God has it that the Motherships are organic too, in spite of the fact that they really look like they're made out of gold and glass.
 Skyline / int_5874eb12
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Skyline / int_5874eb12
 Skyline / int_5db59a03
type
Brown Note
 Skyline / int_5db59a03
comment
Brown Note: The alien light is this mixed with The Virus. This works against them in the sequel, as the heroes manage to make an antidote from Rose's blood and figure out tainting one of the cores used to make it can free all their soldiers who see it.
 Skyline / int_5db59a03
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 Skyline / int_605cf3f
type
Something Only They Would Say
 Skyline / int_605cf3f
comment
Something Only They Would Say: Jarrod's Character Tic of stroking Elaine's face downwards from her forehead to her chin helps her to recognise him after Jarrod's brain transplantation.
 Skyline / int_605cf3f
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Skyline / int_605cf3f
 Skyline / int_6136e02f
type
Brain Food
 Skyline / int_6136e02f
comment
Brain Food: Not so much eating as taking and using them for themselves. It seems to be the motivation for the invasion, since they're used to replace old ones a few times.
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 Skyline / int_65332328
type
Mind-Control Eyes
 Skyline / int_65332328
comment
Mind-Control Eyes: Looking directly at the pretty blue lights induces this. Jarrod also gets them when he gets pissed off later in the movie.
 Skyline / int_65332328
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1.0
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 Skyline / int_659ef759
type
Implacable Man
 Skyline / int_659ef759
comment
Implacable Man: The King Kong sized Tankers. One of them survives being hit with a rocket launcher, shot with an M-16, falling off a building, shot with several .50 BMG sniper rounds, getting caught in a gas explosion, falling off a building (again), and getting shot with an F-22's Vulcan. Having the F-22 crash into it, however, seems to kill it. In the sequel, it takes an entire minefield to kill one.
 Skyline / int_659ef759
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 Skyline / int_6682d6e4
type
Dying Moment of Awesome
 Skyline / int_6682d6e4
comment
Dying Moment of Awesome: Oliver.
 Skyline / int_6682d6e4
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Skyline / int_6682d6e4
 Skyline / int_677ecaa9
type
People Farms
 Skyline / int_677ecaa9
comment
People Farms: It's implied that the aliens are doing this at the end of the film, since they have a contraption apparently designed to suck unborn children right out of the mother.
 Skyline / int_677ecaa9
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1.0
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Skyline / int_677ecaa9
 Skyline / int_6b22aace
type
Not So Invincible After All
 Skyline / int_6b22aace
comment
Not So Invincible After All: The aliens seem completely invincible throughout the first film with humanity having no chance...but then the sequel reveals they have several weaknesses and can have their own tech turned against them. The alien overlord genuinely seemed to believe his invasion was invincible, and begins to completely unravel as humanity begins fighting back. In the end, humanity wins.
 Skyline / int_6b22aace
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Skyline / int_6b22aace
 Skyline / int_6f398193
type
Behemoth Battle
 Skyline / int_6f398193
comment
Behemoth Battle: The climax of the second film is the alien overlord fighting Trent, both in giant organic mechas. Trent wins with some interference from his father and Rose.
 Skyline / int_6f398193
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Skyline / int_6f398193
 Skyline / int_78540917
type
Like Brother and Sister
 Skyline / int_78540917
comment
Like Brother and Sister: Despite Rose's accelerated aging, being raised by Mark and restoring Trent's mind gives her a family, and by Skylin3s she's developed a snarky banter with her adoptive brother.
 Skyline / int_78540917
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Skyline / int_78540917
 Skyline / int_7e6c0522
type
Off with His Head!
 Skyline / int_7e6c0522
comment
Off with His Head!: The aliens steal brains, taking the entire head and most of the spine with it, using them as brains of their soldiers. Likewise,, this trope is one of the only ways of actually killing them.
