Falling Skies

:

Season 1
  • Network: TNT
  • Series Premiere Date: Jun 19, 2011
Season #: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
6.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 357 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 206 out of 357
  2. Mixed: 69 out of 357
  3. Negative: 82 out of 357
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  1. MarcDoyle
    Jun 23, 2011
    3
    I'm a Sci-Fi fan, but unfortunately I was bored to death by the pilot. Had to stop watching. No sense in prolonging the agony. When you've got a new show, and you're competing with so many others, you've got to so SOMEthing to get the viewer's attention. This did nothing. Let me know how it goes. If it gets amazing, I'll check it out on DVD.
  2. kirkegrd
    Jun 22, 2011
    3
    I am generally a bit of a sucker for alien invasion stories. I was sad, for example, when V was cancelled. But this one just didn't draw me in at all. I suspect that it was written by boring people who are only capable of creating boring characters. The plot development is both linear and slow. The show alternates between boring action sequences and maudlin scenes where the humans reflectI am generally a bit of a sucker for alien invasion stories. I was sad, for example, when V was cancelled. But this one just didn't draw me in at all. I suspect that it was written by boring people who are only capable of creating boring characters. The plot development is both linear and slow. The show alternates between boring action sequences and maudlin scenes where the humans reflect on their difficult plight. I doubt Spielberg himself had much to do with the show, but the show features one of his favorite themes -- families and social groups coming together to attempt to overcome a seemingly insurmountable evil -- which I frankly find extremely uninteresting and trite. I was hoping to find a show that could hold me over until the next season of Game of Thrones, but unfortunately this isn't it.… Expand
  3. syrik
    Jun 22, 2011
    0
    I don't know if network types read these reviews, but I hope so. Plugging in a ZERO for this one because somewhere in the 2 hour presentation there was supposedly a show about an alien apocalypse but I'm not sure because there was a commercial every 5 minutes. They even showed this thing again, immediately after it ended in a half hour shorter time block, so 1.5 hours, with fewerI don't know if network types read these reviews, but I hope so. Plugging in a ZERO for this one because somewhere in the 2 hour presentation there was supposedly a show about an alien apocalypse but I'm not sure because there was a commercial every 5 minutes. They even showed this thing again, immediately after it ended in a half hour shorter time block, so 1.5 hours, with fewer commercials. Seriously, were they broadcasting a new show here or a new way to get people to watch ads? What there was of the show was boring, poorly acted and unoriginal. Pass next week and pass on the network the next time they pop this many ads into a show. I'm not interested in 2 hours of ads.… Expand
  4. Digitalkid
    Jun 22, 2011
    3
    Awful, primitive, disappointing! Such a glamorous end of civilization. "Exhausted" survivors just lost their friends, siblings, homes, are flirting and.. acting like its some weekend trip just with guns. Their stupidity will cost many lifes.. so what?! I would say more, but show just not worth it. And critics are happy as always)) "Great show", "Wooow".. Pffffff..
  5. jjnoahjames
    Jun 22, 2011
    6
    Spielberg's prowess attempts to save "Skies" from drowning.

    I have to admit. I want to rate this lower because Falling Skies makes me really angry. I can't believe the producers/directors or who ever it may be would make so many bad decisions. Yet I am still intrigued a little and will probably watch more. This nowhere near sucked me in as much as V did last year and the computer    Spielberg's prowess attempts to save "Skies" from drowning.

    I have to admit. I want to rate this lower because Falling Skies makes me really angry. I can't believe the producers/directors or who ever it may be would make so many bad decisions. Yet I am still intrigued a little and will probably watch more. This nowhere near sucked me in as much as V did last year and the computer animation is 10 times worst. I can just imagine how bad it looks in HD. God help us. I could tell you except an HD version isn't available yet...ha...I wonder why.

