Customer Reviews

Ancient Aliens

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

It goes without stating that the controversial theory of extraterrestrials interacting with ancient humans works best as a thought-provoking alternative to more widely accepted scientific theories. To expect that irrefutable proof of alien involvement in mankind's past will be presented in this 94-minute TV special is illogical and hypocritical, to say the least. Consider for a moment that the vast majority of ancient artifacts and ruins can only be interpreted by historians and archaeologists as to the original intent, usage, construction, etc. No one knows with absolute certainty how or why the Peruvian Nazca lines were created, or how the ancient pyramids were built, or what the Easter Island statues represent. There are commonly accepted theories (which keep changing or evolving as more evidence is unearthed) and then there are deviant and less "credible" theories such as other-worldly intervention. It was certainly never the intent of this special to convince viewers without fail that many of these mysteries were in fact the result of alien meddling. Rather, the aim was to explore this alternative, less popular notion with a mixture of facts and conjecture from the vantage point of proponents and opponents from various fields of study. It is to the History Channel's credit that such a wide spectrum of human interests continue to be explored by the network.

Perhaps this program's greatest strength is the examination of some of mankind's most enduring mysteries, which are fascinating regardless of one's personal beliefs. It is safe to assume that some will find the mysteries themselves more entertaining than any potential explanations or theories. Anyone viewing this special as a repository for factual data will be sorely disappointed as the evidence consists of ruins and artifacts that are thousands of years old, thus interpretations are inevitable. And in this case, much of the evidence revolves around the polarizing theory of ancient aliens visiting Earth. Obviously, not everyone will be convinced by the material presented but that hardly indicates failure on the part of the show or its approach to the subject matter. Not that it is without shortcomings, but this is perhaps the best documentary addressing this topic currently available. It even proved popular enough to spawn on ongoing series which, unfortunately, loses much of the objectivity that this special tried to maintain. Approached from an open-minded perspective, this TV special will be an entertaining viewing experience for many and a sub par effort for others. But as the old adage states, "for those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible."

This program was very interesting and the cinematography was great. This is more of an "open your mind" type of program. I realize that some theories presented in this program are a bit far fetched but the entertainment value more than makes up for it. The great scenery shown of Pre-Columbian sites in Central & South America were particularly interesting as well. History Channel obviously put in a lot of time and effort into the production and quality of this program. The people who gave this program a bad review, I think, forgot to take the content with a grain of salt.

Please give this dvd a chance by opening your mind and stepping out of the box that you have built in your lifetime. Certainly the ability to see past what most people have been programmed to believe with regards to our history as human beings is not a common trait. There is a wealth of information available for anyone who will take the time to look for it...some of that information is presented here. The monumental structures and technology that was utilized to build them is exhibited here in some detail, but certainly warrants further investigation. There have never been anything but theories put forth to explain how such advanced building techniques and inexplicable knowledge of the earth existed thousands of years ago. Personally, I can tell you that there is alot of truth to it, and the technology used to build some of these structures, such as the great pyramid in Giza, does not exist even today. Moving the stones and fitting them so tightly, cut with a precision that modern tools could duplicate, but unlikely hammers and chisels would never attain to.
Another point worth mentioning here is, the fact that this technology has been attributed to the influence of extra-terrestrial beings. This is not necessarliy true, since this technology could have existed here on earth in the advanced cicilizations of Mu and Atlantis to name two. Human history is older than many people think, and evidence of advanced civilizations in the ancient past is not uncommon, if one is willing to search for answers with an open mind.

I origanally saw this on the History Channel and was absolutly riveted by what i was watching. I am a Humanist, but i still have alot of questions about things on our planet. People think Von Daniken is anti religious, they need to realize that he is not asking you to stop believing in your religion but to see another side of things. Watch this with an open mind and think "what if" and it will capture you imagination. Sense i have bought this, I have lent it to 3 people. All of whom were stunned by what they watched and said that it raised some very interesting questions about things on this planet. Which is what i think Von Daniken was trying to accomplish.

I remember watching this for the first time on tv and being absolutely blown away. ANCIENT ALIENS, a documentary produced by the History Channel, details a string of theories pertaining to some of humankind's greatest achievements, and how they might not be OUR achievements after all.

With a documentary like this, you really have to press "play" with an open mind. The folks at the History Channel have not made it their business in the past to convert people to a certain way of thinking, and they're not starting now. They are objectively displaying a premise that many, including myself, had never heard before.

Most of the film mostly centers around the theories postulated by Erich von Daniken in his book Chariots of the Gods. Most of these theories assert the possibility that extra terrestrials actually intervened in Earth's history, and sort of nudged us down the right path toward creating monuments such as the Great Pyramid of Giza and Teotihuacan, and toward creating things unique for the time, such as the Antikythera Mechanism.

