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Skyline

Skyline

Don't look up.

201092 minPG-13Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films
Directors
Colin Strause, Greg Strause
Starring
Eric Balfour, Scottie Thompson, David Zayas, Donald Faison

When strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, people are drawn outside like moths to a flame where an extraterrestrial force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth. Now the band of survivors must fight for their lives as the world unravels around them.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Skyline?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Skyline streaming on Hulu, Pluto TV (free), Prime Video, Shout! TV via Prime Video, The Roku Channel (free) and Tubi (free) and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Skyline?

Skyline earns 4 badges, led by Overhyped and Universally Panned.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office

Reception

Is Skyline worth watching?

Skyline's Midcredits score is the 5th percentile of all films, from 134K ratings across 6 sources. 19% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

5th percentile

Better received than 5% of films

11th percentile among Action6th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)7th
Approval (how many liked it)7th

43 /100

7th percentile of all films

13th percentile among Action9th percentile among 2010s

Critics 26 · Audience 44

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

The crowd leans negative, with most ratings sitting in the bottom half of the scale.

Approval

How many liked it

19% liked it

7th percentile of all films

14th percentile among Action7th percentile among 2010s
19% rated it 7–1081% rated it 1–6

Critics 15% · Audience 18%

On Rotten Tomatoes, critics and audiences approve at similar rates.

95th percentile

134K ratings across platforms

91st percentile among Action95th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 1% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$10M
Opening weekend$12M
Domestic gross$21M
Worldwide gross$67M

Returned 6.7× its budget — 81st percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

An alien invasion movie focused on a small group inside a single building with impressive visual effects but thin, clichéd storytelling.

Fans praised

  • effects_spectacular on small budget
  • relentless_doom and hopelessness feel realistic
  • avoids Hollywood heroics for grounded survival

Detractors panned

  • unlikable one-dimensional characters
  • script riddled with clichés and illogical plot
  • derivative mix of better invasion films

What stands out

Effects and spectacle75

superb CGI on a shoestring $10M budget

PacingDivisive45

starts slow but delivers kinetic set pieces after first act

TensionDivisive40

some effective suspense punctured by logical lapses

ActingDivisive35

uneven performances, B-list cast often overwhelmed

Plot and storyDivisive20

formulaic invasion with thin, clichéd narrative

DialogueDivisive20

lame, cliché-ridden, and often grating

CharactersDivisive15

vapid, unlikable, and poorly developed

Originality15

shameless amalgam of Matrix, ID4, Cloverfield

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 1 point apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s 1 point apart
  • Critics vs users 5 points apart
  • US vs non-US 2 points apart

Watch experience

What is Skyline like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
DreadTenseMelancholic
Heaviest: late
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.Single location · 5% of films: Confined to essentially one place throughout.
ToneThe film plays its material straight, presenting the alien invasion and the characters' struggle with earnest seriousness, despite a campy edge in the dialogue.
The rideThe film sustains a high level of dread and tension as the survivors face an overwhelming alien threat, with the heaviest emotional weight in the final act as hope is lost.
StructureThe story unfolds in a mostly linear chronological order, following the group's ordeal from the initial attack through their attempts to escape. The action remains almost entirely confined to the high-rise apartment building and its immediate surroundings.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Why it leaves you this wayThe film leaves a distinctly bleak impression: humanity is defeated, characters are lost, and the ending offers no hope, only a cliffhanger of alien triumph.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).MonsterInvasion
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21% (this title): Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% (this title) · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Invasion: An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).

21% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeThe film follows a group of survivors trapped in a high-rise as an alien invasion unfolds, trying to survive and escape, but the aliens prove unstoppable. The narrative is driven by the external alien threat and the characters' attempts to withstand it.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfSurvival
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% (this title) · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15% (this title): Survival 17% (this title) · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Survival

SurvivalFamily bonds
Observes its theme: Presents its theme neutrally, declining to judge.Global stakes: Consequences reach the world.Dual lead
How it treats its themeThe characters are focused on staying alive against an overwhelming alien threat, with the pregnancy and couple's relationship adding a family bond dimension.
StanceThe film neutrally presents a global alien invasion and the struggle for survival, without celebrating or satirizing the primary theme.

The world

ContemporaryUrbanDomesticScience fiction
Orchestral modernSupportive music · original score · Matthew Margeson
SettingA luxury high-rise apartment building in Los Angeles during an alien invasion
MusicThe score underscores the alien threat with tense, rhythmic orchestral cues.

Content guide

Is Skyline okay for kids?

PG-13

Skyline is rated PG-13: “Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, some language, and brief sexual content” (MPAA). As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at intense (65/100), sexual content at mild (29/100), language at moderate (56/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (46/100) and frightening material at intense (65/100). Overall it is heavier than 89% of PG-13-rated films.

Ratings in 15 other countries
  • UK15
  • AustraliaM
  • Germany16
  • France10
  • Ireland15
  • JapanPG12
  • South Korea12세 이상 관람가
  • Brazil14
  • Denmark11
  • Greece16
  • ItalyT
  • Netherlands12
  • Russia18+
  • Spain12
  • Sweden15
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
Heavier than 57% of all filmsHeavier than 89% of PG-13-rated films
Violence & Gore
Intense
heavy for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 84%
Sex & Nudity
Mild · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 50%
Profanity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
heavy for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 80%
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
heavy for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 89%
Frightening / Intense
Intense
heavy for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 84%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is violence and frightening material.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Skyline have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Skyline?

Cast

Eric Balfour
as Jarrod
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Scottie Thompson
as Elaine
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
David Zayas
as Oliver
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Donald Faison
as Terry
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Brittany Daniel
as Candice
Crystal Reed
as Denise
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Neil Hopkins
as Ray
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
J. Paul Boehmer
as Colin
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Tanya Newbould
as Jen
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Pam Levin
as Pregnant Abductee

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Skyline?

Movies like Skyline include Skylines (2020), War of the Worlds (2005) and The War of the Worlds (1953). Of the 12 closest matches, two are films written by Liam O'Donnell, and half are alien invasion stories.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

6 of these 12 share its story type: alien contact. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Skyline?

378 other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: alien contact. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.