CRITIQUE

Not many films have freaked me out, literally. Pet Sematary, Jurassic Park, and Fire in the Sky are probably the top three and only films that truly got under my skin – by visual or psychological sense. Fire in the Sky is about an alien abduction, something that has always been laughable on screen. Not too many films even depict UFOs realistically. A UFO is either a dark sci-fi monstrosity or causes the end of the world, like in War of the Worlds (now becoming a remake with Steven Spielberg). The alien(s) inside the UFO is either a friendly little blob like E.T. or disguised as a human like Starman, played by Jeff Bridges in the John Carpenter film. UFO’s have always been main attraction to science fiction but rarely does the concept present itself realistically.

I’m not going to get into the realism of things here, but there are “true” stories out there that carry as much weight as some clichéd sci-fi film, but also blend some realism to it. Close Encounters, up to the last 30 minutes, is probably the best example of when you blend real accounts with a fictional story. Fire in the Sky comes second for its dark and serious tone. It does not make fun of itself like most sci-fi stories do and it doesn’t spin fantasy into it.

Ultimately, you have a story here that tries very hard “not” to be over the top; instead it lets the account speak for itself.  The people in this story are realistic, and the event also sparks a Roswell (the “true” story of it, of course) quality where a town is turned around by an amazing and unordinary story.

And it goes without saying, the last 25 minutes of this film is the scariest, freakiest, and most realistic moment in cinematic history. Nothing before and after Fire in the Sky has really upstaged the wonderful and well-directed scene in the film. This proves you don’t really need gore and excessive profanity to make something scary as hell! One way of looking at it, parts of this film are more graphic than scenes from the Alien series.

THE VIDEO

Paramount presents Fire in the Sky in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen.  Seeing the entire picture the way it was intended makes the story seem even freakier; since you get the full picture you see a lot more detail inside the spaceship and the medical sequence. I can’t be all-sure but it does seem Paramount cleaned up this film the best they could. This film has always been dark, and some grain is spotted, but it’s not too noticeable, though. 

THE AUDIO

Paramount presents Fire in the Sky in English 5.1, English Dolby, and French Dolby Surround Sound. Much like the picture, the soundtrack is improved. Dialogue is clear, and the sound effects come across effectively.

THE EXTRAS

This is a big letdown, because this film is screaming for a commentary and/or a retrospective documentary.

FINAL THOUGHTS