Skyark is an attempt at a low-budget, young adult sci-fi flick
First of all I don’t want to come off as a harsh critic (of which am really not!) but this movie is so boring and slow paced, a somewhat predictable release from a first-time director Simon Hung. For a first, the film title is totally misleading (catchy one though) as there is really no battle for Skyark yet just a battle with monsters. Perhaps it was originally meant to be another “trilogy”?
Set in the distant future, earth has become a barren and very dangerous wasteland. The few humans left on earth that are struggling to exist, sharing the planet with creatures so called “Monsters” that attack at any given moment. Near Earth’s orbit, humanity has been forced to find shelter in the man-made habitat, Skyark.
Due to high population growth in that small space only the richest and most powerful are given privileges and allowed to remain while the rest are sent back to earth to fend for themselves.
A young boy, Rags is the latest to be exiled after his dear father is executed for treason (fighting for the justice of all citizens of Skyark and demanding for fair and equal treatment). He is then rescued by a group of children. Thanks to a voice-over narration during the film’s beginning, we learn that the toughies are waiting on a savior of sorts; a boy with 13 shadows will come to save them. The shadows are scars that form on their arm during the decent to Earth. Rags is the hero with the 13 marks. But he still has to overcome the doubtfulness and come to terms that he is now their “messiah”
The real mystery of the film wasn’t even the monsters that were always hunting them and how they came about to be but how the kids got their food and water to sustain themselves. They have mysteriously survived and it’s not elaborated how (poor story). Let’s hope director Simon Hung learns from the errors, and puts it all to good use in his next effort.
