Did you see Skyline in November and think to yourself, "Man, this crappy movie would be so much better if it aired on TNT and starred Dr. Carter from ER"? If so, then Falling Skies is the television series for you!
Actually, perhaps television event is more like it, since Skies comes from the fertile mind of Steven Spielberg. Taking equal parts of Independence Day, Skyline, Red Dawn, District 9, V and, presumably, Battle: Los Angeles, the new series finds Noah Wyle -- with beard! -- starring as a former college professor who becomes the unwilling leader of the human resistance against a group of murderous aliens. Cities are destroyed, millions are killed and..hey, is that Will Patton and Moon Bloodgood? The B-movie bona fides on this one just shot up 10 percent!
Judging from this extended trailer, Falling Skies looks like something your dad would watch in marathon form on SyFy. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just not necessarily something that you'll want to add to the DVR, even during the quiet months of summer. Still, as long as Falling Skies is better than the stillborn V, viewers should be moderately happy.
VERDICT: [Punch] Welcome to earth!