    On top of that just when I thought it couldn't get any worst a "stereotypical, Sci-Fi channelesk, 1990's , basic scruffy group of Bad Guys in there hideout" were introduced. I was introducing my mind to stop watching because I've seen this 1000 times and it's stupid every time. The worst part is I started feeling like the show was "setty" at this point meaning I felt like I went from one set....a warehouse....to another set.....a school....to another set....military base out side. Shows like Lost where they were obviously always on the same set never made me feel this way. The 1990's group of bad guys didn't help. Maybe I'm too harsh but I really don't think so. On top of that there are a lot of bad actors, and also too many actors. I mean a lot of shows like V and The Event last year had the same problem but this is much worst because there are so many people and I feel like they should stop ridiculously introducing people like the two cool black guys who were awesome but cheesily and swiftly introduced. Take notes from Lost you do a couple at a time, not the whole army base at once. This reminds me of the random characters on Lost. At the point they were introduce the show was so good that no body cared. First episode= we care.

    The only hope and it's a good one. Is the Spielberg style directed scenes which push unpretentious Father-Son, Mother Daughter type wholesome emotions on watchers. So you have all this bad stuff verses Spielberg, it's pretty messy if you ask me.    … Expand
  6. skim123
    Jun 22, 2011
    3
    They blew a great opportunity with this show. It could've been great if it had been done right, but they "hollywooded" it up too much. I'm not a fan of TNT and their shows (too corny, sappy and cliche)...and this show got the typical "TNT" treatment - bad casting and mediocre writing. The casting is especially horrendous, but predictable for a network like TNT - all of the women andThey blew a great opportunity with this show. It could've been great if it had been done right, but they "hollywooded" it up too much. I'm not a fan of TNT and their shows (too corny, sappy and cliche)...and this show got the typical "TNT" treatment - bad casting and mediocre writing. The casting is especially horrendous, but predictable for a network like TNT - all of the women and young men look like models - none of them look like real people, and their acting is wooden to say the least. Typical TNT casting choices - they cast good-looking people with no charisma or personality. The premise is also flawed. I simply can't believe that large groups of humans would be able to successfully hide from an advanced alien race. The aliens have ships that could easily just drop bombs on every square mile of the planet and could eliminate the entire human race in a matter of days...with their advanced technology, they should be able to locate and destroy every human relatively quickly.

    The aliens themselves are also not believable as an "advanced, intelligent" race. I have a hard time believing something that looks like an overgrown spider could create advanced technology....and why do so called "advanced" aliens never wear clothes?

    Boring, unrealistic plot, with boring, generic characters. I would love to see what network like AMC could do with and alien show. AMC would do a real, gritty, believable version with interesting characters....this watered down TNT could've been great if it had been in the right hands.    … Expand
  7. jakerthetaker
    Jun 21, 2011
    10
    An alien invasion is professionally realized in this show. A group of humans called the resistance survives by finding food and killing aliens. They meat other survivors on the way, some less friendly than others. The main character is a history teacher, so he finds relations to the alien war throughout history. This is definately worth watching.
  8. 1tvfanatic
    Jun 21, 2011
    7
    I like the concept.. Exciting to see developing ideas of destroying the scitters.
    the 2 legged cyclops metal robots are a bit lame, and come right out of an old b movie . will appeal to nastalgic folks who liked war of the worlds.
    the firefights need to be more destructive and i need to see more debris , and unfortunately , more bodies , to actually believe we are being invaded by an alien    I like the concept.. Exciting to see developing ideas of destroying the scitters.
    the 2 legged cyclops metal robots are a bit lame, and come right out of an old b movie . will appeal to nastalgic folks who liked war of the worlds.
    the firefights need to be more destructive and i need to see more debris , and unfortunately , more bodies , to actually believe we are being invaded by an alien race. The Homeship of the creatures is interesting (see deathstar) and I want to know more about this palace of evil and how to destroy it. the scitters are not very details.. kinda of a mix between yoda, and a praying mantis.. get more creative guys.. Steve you have the best makeup and mask guys in the biz..we can do better ..
    thanks for creating a show for noel wyle to showcase his range.. he's cool . has some great scenes with the sons.. and the budding romance with the doc is sure to bring in some more viewers. much success to the show . still hopeful fan    … Expand
  9. NCCrank
    Jun 21, 2011
    1
    Bad, bad, bad, bad. Mr. Spielberg needs to get his check back, and sue whoever made this mess for defamation.