 Skyline / int_7e6c0522
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Skyline / int_7e6c0522
 Skyline / int_7f390ebc
type
Developing Doomed Characters
 Skyline / int_7f390ebc
comment
Developing Doomed Characters: The first fifteen minutes set at Terry's birthday party, which is brimming with highly unlikeable jerks who like to spy on people having sex for their own entertainment.
 Skyline / int_7f390ebc
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Skyline / int_7f390ebc
 Skyline / int_86000262
type
WilhelmScream
 Skyline / int_86000262
comment
Wilhelm Scream: When a soldier gets knocked off a building. Pretty disturbing version, too.
 Skyline / int_86000262
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1.0
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Skyline / int_86000262
 Skyline / int_8ed5c6e4
type
Asshole Victim
 Skyline / int_8ed5c6e4
comment
Asshole Victim: Basically the entire named cast with the exception of Jarrod and Elaine. Terry is an obnoxious womanizer, his girlfriend is a self-absorbed Gold Digger, the girl he cheats with is an obvious groupie, and Oliver, despite being the Only Sane Man, remains antagonistic and condescending for most of his time in the film.
 Skyline / int_8ed5c6e4
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Skyline / int_8ed5c6e4
 Skyline / int_8f0c88f
type
Invincible Villain
 Skyline / int_8f0c88f
comment
Invincible Villain: The aliens to an unbelievable degree. Absolutely nothing stops them, they brush every attack, and the heroes completely fail to fight back against them. Probably the biggest moment is when the aliens manage to shrug off a nuke without any trouble. Subverted in the sequel, however, as it turns out they do actually have specific weaknesses, one of which being fire and the humans actually win by taking the aliens' weapons and turning them against them, as well as finding a way to free their human turned soldiers..
 Skyline / int_8f0c88f
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Skyline / int_8f0c88f
 Skyline / int_901dbf9a
type
Cliff Hanger
 Skyline / int_901dbf9a
comment
Cliffhanger: but an interestingly inverted one. It looks like humanity, and our protagonists, are down for the count, but there is a Hope Spot in the final scene, just as we fade to black and the credits roll. Not a Bolivian Army Cliff Hanger, because the protagonists are left safer than they were just one minute before the ending.
 Skyline / int_901dbf9a
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 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_901dbf9a
 Skyline / int_90d44f44
type
Karmic Death
 Skyline / int_90d44f44
comment
Karmic Death: The alien overlord is killed by Trent, whom he converted into a soldier, when he's freed and shoots his mecha through the head with his ship's gun.
 Skyline / int_90d44f44
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_90d44f44
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_90d44f44
 Skyline / int_957e5fc2
type
Villainous Breakdown
 Skyline / int_957e5fc2
comment
Villainous Breakdown: The aliens' overlord slowly has one over the course of the second film, as he clearly believed that he was as invulnerable as they seemed in the first film, and becomes increasingly more and more furious as the film progresses and the humans actually manage to turn the tables on him. When he realizes that a tainted round has been loaded into the cannon and could free all his soldiers in the current battle, he begins frantically tearing into his own mother ship trying to stop it.
 Skyline / int_957e5fc2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_957e5fc2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_957e5fc2
 Skyline / int_970c790a
type
Big Bad
 Skyline / int_970c790a
comment
Big Bad: The aliens' overlord, who led the invasion and was working behind the scenes in the first film, but appears in the second film in action. The alien Matriarch serves as this for the third film and the series as a whole.
 Skyline / int_970c790a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_970c790a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_970c790a
 Skyline / int_9c1f758a
type
Kill It with Fire
 Skyline / int_9c1f758a
comment
Kill It with Fire: The sequel reveals this is one of the very few things the aliens are actually vulnerable to.
 Skyline / int_9c1f758a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_9c1f758a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_9c1f758a
 Skyline / int_9d12bbc1
type
Foreshadowing
 Skyline / int_9d12bbc1
comment
Foreshadowing: A possibly unintentional - and definitely musical - example here. One of the songs featured in the film is 30 Seconds to Mars's 'Kings and Queens', which is about the end of the world, or at the very least, humanity.
