Customer Reviews

Dan Aykroyd Unplugged on UFOs

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

While it's true that I found the production value lacking, I hate to see this video maligned by people with short attention spans and fragile egos. You must consider Akroyd's motivation in doing this. It's not for fame or fortune; he already has that. He risks credibility and marketability with this project; yet proceeds, albeit calmly, to express sincere belief in these " vehicles" moving in our atmosphere ( and just outside of it, too. ) I particularly found the infra-red footage very compelling. Strangely, no reviewer has mentioned it. Perhaps they turned it off too soon. ( There are, after all, no explosions or MTV-like editing tricks to hold your interest. ) There are many who found "March of the Penguins" boring and failed to consider the implications of that film as well. But for those seriously trying to understand our world and the times we live in, this video is an excellent wake-up call and jumping-off point for further study of higher technologies, alternative histories and our future. Decide for yourself. Don't let somebody else decide what is or isn't significant for you. ( That seems to be a common motif in our world now. ) Those with an open and inquisitive mind will be highly entertained to say the least, and maybe even profoundly affected.

This is quite an odd video - not for the subject matter so much as for the style of presentation. According to filmmaker David Sereda, he was so fascinated by a UFO-related conversation he had with actor Dan Aykroyd that he just had to interview him in front of the cameras, and this video is basically a conversation between the two about a range of issues related to UFO phenomena. Apparently, Aykroyd has long been interested in the subject and had recently interviewed a number of prominent ufologists for his own UFO-related show for Sci-Fi (before the series was abruptly and mysteriously cancelled before it ever made it to air). Aykroyd, it's important to note, does not pretend to be a scientist or an expert (even though Sereda bills him as one of the greatest minds on earth), and he really doesn't have any vast truths to communicate - he's just, like so many of us, fascinated and well-read on the subject, a believer who wants to push the UFO debate more firmly into public awareness.

The production quality of the actual interview leaves something to be desired. I think both men were there facing each other, but the shots of Sereda show him against a white background while Aykroyd looms in front of a shadowy background, with all manner of strange close-ups and camera angles of him interspersed throughout. To my eyes, at least, the presentation sometimes takes on the look of a mockumentary, especially when Aykroyd lights up a cigarette.

Since the topics cover a wide range of issues, from space shuttle sightings to alien abduction to parallel dimensions to Men in Black and beyond, you almost need to have at least a basic background in the history of UFOs and alien literature to put some of what is discussed in a proper context. On the other hand, the conversational tone of the presentation may appeal to the uninitiated much more than a dry, scientific discussion ever could. Those of us who consider ourselves armchair ufologists may not gain a lot out of the discussion at all, as it mainly focuses on familiar sightings, events, and speculation. Some of the newer UFO videos presented here may prove interesting, as I saw several clips I had never seen before, but none of them are in any way explosive -
there's really no substantive evidence of any kind on display here. I also think the filmmakers made a big mistake by including a significant number of Billy Meier photos - sure, these are some of the clearest UFO photographs ever taken, but the vast majority of ufologists view Billy Meier's "evidence" as thoroughly bogus.

Basically, I have to go down the middle on this one. You need to be able to put a lot of the subject matter in its proper context in order to closely follow the conversation, yet those who know enough to do just that probably won't glean a lot of new information from the presentation. In addition, the fact that many of the same videos and photographs are replayed several times over the course of the production gets a little annoying.

I purchased this after hearing Dan Akroyd on Coast to Coast AM and viewed him as knowledgeable on the subject matter. He was fine on the topics discussed but I was led to believe there was new UFO video footage of great quality. While some of the video footage was newer, I would still not rate the quality as superior. We are left with the same age-old pro & con arguments with really no better photographic evidence than has been presented over the last 60 years. Overall, a good effort but a little below expectations.

This film added little to my understanding of UFOs, but it still makes a cool introduction to contemporary UFOlogy - some recent sightings, history, conspiracy theory, abductions, theoretical propulsion, and so on. Not really for the hard-core sceptic, nor the learned Ufologist, this film is great, however, for what it sets out to do - to get more people thinking and talking about UFOs and disclosure.

Dan Aykroyd and ufologist David Sereda chat semi-formally on UFOs while we're shown sightings, related footage, and testimony. It's an interesting mix of hyped production and a frank down-to-earth discussion which seems to work. Some of the info was new to me and worth seeing, such as Hellyer, the Canadian Defense Minister, testifying. Personally I find Aykroyd to be a likable fellow and a great presenter. He is, afterall, a MUFON spokesman, and his beleif is based on his own UFO experiences which he also discusses.