    I'm not even sure where to start with this mess - except to say that critics must be watching a different show than what appeared on TV. First - aliens have invaded the earth, and will stake out / protect empty buildings. But, they won't attack a column of 300 people moving in    Bad, bad, bad, bad. Mr. Spielberg needs to get his check back, and sue whoever made this mess for defamation.

    I'm not even sure where to start with this mess - except to say that critics must be watching a different show than what appeared on TV. First - aliens have invaded the earth, and will stake out / protect empty buildings. But, they won't attack a column of 300 people moving in broad daylight....really....

    There are a lot of what the #$*#$ were they thinking moments in the first hour of the show. To many to list here. The biggest problem is that this show makes a story about alien invasion boring. Too many drawn out plot points, rote scenes that don't hang together, characters you don't care about - because they don't give you a reason to....

    Don't waster your time on this show. There are too many other good options besides this dreck.    … Expand
  10. fingolfin2
    Jun 20, 2011
    5
    Those people who decide which show to make just donâ
  11. AIDY
    Jun 20, 2011
    2
    I can really get into why Falling Skies truly came up short in its premiere--I decided to just let it progress on its own slow decline in viewership. I truly was hoping for "more" considering Spielberg was tied to the series. The show did not present enough for me to be concerned for any of the survivors. The concept overall wasn't remotely logical. Predictable. Forgettable. Done
  12. YetAnotherScott
    Jun 20, 2011
    2
    Time is the most important thing we have. It's worth more than money, worth more than fame, worth more than status or position. I write this review so that you might save some of your precious time by not watching the show Falling Skies. I was unable to feel even a small shred of sympathy toward these characters. You know that feeling you get when you are watching a TV show and you forgetTime is the most important thing we have. It's worth more than money, worth more than fame, worth more than status or position. I write this review so that you might save some of your precious time by not watching the show Falling Skies. I was unable to feel even a small shred of sympathy toward these characters. You know that feeling you get when you are watching a TV show and you forget its a TV show because you are so into it..? This will not be an experience like that, you wont spend any time being immersed in the character's plight, hoping for small miracles, and generally caring how things turn out. You are so reminded that this is a poorly made TV show that you begin to wish the aliens finish them off because if this is a cross section of what is left of humanity, wow, humanity is really in trouble. Someone else here mentions about the kid running after the dog...yes, I too felt a tinge of 'why'...no wait.. it was more like 'why me?' and 'I knew this was never going to get any better!!' Any review that seems to sway you toward a favorable opinion of this fiasco must be taken note of so you can ensure that you never listen to that critic again. I ranked it low, but not the lowest as I did chuckle once during an exchange between Noah and the A-Team fella...something about " you dont need to agree with me you just need to listen!" or something like that. His response was fast, and witty, and I grinned. Anyway, that is in no way a redemption statement.… Expand
  13. alienchaos
    Jun 20, 2011
    0
    To compare this show to Battlestar G or X Files is unconscionable. Bad: terrible dialogue, completely predictable plot, no emotions, no growth of characters, too many kids, no injuries, no bathrooms, no blood, stupid aliens, human interactions are not natural, on and on and on. Good: I recorded it so I could fast forward through the commercials and only wasted about and 1hr 25 min...
  14. Gobias
    Jun 20, 2011
    10
    This show is great. What a win. The second episode was the best. It was tense, surprising. Very happy with the end result. Special effects are very good and Wyle's acting is great. 5 stars!
  15. stc9357
    Jun 20, 2011
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The premiere of the tv show "Falling Skies" drops us right in the middle of the story, set six months after the intial alien devastation has taken place with the remaining people left to fight and pick up the pieces. We are introduced to an army of resistance fighter's called the 2nd Mass since they are located in Boston, who are lead by Weaver (Will Patten) and Tom Mason (Noah Wyle). The story centers around Tom who's profession before the invasion was a military history professor, he's lost his wife and is left with three sons, the middle child Ben (Connor Jessup) who has been taken by what the army has deemed "skitters" (six legged aliens), an older son Hal (Drew Roy) who is fighting with him in the resistance, and his youngest son Matt (Maxim Knight) who hasn't quite adjusted to life in a post-apocalyptic atmosphere . There are two different types of aliens introduced in the premiere of the show the "skitters" and a roboticized two legged alien called a "mech" the latter of the two being the most difficult to kill.

