talisencrw
This was a decent TV-movie about US government reaction to the question of air force personnel coming across UFOs during routine flight tests. It is well-acted and constructed, and at 71 minutes, doesn't overstay its welcome. Though I haven't been the biggest Glenn Ford fan over the years, through seeing more of his work, my appreciation and fondness had been slowly but steadily climbing, and it was a decent, fun look at pre-'Starsky and Hutch' and pop-music-success David Soul and pre-'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman' Greg Mullavey, as well as other decent, recognizable talent from the 70's American crime/police shows and TV-movies I watched growing up here in Canada.Former actor and later Directors Guild of America vice president and president director Taylor, a mainstay of American TV-movies and shows from 1965-2004 (whom I know most from his work on the original 'Star Trek' series) utilizes a documentary-style approach for the film, complete with military words and times appearing on the screen and narration. It's a serviceable method, though at the very end he undermines it, showing the usual 'All characters and events are fictitious...' blurb...had he not, I would have given it 7/10. It's a decent watch and makes you wonder just how governments around the world have reacted to abnormal events such as those that are talked about here. It's definitely worth a watch if you're interested at all in 'close encounters', like any of the three actors I mentioned, and can appreciate and enjoy the 70's style of television making. My copy was in my infamous Mill Creek 50-pack 'Nightmare Worlds'.
MartinHafer
The logic of the prologue to this film is astounding. The narrator says that there have been a huge number of UFO sightings and if only 1/2 of 1% are true, then them's A LOT of aliens out there. Huh?! Unassailable logic, right?!The film is done in a semi-documentary style. This makes it look rather official and real. The story is about an Airforce flight that claims it saw flying saucers. Glenn Ford and Bradford Dillman are in it but don't have a heck of a lot to do. You also get to see a pre- "Starsky and Hutch" David Soul. It lost my interest after a while...and even if I believed in UFOs, the film was extremely high on talk and light on action. Pretty dull, actually and not a film for Ford fans. Let's just pretend he didn't make this one...
rangeriderrango
This movie is an interesting premise of what might happen if military pilots were to come upon the sighting of a UFO. But other than that it is all speculation.If you want to see probably the most remarkable movie and UFO encounter of all time watch the movie titled, The UFO Incident starring James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons. It is based on facts and the real events that happened to Betty and Barney Hill in the 60's.What is truly amazing about this film is that a planetary map that Betty Hill remembered seeing she was able to draw from memory under hypnosis. Many years later in the 1980's I believe, scientists discovered the very existence and exact configuration of those planets, which were virtually unknown until then. Don't take my word for it, look it up and see for yourself.My advice is always wear clean shorts as you never know when you might be picked up by aliens too! LOL
Scott_Mercer
Those looking for exploitation thrills or Saturday Matinée style adventure should avoid this picture in droves. There's some action here, with endless footage of planes taking off and landing, but a lot of the film is just talking heads.There's nothing wrong with straight science fiction, almost verging on straight thriller/drama. But this made for TV film didn't do it too well at all. I could see a series like The Twlight Zone handling this with a lot more panache.The acting from Glenn Ford is dependable, but not exciting. It's the writing that kicks the movie to the curb. But, on the other hand, if you have a desperate need to see David "Hutch" Soul in full overacting mode, this might be your cup of cheese. But remember, we never see the UFOs, other than as a blip on a radar screen, and some "authentic" footage of a totally unrelated UFO sighting somewhere else in the country. I'd give it a pass.