The documentary goes to some very unique places and interviews believers and skeptics alike. The History Channel was very, very thorough in assuring that all the bases were covered. It was a very fun experience, and is now one of my most favorite documentaries.

I realize that in the plothole-ridden history of humanity, there are events that will never be fully understood, and mysteries that will never be solved. Dawkins calls them "gaps," and within such gaps we can see marvelous possibilities of what COULD and MIGHT HAVE happened. In the case of this "intervention theory," it really is no harm, no foul.

The concept is absolutely brilliant (look for a few of the films directly inspired by Daniken's theory: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Two-Disc Special Edition), Battlestar Galactica - Season One, Knowing, Stargate (Ultimate Edition). This documentary won't convert you and, again, it doesn't try to. But to someone like me, it really got me to think: What if? And it was a very fun question to ponder.

For years i have struggled with religion and history. I have found that a lot of the things being taught in my schools didn't seem to fit together, like a missing link. The more and more i asked myself about these things, the more and more i got confused. When i took stories of the bible, about the history, about our ways of life, they only made me doubt and even in cases hate the very things that have made up our societies ways of thinking about religion and our past. This documentary has changed my over all views of religion and our history! I love how this documentary goes through each step, it makes a lot of sense and i highly recommend this DVD to anyone who is looking for a new way of looking at religion and mankind's history! This small DVD is a huge, revolutionary step. It makes perfect sense and if your like me, stuck in the ways of society but desperatly look for ways to make sense of the world around you then this DVD is for you too. It gives you the insight to what people have come forward with and have had the resources to go out and conduct such extensive research! Like going on a world wide man hunt for human kind in the comfort of your own home and or office ;),..... Love the DVD love the service and love the great minds behind the documentary! Stay strong everyone! - Agnostik Seven of Skavinjer

I thought the series was phenomenal. Two things I took away from the show: our ancestors were way smarter than what we give them credit for and Alien intervention is one possible explination to some of the great mysteries of history.

With the billions of galaxies each containing billions of stars, it's rather arrogant to think we are all alone, not to mention an incredible waste of space.

One thing that many people fail to grasp is that all of science is theory. Ancient Aliens is a theory which the show provides some compelling evidence to support.

We used to think the earth was flat, that we were the center of the galaxy, that our sun was the center of the universe, that Christopher Columbus discovered America and all dinosaurs were reptiles. All of these have proven to be false.

Even the Catholic Church believes in the possibility of aliens and says that if you believe in life beyond earth it does not go against the God, the bible, or the church. Not to mention that Steven Hawking and several prominent scientists all say there is eveidence that supports the possiblity.

I love Erich von Daniken's work, and this is no exception. The show has brought along great minds like Michael Cremo, Giorgio Tsoukalos, George Noorey, and many other great minds to talk about the things on this Earth that "...scientists can't answer very well". This nonsense about the pyramids is so silly that I can not believe that respectable people really think that Egyptians built a 2 mile ramp to get to the top of the pyramid. This is why we have alternative thinks like von Daniken today, to help show us what is up!

Using mathematics, von Daniken shows us that the pyramids could not have been built in only 20 odd years because using math we find that the great pyramid alone would have to have a brick layed in every 9 seconds for the project to have been completed. This being the case, I wonder how those nuts at the "archeological society" would answer about how they moved their giant camp back so fast to compensate for the 9 seconds of laying time. Keep in mind that these stones are roughly 2-70 tons, I believe the largest at Giza was something along the lines of 200 tons. 200 tons! that is 400,000 pounds! and yet archeologists want us to believe that these were hauled along the sands by about 10 slaves each pulling on ropes. What nonsense! Then they want us to believe that a spiral ramp was created going around the pyramid to the top, getting a shorter distance to the middle each time the spiral went up a rock. What BS! There is no evidence of that at all because the pyramid is layered on the outside, not spiraled!

I am going off on a rant here, but anyhow, I think any open minded person who watches this will believe in ancient astronauts. Any closed minded person (the self appointed experts) who watch this will think they know better than people like von Daniken who has written 30+ books. Funny how the ego works, ey?

With compelling evidence, watch this if you are an open minded person.

5/5
John McAdam: Author of "Were Ancient Gods From Other Planets?"

Having read books by such scholars as Michael Cremo and Zacharia Sitchin, I found nothing in this History presentation to be to far fetched. I plan to purchase at least three copies to give as birthday gifts to Muslim friends. Then, so long as they do not go all jihad on me, I will live to give another copy to a kinsman for his Christmas gift. That too, will cause quite a stir amongst these other "fundamentalists" who can not accept "the truth in plain sight".

This DVD appears to be a more modern version of "Chariots Of The Gods" by Erich von Daniken. This just convinces me all the more that our development as human's was seeded by what we call aliens. I'd like to think they come from our deepest ocean trenches and that the first aliens may have been called Atlanteans. This DVD just gets me to thinking of possibilities of what may have transpired in the past.