    The first episode revolves around the 2nd Mass searching for food and weapons, with future episodes focusing on the army trying to find a way to get the children back. The children that are taken by the aliens have a bug creature, a parasite the size of a small dog attached to their spinal cord that if removed by force seems to kill the host. What exactly the aliens plan on doing with the children isn't explained in the premiere and how to remove the creature without killing the person seems to be a mystery at the present moment that will be explained in later episodes.

    After locating an armory filled with weapons Tom is sent by Weaver to recon on the area and see if it's a trap set by the aliens, it turns out to be a trap set by a group of rebels who intend on using the recon party as a negotiating tool to get a .50 caliber weapon from the 2nd Mass. This introduces us to the first bad guy in the series who goes by the name John Pope (Colin Cunningham) leader of a band of rebels, a criminal before the invasion who hasn't changed his stripes. Through the whole ordeal only one life is lost at the hands of Pope, who kills a fighter from the recon party. Pope's plan however back fires when one of his own betrays him and he's taken prisoner. From what can be seen from previews for future episodes we are supposed to suspend all logic and believe he's forgiven and given a position in the resistance army. That I believe will be a major plot hole unless covered correctly from the writer's.

    Overall I'm going to give this show a grade of B-, a rating that can be improved or lowered with future episodes. The premiere lacked flow and cohesion which wasn't helped by the endless amount of commercials I had to sit through. I thought some good sub plots were developed between certain characters but would have liked to see more action. The potential for this show to be a hit is there, you have the executive producer in Steven Spielberg attached to this project along with the creator and main writer of the show Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan). I'm going to give the show a few more viewings and reevaluate my opinion then, and I suggest others who watched or plan to watch the show to do the same. Check out my newly launched blog at: www.logansmovieblog.blogspot.com    … Expand
  16. TheDoc
    Jun 20, 2011
    10
    Show has great atmosphere and pretty decent acting. The characters are far more likable than in any of the other gritty realism dramas that have come out this year (I'm looking at you walking dead). Not all of the dialogue is amazing, the interactions between the father and son are a bit cliche and unnatural, but the show overall is very good. Like all network television, it's not withoutShow has great atmosphere and pretty decent acting. The characters are far more likable than in any of the other gritty realism dramas that have come out this year (I'm looking at you walking dead). Not all of the dialogue is amazing, the interactions between the father and son are a bit cliche and unnatural, but the show overall is very good. Like all network television, it's not without its minor flaws, but those included, this is still one of the best shows I've seen this year. Definitely not deserving of a 1, hopefully this review will help to balance it out.… Expand
  17. Aquamantor
    Jun 20, 2011
    6
    It's unfortunate for Falling Skies that The Walking Dead came out so recently. If not, we wouldn't have a worldwide calamity TV show to compare it to. And, unfortunately, The Walking Dead outdoes it in every feasible way, from characterization to action to (especially) dramatic depth, However, if there is room in your favor for a second TV apocalypse with people fighting against somethingIt's unfortunate for Falling Skies that The Walking Dead came out so recently. If not, we wouldn't have a worldwide calamity TV show to compare it to. And, unfortunately, The Walking Dead outdoes it in every feasible way, from characterization to action to (especially) dramatic depth, However, if there is room in your favor for a second TV apocalypse with people fighting against something supernatural for survival, Falling Skies is serviceable enough.

    It's best not to get caught up in the hype. Falling Skies follows the Avatar line of ambition: "Our special effects are awesome which makes us more awesome than anyone else". As far as said special effects go...well, they're better than Battle L.A. We have to take into consideration that this is a tv show. Every laser and CG alien or robot is a much bigger moneysink than television usually incurs. Overall, they're better than the average crappy Syfy movie, but they're not as good as in an actual Hollywood Blockbuster.

