SnoopyStyle Luke McNamara (Joshua Jackson) is a working class college student struggling to come up with the tuition to pay for Harvard Law. He's an elite rower and hopes to be pick by The Skulls who supposedly pay for tuition. He's in love with Chloe (Leslie Bibb) but reluctantly to show it because of her family wealth. He gets picked by the Skulls and steal a rival mascot with Caleb Mandrake (Paul Walker) as a test. They are put together as "soulmates". His membership in the Skulls causes a split with his friend Will. Caleb's father Litten (Craig T. Nelson) is the chair of The Skulls. Senator Ames Levritt (William Petersen) is a member. Will steals Caleb's key and breaks into The Skulls. Caleb catches Will. Later Luke finds Will dead after a supposed suicide. Detective Sparrow (Steve Harris) investigates.Will's reaction to Luke after he got into The Skulls needs to be explained better right from the beginning or else it feels too abrupt. It's not like Luke didn't explain why he needs the Skulls. That scene almost destroys this movie single-handedly with the overacting. Luke is a much more compelling character if he's concentrated on the tuition. When he seems to be too greedy, he loses that rooting interest. Then it just gets too much and too ridiculous. It is an excessive story about excess.

elshikh4 The intention to show this supposed community, and utilize it in a thriller where the poor good guys beat the rich and influential evil guys, is great apart. The script is smart with breathless succession (It's written by John Pogue who wrote U.S. Marshals, a very good action thriller, 2 years earlier). I love (Rob Cohen)'s work in anything. He nails the right way to "tighten" things on screen, with all the senses of the word. The humid colors, the narrow cadres, the hot pace…etc. they are all his elements to make an exciting time. This movie is no exception. But why I felt that it was like fancy dinner party with only cheap rusk to serve ! (Joshua Jackson) can't be the lead. He's uncharismatic and uninteresting to the max. Among the ones chosen for the skulks who were entering the center for the first time/namely the movie's extra, he was the least noticeable. I'm no fan of (Tom Cruise) but the young him should have been more fit for such a role (a la he did in The Firm once). Further, although looks are deceiving but by a look to the movie's poster you'll grasp that (Paul Walker) was catchier than (Jackson). It's an irony wasn't for the sake of the lead, his persuasion, or our interaction with him.(Hill Harper), as the friend, is one annoying actor who many viewers thank god that he got killed earlier in the movie. He was in bad corner too concerning the way his role was written. The character, so hastily, hates how his friend becomes a Skull, for no logical reason (I got the feeling that he was gay, loving his roommate secretly, refusing that he goes to another class and another "friend" !). As you see the bad writing perfected with the bad acting to produce something between bad and laughable !(Steve Harris) as Detective Sparrow was a joke. He looked like another student yet fatter, doing his job usually or badly ! Long story short, save the old actors (Craig T. Nelson and William Petersen), this movie has a major casting, and acting, problems. But maybe it was all due to a lack of budget. Notice well that there was no sex scene between the lead and his love, since – naturally – there are no bankable stars in the first place. So, it tells you that (Rob Cohen) wanted to make this movie anyway, despite the small production, and with small stars. Yes, the presence, or not, of sex or nude scene can tell you a lot about a movie's production these days !The emphasis on the yellow color was terrible. I know that (Rob Cohen) wants us to live that sick phase of the lead's life, however not to the extent of making us sick ourselves! I noticed that many directors many times intend to use this color in specific exaggeratedly in their movies or TV shows lately. Is it a way to prove how artistic their work is? Is it a way to cut down the budget ? Is it a way to hide defects in the image ? I really don't know. What I do know is too much of something is bad enough !Generally, it's a very good thriller with different atmosphere and major casting problem maybe caused by the budget. I wanted to say to hell with the big names, but this cast forbids me. It's obvious that The Skulls just needed more skills to be more effective and, why not, believable.

hpoirot88 The Skulls is a decent mystery/drama that has some intensity, keeps you interested, and moves well enough. But in the end though, you feel like there should have been, well... more. It has a similar feel to "Enemy of the State" but fails to strike you at home, for the struggle comes to the privileged membership of an elite college, and not to the ordinary man (although they do their best to make Joshua Jackson seem as normal as possible) The acting is fair, bordering on good. Paul Walker, does his part justice and the veterans of this cast- William Petersen (in one of his last films before CSI) and Craig T. Nelson both give the film credibility but the characters are restrained as to not overshadow the youngsters. Leslie Bibb is somewhat limited as her character's dialogue and use is at times asinine. Director Rob Cohen built a movie exactly for the PG-13 rating, using actors mostly known for TV teenage dramas, he does not over complicate things for the sake of the age group it's aimed for. Still, when all is said and done, the fact that it played it safe made certain that this movie did not fall on it's face. If there is one thing I take away from this movie, it has a classic last line delivered by William Petersen- but you're gonna have to watch it to find out.

jfgibson73 I never expected this movie to be well-written or have good acting. I knew I was going to be watching something poorly done. It looked like trash, but maybe it would at least be fun. It isn't.Joshua Jackson is invited to join the secret society, The Skulls, based on a real network that supposedly includes many powerful, influential people. The kids who enter into this world as college students will have many doors opened up for them as they enter the workforce and maneuver through life's challenges. Except that Joshua Jackson's character, Lucas, starts to feel morally conflicted about some of the things that happen.I think I was hoping to see the decadent or possible sleazy side of having these advantages. I would have enjoyed a movie in which a decent kid gets overwhelmed with having easy access to money and power, and watch it all spin out of control. Except that this movie keeps everything very tidy and PG. The main plot point is set up when Lucas' best friends infiltrates the secret society to do an expose, and ends up dying accidentally. The cover-up does not sit well with Lucas, and the movie turns into a routine thriller as he tries to make things right with the full power of the corrupt Skull network rising against him. I say that the movie is "routine" because it does things that we have seen in so many other movies in the same genre.So it ended up being pretty boring, never really getting crazy or trashy enough to be memorable. I thought it was a waste of time, even for a teen-themed action thriller. I wouldn't even recommend it for an evening when you had nothing better to do, because there are plenty of movies that are fun and easy to watch. You don't have to subject to yourself to something that offers no pleasure just because you have time to waste.