 Skyline / int_9d12bbc1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_9d12bbc1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_9d12bbc1
 Skyline / int_9f80e1da
type
Sarcasm Mode
 Skyline / int_9f80e1da
comment
Arguably the best surprise in the film is when the car is crushed by the alien's foot as it comes out of the parking garage, so of course this was displayed prominently in the trailer.
 Skyline / int_9f80e1da
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_9f80e1da
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_9f80e1da
 Skyline / int_a05522e3
type
Alien Abduction
 Skyline / int_a05522e3
comment
Alien Abduction: Stare into the pretty lights and a few seconds later you're being pulled into the ship.
 Skyline / int_a05522e3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_a05522e3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_a05522e3
 Skyline / int_a1588c2a
type
Living Ship
 Skyline / int_a1588c2a
comment
Living Ship: According to Word of God, "Every single one is a different unique creature with its own DNA."
 Skyline / int_a1588c2a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_a1588c2a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_a1588c2a
 Skyline / int_a37e27db
type
Back from the Brink
 Skyline / int_a37e27db
comment
Back from the Brink: Humanity manages to win in the sequel once the aliens' weakness is found.
 Skyline / int_a37e27db
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_a37e27db
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_a37e27db
 Skyline / int_a3c6c2b7
type
"Facing the Bullets" One-Liner
 Skyline / int_a3c6c2b7
comment
"Facing the Bullets" One-Liner:
 Skyline / int_a3c6c2b7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_a3c6c2b7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_a3c6c2b7
 Skyline / int_a6c99b08
type
Shoot Out the Lock
 Skyline / int_a6c99b08
comment
Shoot Out the Lock: Subverted. When and Jarrod are trapped on the roof by a one-way door, Terry tries to shoot out the lock twice with no success. It takes Elaine opening the door from the other side for them to escape.
 Skyline / int_a6c99b08
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Skyline / int_a6c99b08
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_a6c99b08
 Skyline / int_a939a527
type
Red Eyes, Take Warning
 Skyline / int_a939a527
comment
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Inverted; those not under alien mind control have glowing red eyes.
 Skyline / int_a939a527
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_a939a527
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_a939a527
 Skyline / int_ac320c0e
type
Nuke 'em
 Skyline / int_ac320c0e
comment
Nuke 'em: The US military attempts to nuke an alien ship. It works, but it quickly starts repairing itself, and eventually appears as good as new.
 Skyline / int_ac320c0e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_ac320c0e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_ac320c0e
 Skyline / int_ad1db87c
type
Oh, Crap!
 Skyline / int_ad1db87c
comment
Oh, Crap!: The alien leader visibly panics when he realizes the heroes have loaded his ship's cannon with a red round and are about to fire it to free his troops. While he manages to rip the gun out before they can, it's the first time in the films any of the aliens show fear.
 Skyline / int_ad1db87c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_ad1db87c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_ad1db87c
 Skyline / int_ad4c74ed
type
Final Girl
 Skyline / int_ad4c74ed
comment
Final Girl: featuring Elaine as the very last survivor at the very end, and then quickly adverted by an inverted Cliffhanger (Jarrod's resurrection as a machine).
 Skyline / int_ad4c74ed
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_ad4c74ed
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_ad4c74ed
 Skyline / int_b42b7e7b
type
Moral Myopia
 Skyline / int_b42b7e7b
comment
Moral Myopia: The Alien Matriarch in the third film acts like humanity is in the wrong for turning the tables and fighting back...against a species who started the entire war with a completely unprovoked attack.
 Skyline / int_b42b7e7b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_b42b7e7b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_b42b7e7b
 Skyline / int_b43d89c7
type
Slow "NO!"
 Skyline / int_b43d89c7
comment
Slow "NO!": Jarrod, when the helicopter crashes.