    The thing that makes Falling Skies really middling-to-good is the plot, which has this exact level of quality itself. The characters are decent. I got to like Tom enough. Other than that, though, the only character who stood out for me was the surprisingly well-acted Pope, who in the second half of the premiere stands out as an antagonist, yet there are hints of his becoming a contributing member of the group later on.

    It seems like the main dramatic problems facing these survivors are "can we kill the aliens" and "look at how these children were robbed of their innocence". The first is delivered well enough, but can't make the show interesting on its own. The second, honestly, is delivered in such an obvious "this is sad" way that it seems exploitive. And I'm talking crayon pictures with child voice-overs exploitive. In fact, that's the first scene. I was never particularly moved by Falling Skies, and I only ever remained neutral to its attempts at moving me.

    The action is fun enough, the situations are clever enough, and the dialogue does alternate pretty frequently between clever and clumsy. Falling Skies always remains entertaining, but I'm not particularly infatuated with it. Let's hope that it gets better as time goes on.    … Expand
  18. Captiosus
    Jun 20, 2011
    3
    I guess someone at Dreamworks and TNT weren't told that serialized Sci-Fi is toast. All they had to do was look at recent events: ABC's V reboot, cancelled. NBC's The Event, cancelled. FOX's Fringe.. lucky enough to live on, but the ratings are in free-fall. So TNT decides to premier (yet another) predictable aliens-invade-the-planet serialized show. Unlike the aforementioned shows, whoseI guess someone at Dreamworks and TNT weren't told that serialized Sci-Fi is toast. All they had to do was look at recent events: ABC's V reboot, cancelled. NBC's The Event, cancelled. FOX's Fringe.. lucky enough to live on, but the ratings are in free-fall. So TNT decides to premier (yet another) predictable aliens-invade-the-planet serialized show. Unlike the aforementioned shows, whose premiers were strong and generated decent interest, this premier was cliche, tired, uninspired and completely predictable. No one but Noah Wylie seems to be interested in the plot of what they're trying to convey, the situations the "resistance" found themselves in were absolutely laughable, the scenes jump all over the place (hey, look, one commercial break and we're out of Massachusetts and in Ohio - with a massive invasion force around? really?) and the fighting sequences mundane. It's a sad statement when the human renegades seemed more villainous than the aliens trying to wipe humanity off the earth. I feel like we've been down this road several times before over the last three TV seasons, and none of them panned out - but at least most of the predecessors to this show had decent acting. This one just has an uninspired cast, Noah Wylie acting like, well Noah Wylie (really, this is the guy who went from ER to the Librarian, Indiana Jones ripoff movies), terrible effects and a terrible plot that's been done before RECENTLY. I can't say I'm even interested in future episodes as the series is going to predictably be about Noah's character trying to save his son (and, by proxy, the rest of the children) more than humanity resisting an invasion of supposed bad-arse aliens we almost never see.… Expand
  19. drm
    Jun 20, 2011
    5
    I have to give 'Falling Skies' a big, bland 5. No, it wasn't the worst thing I've seen on television, but it was far from memorable. Cheating us all of the opening alien apocalypse, by using children's drawings, was an enormous directorial misstep. Sometimes it's a great idea to start a story in medias res, but when your entire story is built on people reacting to the harshness of anI have to give 'Falling Skies' a big, bland 5. No, it wasn't the worst thing I've seen on television, but it was far from memorable. Cheating us all of the opening alien apocalypse, by using children's drawings, was an enormous directorial misstep. Sometimes it's a great idea to start a story in medias res, but when your entire story is built on people reacting to the harshness of an alien invasion, you just really gotta show some of it. Right? Shouldn't be a problem for Dreamworks to work up some amazing CGI footage like that. Right? It came off as strained budget, as did the sparing presence of the aliens themselves. I know it's hard to set up a big story like this, and I think it's too soon to write it off, but seriously Dreamworks, that next episode better just rock my world, or I'm jumping ship and calling it even.… Expand
  20. Optical_Inch
    Jun 20, 2011
    10
    Watching this made me feel embarrassed. However, if you're under the age of 12 and have never watched television or seen a movie before, you might like this.
  21. MorriBey
    Jun 20, 2011
    2
    I hadn't realized it was done by Spielberg until i started writing this. Doesn't look like he has moved on much from ET. I was trying to stay with it , in the hope it may be get better, but when the kid runs after a dog i had to turn it off. Its nonsense stuff. Its boring and it has the suspense of melting ice.
  22. Gloomy_nes
    Jun 19, 2011
    10
    The show has its minor faults, but in the end delivers. There's action, suspense, and a few touching scenes that could've been better. I think more should be revealed about the past of the main character. The characters can sometimes seem lifeless, desperately wanting one thing but then showing complete patience 2 minutes later. For what this show is, it does a good job, hardly deservingThe show has its minor faults, but in the end delivers. There's action, suspense, and a few touching scenes that could've been better. I think more should be revealed about the past of the main character. The characters can sometimes seem lifeless, desperately wanting one thing but then showing complete patience 2 minutes later. For what this show is, it does a good job, hardly deserving all those exaggerated negative reviews.… Expand
  23. gail-oh
    Jun 19, 2011
    3
    I agree that the Spielberg name made me hope for more, but this hardly deserves hatred. It's pretty formulaic, pretty ho-hum for thrills, pretty - well, slow. I don't necessarily look for constant bloody action, but the encounters with the aliens are just plain boring. Oops - there's a bad guy...shoot it!

