Falling Skies
2011
Original language: English
- action & adventure
- sci-fi & fantasy
- drama
The story
Falling Skies opens in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the six months since the initial invasion, the few survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers work to protect the people in their care while also engaging in an insurgency campaign against the occupying alien force.
What it’s like
Gritty, washed-out daylight dominates this alien-invasion series, with handheld camerawork that stays close to frightened families running through dusty suburbs, ruined highways and makeshift camps of tents and tarps. Ash-grey skies, scorched earth and smoke-hazed horizons give the world a dun, bleached palette, while the mechanical whine and thud of alien tripods and the crack of rifles drive the soundscape, backed by a brooding orchestral score that swells during set pieces and drops out for quiet moments of grief. Its vibe is tense, weary and sun-bleached dread, best suited to a focused evening rather than background viewing. The pacing is steady and episodic, with regular skirmishes and scavenging runs punctuating long stretches of tense planning and fraying loyalties. The emotional register is earnest and hard-edged, following a ragged band of civilians and reluctant soldiers, including a schoolteacher turned fighter, as they learn to trust one another under pressure. Violence is regular and fairly graphic: gunfights, explosions, alien killings and bodies left in the open, with some tension about children caught up in the fighting, though gore stays moderate. It suits viewers who enjoy post-apocalyptic survival drama and military-style action with a strong sense of human stakes.
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