 Skyline / int_b43d89c7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_b43d89c7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_b43d89c7
 Skyline / int_b47d95be
type
No OSHA Compliance
 Skyline / int_b47d95be
comment
No OSHA Compliance: This happens so often in films that it's not funny, but rooftop doors are supposed to have a one-way lock. They lock on the inside of the building to keep people from going out on the roof (and jumping), but they do not lock on the outside so no one who is already out of the roof gets locked out in cold/rain (and aliens, by extension).
 Skyline / int_b47d95be
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_b47d95be
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_b47d95be
 Skyline / int_b58b4e3c
type
Too Dumb to Live
 Skyline / int_b58b4e3c
comment
Too Dumb to Live: With LA full of alien monsters eating everything that moves, our heroes decide to try and escape in cars with big, growly engines and in broad daylight. Granted, their chances weren't all that good whatever they tried, but at least on foot and at night they had some small hope of evading detection. And let's not even think about the fact that their entire daylight plan was to escape by boat. From flying aliens. Yeah, that will work!
 Skyline / int_b58b4e3c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_b58b4e3c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_b58b4e3c
 Skyline / int_b87e9bc7
type
Sensory Tentacles
 Skyline / int_b87e9bc7
comment
Sensory Tentacles: Each glowing probe-arm of the Hydras does double duty as a Sensor Tentacle and a head-grappling device for brain collection.
 Skyline / int_b87e9bc7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_b87e9bc7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_b87e9bc7
 Skyline / int_bb094e0a
type
Cool Ship
 Skyline / int_bb094e0a
comment
Cool Ship: The alien spacecraft are huge, complicated masses of metallic spines, panels and antenna, and their blue lights do look pretty cool. Really... really cool....
 Skyline / int_bb094e0a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_bb094e0a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_bb094e0a
 Skyline / int_c145f69b
type
Subverted Trope
 Skyline / int_c145f69b
comment
Sure, Jarrod may get a somewhat happy ending if he and Elaine can escape the ship, but these aliens have killed most of humanity already, and it's implied they aren't going to leave... at least until they run out of humans, at any rate. Subverted in the second film, where the aliens' overlord gets killed by Trent, who is in an alien biosuit, but regained his human memories in the final battle.
 Skyline / int_c145f69b
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Skyline / int_c145f69b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_c145f69b
 Skyline / int_c2f7db18
type
Alien Blood
 Skyline / int_c2f7db18
comment
Alien Blood: The aliens bleed dark purple blood.
 Skyline / int_c2f7db18
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_c2f7db18
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_c2f7db18
 Skyline / int_c32201f6
type
Good Colors, Evil Colors
 Skyline / int_c32201f6
comment
And blue light on top of that, to subvert Good Colors, Evil Colors.
 Skyline / int_c32201f6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_c32201f6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_c32201f6
 Skyline / int_c3585f4a
type
Boom, Headshot!
 Skyline / int_c3585f4a
comment
Boom, Headshot!: Trent kills the alien overlord in the sequel by firing the corrupted red round straight through his robot's head and into the cockpit.
 Skyline / int_c3585f4a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_c3585f4a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_c3585f4a
 Skyline / int_c3c18143
type
Hope Spot
 Skyline / int_c3c18143
comment
Hope Spot: As it turns out, nuking the alien ship really worked! Until it starts repairing itself. Played with and subverted, as whenever the main group tries to have a bit of this, they always seemed to get screwed either way. Finally played straight on the ending.
 Skyline / int_c3c18143
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Skyline / int_c3c18143
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_c3c18143
 Skyline / int_c446f93c
type
Artistic License – Nuclear Physics
 Skyline / int_c446f93c
comment
Artistic License – Nuclear Physics: Oliver was looking at a nuclear explosion through a telescope. You're not supposed to look at the sun through a telescope, certainly not a nuclear explosion. That eye should be at the very least temporarily blinded - or more realistically - permanently.
 Skyline / int_c446f93c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_c446f93c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_c446f93c
 Skyline / int_c696f3ba
type
Heroic Willpower
 Skyline / int_c696f3ba
comment
Heroic Willpower: One of the possible explanations for how Jarrod gains control over the machine, rather than just being the CPU.