    The plot is also predictable - potential romance that they'll try to milk for    I agree that the Spielberg name made me hope for more, but this hardly deserves hatred. It's pretty formulaic, pretty ho-hum for thrills, pretty - well, slow. I don't necessarily look for constant bloody action, but the encounters with the aliens are just plain boring. Oops - there's a bad guy...shoot it!

    The plot is also predictable - potential romance that they'll try to milk for all it's worth, running short of supplies, tension between leaders. Getting captured by human criminals had some zing to it, but that seems already played out in the first episode. The criminal leader has some spark, but he'll probably be used to make pithy sarcastic comments and little else.

    Hey, it's summer TV - just ow many reruns can we watch of NCIS and Law & Order??? Oh yeah, we could read a book....    … Expand
  24. wordy_actions
    Jun 19, 2011
    2
    Interesting concept sunk by cliche after cliche. After 2 hours of cliched dialouge and character 'development' I couldn't stand it anymore. The only thing impressive about this show is the production values, and even then only some of the CGI shots look good. In the first 30 minutes we see a huge group of humans traveling slowly, in daytime, and in a town. What the hell? Why aren't theyInteresting concept sunk by cliche after cliche. After 2 hours of cliched dialouge and character 'development' I couldn't stand it anymore. The only thing impressive about this show is the production values, and even then only some of the CGI shots look good. In the first 30 minutes we see a huge group of humans traveling slowly, in daytime, and in a town. What the hell? Why aren't they being attacked by the 'hundreds' of aircraft that the aliens have in their mothership which is only several miles away? Look, I'm not one to nitpick but how am I supposed to be scared of aliens that can't find hundreds of people in the middle of the day? And they have aircraft for crying out loud! The characters don't seem like they're taking the whole thing seriously. Everyone is acting like this whole alien invasion thing is just an inconvenience as they spout off 'witty' one-liners and cliched emotional dialouge that we've all heard before. The lead actor is the only person who seems like he's trying to deliver his lines with any amount of emotion. The child characters feel shoe-horned in and are mostly annoying. To be fair, it's only the first episode. But it'll take some serious effort for this show to find it's footing and get better. Compared to all the gold that's on TV right now, this show is a serious letdown.… Expand
  25. HaVoK308
    Jun 19, 2011
    10
    Good stuff! It's like The Walking Dead except with Aliens. This is a very good thing. It has equal the quality and production values as other quality mini series such as The Pacific and Band of Brothers and as I mentioned The Walking Dead. I'm looking forward to the remaining episodes.

