Here we go again
Cheesy special effects, uninspired aliens and a rag-tag group of unbelievable human resistance fighters. I thought bad science fiction was the exclusive domain of the Syfy channel?
It was with great anticipation that I stayed up Sunday night to watch the Falling Skies premiere on TNT. A Steven Spielberg produced science fiction show? Especially, one about hostile aliens which invade Earth with a take no prisoners (or very few) mentality? A show that Howard Stern got an advanced copy of and endorsed? Sign me up!
Unfortunately, the show didn’t live up to the hype I assigned to it. Maybe its just my longing for a show that would follow up Battlestar Galactica’s early greatness. I don’t know, but what I can say is that Falling Skies isn’t that new, go-to science fiction story I have been searching for.
When your leading man is Noah Wyle
I don’t really know how Noah Wyle got cast as the leading man in this science fiction series. Looking over his IMDB, you don’t see any science fiction titles – at all. He just doesn’t feel believable playing the leader of a band of revolutionaries, fighting back alien hordes. Not to typecast him too much here, but there IS a role of a doctor in this series which he would have fit really well into.
Instead, I think this would have been a perfect opportunity to see some new faces. Most of the rest of the cast seem to be newcomers, which I think sometimes works better for new shows like this anyway.
Those aliens are just.. not great
The Falling Skies premiere, which was about 90 minutes or so, tells the story of a not too distant future where aliens come to Earth and invade. The aliens are called “skitters” by the local populace, presumably because they have 6 legs and kind of resemble spiders? They don’t really exhibit any other features which would warrant them being called this but, okay. What is more bizarre to me is the “mech” aliens which look more like cylon robots, ala Battlestar Galactica. Apparently, the 6 legged aliens have these buddies which are bipedal robots which are the lovechild of cylons and the Predator.
At the end of the day, design your aliens however you want, but please at least make them look good. 2 legs, 4, 6 or 8 I don’t really give a damn, just don’t make it look like they were designed on a Apple IIe and cut and pasted onto the screen.
As I watched, I really kept wondering if I was on the SyFy channel. I mean, I expected much better production and visuals from a Steven Spielberg produced show.
The special fx house that worked on the show should have been using the following measuring stick – do your creatures look worse than those found in Farscape, yes or no? If yes, start over.
Your aliens better look better than this
Failing Skies
I honestly don’t think I can bring myself to watch another episode of Falling Skies. I mean, I haven’t even critiqued the story yet or most of the acting which was equally atrocious. My wife even commented – my, for these people being brutalized by aliens they all seem to be really chipper and happy! The doctor character, as seen in the first screenshot of this post, might as well be walking around like some kind of fashionista.
If the show would have brought me along with great visuals (passable looking explosion, ships and/or creatures) it would have gotten a second week from me. I mean, if two guys could create the special fx and editing for “Skyline” from their house, I don’t see why this show has such poor looking CG.
As it goes now, I am going to predict a one-and-done season for this show.