 Skyline / int_c696f3ba
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_c696f3ba
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_c696f3ba
 Skyline / int_caf89e54
type
Taking You with Me
 Skyline / int_caf89e54
comment
Taking You with Me: Oliver tries this on one of the "Tanker" aliens. It doesn't work. Jarrod pulls this in the sequel, as after being mortally wounded by the alien overlord, he blows up his ship from the inside out, damaging it beyond its ability to repair. While the overlord survives, this directly leads to his downfall.
 Skyline / int_caf89e54
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_caf89e54
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_caf89e54
 Skyline / int_cc4d190a
type
Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?
 Skyline / int_cc4d190a
comment
Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Almost literally. Jarrod starts off with a cinderblock but then goes to fisticuffs. The alien breaks his leg during the sequence, leading to a non limb-specific Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu. In the sequel, humanity manages to defeat the aliens and kill the Overlord by turning their own tech against them.
 Skyline / int_cc4d190a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_cc4d190a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_cc4d190a
 Skyline / int_cc7e9502
type
Humans Are Insects
 Skyline / int_cc7e9502
comment
Humans Are Insects: The aliens are extremely dismissive of humanity, treating them more as cattle to 'harvest' than people. This mentality blows up in their faces in the sequels.
 Skyline / int_cc7e9502
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_cc7e9502
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_cc7e9502
 Skyline / int_cccb4fd1
type
Death by Pragmatism
 Skyline / int_cccb4fd1
comment
Death by Pragmatism: Oliver. He's the most reasonable of the group, to a point, but it's his insistence on staying hunkered down in the building that ultimately spells his doom. Of course, others don't fare much better...
 Skyline / int_cccb4fd1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_cccb4fd1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_cccb4fd1
 Skyline / int_d397657d
type
Hoist by His Own Petard
 Skyline / int_d397657d
comment
Hoist by His Own Petard: In the sequel: the fact the light causes unborn babies to rapidly grow in the womb (so they can be harvested for experiments) results in Jarrod's daughter Rose developing the same immunity he has only stronger due to her altered biology. This gives the heroes a chance of winning, as if her blood is used to taint one of the mothership's rounds that emit the blue light, it can be used to free every one of their soldiers in visual range. The alien overlord is killed when Trent, whom he had converted into a drone to begin with, shoots his organic mecha through the head with his mothership's gun.
 Skyline / int_d397657d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_d397657d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_d397657d
 Skyline / int_dd082289
type
A Million Is a Statistic
 Skyline / int_dd082289
comment
A Million Is a Statistic: The abduction of the rest of the population of Los Angeles is merely a backdrop for the drama of a very small group of people and their tragedies. Human military aircraft, mostly manned, getting knocked out of the skies in the background becomes almost routine by the time Jarrod and Elaine are taken into the ship.
 Skyline / int_dd082289
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_dd082289
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_dd082289
 Skyline / int_ddf4698
type
Pulling Themselves Together
 Skyline / int_ddf4698
comment
Pulling Themselves Together: The alien mothership — even after being nuked. However, the sequel shows it has its limits as being blown up from the inside out damages it beyond repair.
 Skyline / int_ddf4698
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_ddf4698
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_ddf4698
 Skyline / int_dfa40c1b
type
Didn't See That Coming
 Skyline / int_dfa40c1b
comment
Didn't See That Coming: The alien Overlord clearly didn't see humanity managing to turn his weapons against him and get to a point where they might actually win coming.
 Skyline / int_dfa40c1b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_dfa40c1b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_dfa40c1b
 Skyline / int_e099f0de
type
I Will Only Slow You Down
 Skyline / int_e099f0de
comment
I Will Only Slow You Down: Jarrod tries this with Elaine, since he can barely move. She chooses to die with him instead by looking into the light. Only they don't die.
 Skyline / int_e099f0de
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_e099f0de
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_e099f0de
 Skyline / int_e2e69f43
type
Tainted Veins
 Skyline / int_e2e69f43
comment
Tainted Veins: From looking into the blue lights.