    Pay no attention to the haters. Just watch for yourself as you have no real need for reviews since it's    Good stuff! It's like The Walking Dead except with Aliens. This is a very good thing. It has equal the quality and production values as other quality mini series such as The Pacific and Band of Brothers and as I mentioned The Walking Dead. I'm looking forward to the remaining episodes.

    Pay no attention to the haters. Just watch for yourself as you have no real need for reviews since it's on free TV.    … Expand
  26. TalleyReviews
    Jun 19, 2011
    1
    I really can not describe the amount of hate I feel for this show. I just left it on as I was doing some things, I watched some action scenes and some 'moving' scenes. The action scenes were very clumsy feeling and goofy, like a movie from the 70s with enhanced visuals. Then I come to the very dramatic little touching scenes, well they were supposed to be touching. The one that I rememberI really can not describe the amount of hate I feel for this show. I just left it on as I was doing some things, I watched some action scenes and some 'moving' scenes. The action scenes were very clumsy feeling and goofy, like a movie from the 70s with enhanced visuals. Then I come to the very dramatic little touching scenes, well they were supposed to be touching. The one that I remember is the boy riding the Ripstick, I guess it was supposed to be symbolic of the boy's childhood being robbed by the invasion. However it just ended up being a bunch of people staring at a boy riding a Ripstick. I am going to make a little point system and come up with an average to score it.

    Story: Not that original, they skipped six months ahead of the initial invasion which makes me feel like they didn't want to waste the energy and time to produce those scenes. Really it is just another alien show/movie with a different name and different visuals. It does have some interesting moments. 2/10

    Acting: The lead was Noah Wyle, I have no idea what he has done in his past, but I am not impressed so far. He has not a hint of chemistry with anyone in this show. I don't know the names of the other actors but they aren't making me say "WOW!" 1/10

    Visuals: This is the part that really shocks me, the visuals are actually really bad. I expected when I heard the name Steven Spielberg being pasted all over this show, I thought it'd at least have the best of the best CGI. I would compare the CGI to a Syfy movie. Really this was shocking to me. The CGI explosions and the aliens look out of place in the real world. 0/10

    If you did the math, that is a 1. . This is only based on one episode, so this could change but if it doesn't, I'd say avoid this giant blockbuster that fails to captivate me.    … Expand
  27. TheKiddy
    Jun 19, 2011
    1
    cloying. saccharin. clumsy, unoriginal dialogue, and too much of it. too little excitement, energy. the world is ending and it feels like nothing is happening. expects us to care about this group of people before we are ready, before we even know them. the opening with the little kids talking -- doesn't sound like real kid dialogue and sounds a lot like exposition. the father -soncloying. saccharin. clumsy, unoriginal dialogue, and too much of it. too little excitement, energy. the world is ending and it feels like nothing is happening. expects us to care about this group of people before we are ready, before we even know them. the opening with the little kids talking -- doesn't sound like real kid dialogue and sounds a lot like exposition. the father -son discussions are annoying.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

44
#44 Best TV Season of 2011
6
#6 Most Discussed TV Season of 2011
17
#17 Most Shared TV Season of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 27
  3. Negative: 1 out of 27
  1. RedEye
    Reviewed by: Curt Wagner
    Aug 1, 2011
    75
    Falling Skies, although competently directed, acted and sometimes written, goes off on more than a few tangents and paint-by-numbers subplots of the genre. It's best when it sticks to the main thread, and that's the battle for survival and to learn what the six-legged freaks are doing with the children.
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  2. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Storm
    Jun 20, 2011
    80
    Falling Skies generates its own excitement, very much worth the ride, like Lost and Jericho, to watch characters develop as they struggle under confusing and life-threatening circumstances.
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  3. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    Jun 20, 2011
    70
    The characters lack the depth of those in smarter, premium cable dramas like "The Walking Dead," but they do show some growth as the series goes on. What Falling Skies does best is create a sense of the struggle for survival.
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