Sereda compares Aykroyd to 'Einstein', 'genius', 'professor' and 'one of the great minds of our time'. I have my doubts, and Aykroyd admits himself that he's not even a scientist, but neverthess he does come across as intelligent, articulate and knowledgeable about Physics and UFO's. Sereda, doing a fair job, throws in some of his own research ideas in too, and why not?

As is typical with this genre, the footage gets a bit repetative, and there could have been more. And I'll never understand the obsession of over-zooming into footage until you see only a useless blured blob.

Mostly a joy to watch, this film also got a few unbelieving friends thinking and talking about UFOs. Aykroyd and Sereda should be proud of this little UFO production. Well done Dan and Dave!

I was kind of disappointed. I'm a big UFO afficionado and this DVD didn't have anything new. It seemed to be just a rehash of the same old UFO theories and major sightings - just coming from the mouth of Dan Aykroyd.

A number of interesting cases are presented here but none are discussed in any depth. This is supposed to to be a taped interview between David Sereda and Dan Aykroyd, but it appears that footage of Sereda asking questions was recorded at a different time/location and then intercut with footage of Akyroyd listening and nodding his head agreeingly, etc. and vice-versa. All this was then edited together to make it look as though they were in the same room when in fact they were not. The final result is amateurish, and the content is poorly organized. They jump from one unrelated case to the next very quickly and randomly without stopping to discuss them in detail. I found it rather irritating to watch.

The video tries to give one the impression that Mr. Aykroyd is some kind of encyclopedia of UFO knowledge. Perhaps he is, but on this DVD the material was obviously scripted and it did not feel like a true "unplugged" interview with him.

An example of a topic going nowhere is the interview with former Astronaut Gordon Cooper. They describe his personal background and a little bit of history, then switch to the Roswell crash (an incident that Cooper had no ties with). When asked about Roswell he basically has nothing substantive to say, then they quickly jump to another unrelated case. By the end of the video I was left asking to myself "That's it?" Very disappointing.

Also, Aykroyd announced at a press conference that footage from the O'hare UFO would be included on this DVD, but it is not.

For those who think that Dan is just a comedian, well, you're wrong. This guy has some brains and he knows his material on the UFO issue. This video is well done, but it does get a little "draggy" in spots. Overall, very good. It's nice to see a "Hollywood type" stick his neck out on such a controversial subject.

Done like a raw-footage interview with Dan Akroyd, this documentary is good entertainment for people who love this stuff! It takes some old footage of UFOs and analyzes them and also shows some newer stuff that I've never seen before. David Sereda asks the questions and Dan Akroyd answers them. Even though it was very interesting to get an hour of what Aykroyd really knows about the UFO phenomenon, I couldn't help but think that it should have been David Sereda answering the questions. Overall, this movie does a good job of "connecting the dots", a phrase used by UFO researcher Paola Harris, to describe what this second-science community is trying to do in order to solve the UFO phenomenon riddle.

Positive things about the DVD:
1. Excellent footage, especially the NASA stuff which too me almost seems definitive.
2. Dan Aykroyd. His personality and insight is what makes this DVD unique and great.
3. Gordon Cooper. Unless someone has debunked him and knows something this DVD isn't telling, this man seems as legit as they come. To me, much more convincing than Paul Hellyer (sp?) who also got a lot of air time.

Negative things about the DVD:
1. The production values were only okay. Some of the titles were pixelated and Mr. Serada's choice of graphics and titles seem somewhat unsophisticated. (I could honestly do better with my home computer and Apple's iMovie.)
2. The overuse of the Billy Mier's photos.
3. Dan Aykroyd's clothes... Where and the heck does this man shop? It looked like a clown suit!

Overall, the DVD really is very good though and well worth the $12.00 at Amazon. Buy it together with the new CD by The Bravery and you'll get free shipping and have some great tunes!

postscript: I'm worried about the title of the DVD... You just know the skeptics will call it Dan Aykroyd: Unhinged on UFOs!

If you believe in UFOs then you are not alone. Dan Aykroyd does, and he has got it right. His ideals behind the UFO phenomenon are ideals that I have never heard anyone tell before. I'm looking foward to his new UFO video release. I understand that he has pictures and video of the Chicago O'Hare International Airport sighting.