 Skyline / int_e2e69f43
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_e2e69f43
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_e2e69f43
 Skyline / int_e5066b68
type
11th-Hour Superpower
 Skyline / int_e5066b68
comment
11th-Hour Superpower: In Skylin3s Rose gets corrupted by the Overlord on Cobalt-1, who then awakens her full alien power. After a brief "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight with Trent, she overcomes the brainwashing and unleashes the full breadth of her powers, including the ability to fire powerful energy blasts from her hands without the need for a gauntlet.
 Skyline / int_e5066b68
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_e5066b68
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_e5066b68
 Skyline / int_e543a655
type
Light Is Not Good
 Skyline / int_e543a655
comment
Light Is Not Good: And blue light on top of that, to subvert Good Colors, Evil Colors. Heck Jarrod even gives us Kind Red Eyes to counter the subverted Blue Eyes of Goodness
 Skyline / int_e543a655
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Skyline / int_e543a655
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_e543a655
 Skyline / int_e9327f58
type
Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth
 Skyline / int_e9327f58
comment
Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth: Jarrod's glowing red brain proves to be just too much for the war-machine husk and he takes it over. Not quite the normal version of the trope, but close enough.
 Skyline / int_e9327f58
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_e9327f58
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_e9327f58
 Skyline / int_ea2e9f2d
type
No Ending
 Skyline / int_ea2e9f2d
comment
No Ending: The film fades out mid-scene.
 Skyline / int_ea2e9f2d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_ea2e9f2d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_ea2e9f2d
 Skyline / int_eb81c601
type
Big Damn Heroes
 Skyline / int_eb81c601
comment
Big Damn Heroes: Jarrod gets one of these at the very end when he rescues Elaine while in a superhuman alien body. Jarrod repeats it in the sequel, saving Mark. Also in the sequel, it appears the plan has failed and the alien overlord is going to kill everyone...when the restored Trent arrives in a Tanker.
 Skyline / int_eb81c601
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_eb81c601
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_eb81c601
 Skyline / int_ebee7b3a
type
Parking Garage
 Skyline / int_ebee7b3a
comment
Parking Garage: When they get there, people start to die.
 Skyline / int_ebee7b3a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_ebee7b3a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_ebee7b3a
 Skyline / int_f56aeb67
type
Alien Invasion
 Skyline / int_f56aeb67
comment
Alien Invasion: The conflict of the movie.
 Skyline / int_f56aeb67
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_f56aeb67
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_f56aeb67
 Skyline / int_fb9afaab
type
Attack Drone
 Skyline / int_fb9afaab
comment
Attack Drone: Alien "Hydra" drones that search the skyscrapers, as well as the smaller, octopus-type things, which are actually called "Drones". Also used by the military in an attack against the large ships.
 Skyline / int_fb9afaab
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_fb9afaab
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_fb9afaab
 Skyline / int_name
type
ItemName
 Skyline / int_name
comment
 Skyline / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Skyline / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Skyline
hasFeature
Skyline / int_name
 Skyline / int_name
itemName
Skyline

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 SkyLine
sameAs
Skyline
 Skyline
hasFeature
Alien Abductees Fight Back / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Alien Invasion / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Alien Works / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Aliens Are Bastards / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Aliens Speaking English / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
And Then John Was a Zombie / int_8c291bdb
 DVDPodblast
seeAlso
Skyline
 Skyline
hasFeature
Developing Doomed Characters / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Films of 2010–2014 / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Hard-to-Light Fire / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Hellish Copter / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Heroic Willpower / int_8c291bdb
 Hydraulx
seeAlso
Skyline
 Skyline
hasFeature
Mistaken for Quake / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Not Using the "Z" Word / int_8c1a8ffb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Nuclear Option / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Ominous Floating Spaceship / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Parking Garage / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Sensory Tentacles / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Shoot Out the Lock / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Slow "NO!" / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Traumatic C-Section / int_8c291bdb
 Skyline
hasFeature
Wetware CPU / int_8c291bdb