Alien Abduction Movies

There's a new movie coming out in the UK on the 5th of April called Dark Skies - not to be confused with the UFO period drama TV series from the early 90's (which was unfortunately cut short in its prime). Not much is revealed about the plot, but it looks to be a very sinister and suspenseful take on Alien Abduction and it is high on my 'must see' list! View the trailer etc here: http://darkskiesfilm.com/

This got me thinking into past movies on this kind of theme and how effective they were. Close Encounters was obviously the first major movie to tackle this subject, and while it is considered to be a classic I was feeling a bit underwhelmed by it, I think Speilberg watered it down and made it a bit too fantastical which let it down. I loved the opening part and it had a lot of potential ...perhaps a remake is possibility in the future?

Fire in the Sky was released in 1993 (possibly on the back of The X-Files beginning to hit its stride and dominate the entertainment world), I think it went straight to video at the time in the UK. Based on the infamous Travis Walton abduction case in the 70's, this is a fairly far-fetched dramatisation of those events. An episode of Paranormal Witness in recent years covered the same story and interviewed the witnesses and abductee himself, and along with their dramatisation it results in a very different account of things. The movie is well told, taken seriously, and is quite effective in places. What I like about it is how the story mainly focuses on the witnesses and how it affects their lives in their community and dealings with the law over the missing person. its worth a watch.

Next up (working chronologically) is The X-Files: Fight The Future, the 1998 movie for the (initially wonderful) and iconic TV show. It was a partly abduction-based plot interwoven with the ongoing Alien conspiracy/colonisation storyline. This kind of reflects upon the TV series as well actually as the show started so strongly for the first handful of seasons (in my opinion leading up to this movie), but seemed to be flogging a dead horse after that by milking and mutating the ongoing storyline thread into something a bit ludicrous and very obviously improvised with its own sense of logic as each season went on. Such a shame really as it was a world dominating show that would be looked upon with awe and reverance if the powers that be had decised to condense the quality of storytelling into 5 seasons and capping it off with the movie. Something that happens repeatedly with promising tv shows.

Signs is one of my all time favourite paranormal-themed movies and a movie that seems to divide people. While the abduction theme is not really there, it kind of ties in with the ultimate purposes of the Alien foe. What I love about this movie is its small, contained story (no Will Smith and exploding cities in this one) and its effect on a troubled family. Its sub-plots tied in with this family trying to heal and rediscover their own faiths is what truly makes the story so effective. Its extremely clever, and when the Aliens appear, we view it almost as though its happening in the real world (harkening back to the days of the infamous War of the World radio broadcast). Watch it if you haven't seen it ...and if you have, give it another try.

The Fourth Kind was released in 2009 to a small amount of fanfare, and it was immediately tarnished by mild controversy over the fact it tried to claim it was based on real events using real footage. Once again I think its a like it or loather it movie. Personally,i think this movie does for Alien Abduction what Paranormal Activity did for ghosts and hauntings. I find it especially scary in places, giving you a real sense of helplessness and the terrifying nature of what people claim to experience. The 'real footage' played in tandem with the 'dramatised' version adds to the experience, and while it goes over the top on the religious claims, there are some existing theories and beliefs backing this up. This is not a pleasant film, but it the subject matter interests you, give it a go with the sound turned up and the lights turned off. Then try to sleep!

I have no doubt missed out many others, but those are the most notable ones to my mind. Feel free to comment, add your own favourites and discuss etc. As always, this blog a personal viewpoint only and does not reflect the opinions and beliefs of other members of the BCPS team or the team as a whole. If you would like more information on the BCPS and what we do, just visit our website at www.bcps.moonfruit.com