Customer Reviews

Fire in the Sky

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Based on the supposedly true account of alien abductee Travis Walton, Fire in the Sky is creepily effective in it's storytelling and presentation. D.B. Sweeney plays the logger who, along with his co-workers, witnesses bizarre lights hovering in the sky. Travis attempts to get a closer look, and is seemingly beamed aboard and never seen again until five days later. While the events in the film differ from Walton's own account, Fire in the Sky manages to get under your skin once Travis has a flashback of the events that transpired aboard the spaceship. The alien beings are surprisingly well designed, and the ordeal Travis goes through will make your skin crawl despite the film's PG-13 rating. It's not perfect, but the cast (including T2's Robert Patrick, Peter Berg, Craig Sheffer, and James Garner) makes it work. All in all, if you are one of the many people who zone out to the X-Files and UFO phenomina, give this a look.

I've seen this movie 3 times now over the past decade. I'm probably more impressed with each viewing.

The story is presented very clearly and with no wasted time. A strong cast has been assembled: this is no "B" movie. Reportedly it has only made $20 million domestically since its 1993 release which is a shame. I can only assume it wasn't marketed well.

I hadn't realized that one of the leads, Robert Patrick, had been T-1000 in Terminator 2 (in 1991). It is indeed hard to recognize him here from that earlier role. He's as convincing as possible as Mike, the best friend, of the abductee Travis. James Garner has a key role as an investigator. Henry Thomas, "ET"'s Elliot and by this time a teenager, is one of the loggers who witnessed the UFO. I hadn't recognized him either until this viewing.

The episode aboard the UFO, presented in flashbacks, was the work of "Industrial Light and Magic". It's eiree enough that, unlike Travis, you would think twice before stepping out to go up to a UFO.

As in the book, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the polygraph tests. It's easy to accept the movie as entertainment: in the book Walton is insistent on the truth of what he experienced. But a polygraph, as I understand it, is not scientifically accepted as a reliable lie detector.

Travis Walton participated in the movie production but accepted a completely different presentation of the abduction sequence than his book presents. His book's version, supposedly what really happened, would not have been as interesting. If you had been abducted, would you care that Hollywood used your story as input for a yarn that distorted what the aliens were like or would you want people to see what really happened. I wonder if many people who saw the movie didn't read the book and so came away not knowing how the aliens actually seemed to Travis.

But Hollywood didn't need a true story, just a story that they could present as if true.

Travis Walton has a web site which was operational at the time I am submitting this review.

I was lucky enough to catch this at the theaters before it went to video. It was out for weeks, and was on it's last week when I saw it. I must say, the movie was awesome. Not only was the movie good and frightening alone, but the taqline states "based on the true story", suggesting the possibilities that everything you will witness may have actually happened! What truly gives the film it's meat is the sequence inside the alien spacecraft. Although the events inside the ship were changed from what the real Travis Walton said had happened, the scene succeeded in as Travis put it, "conveying" his feelings to the audience. I could watch that scene a million times, and still never be able to figure out how they did it. There were no fake CGI effects, and that honestly made it much more realistic and believable. "Fire in the Sky" is not a masterpiece, but it was well done, and the alien sequence stands out as one of the best pieces of film history! I was a little disappointed with the video though. It's not letterboxed, and it's improperly framed. I remembered vividly what it looked like in theaters, so watching this modified version seemed like a totally different movie to me. Thankfully I got the widescreen laserdisc, which brought back memories of what the film looked like on the big screen. They should press some widescreen copies of this on tape, or better yet, DVD! That would rule if this came out on DVD!

The 1975 UFO-abduction of Travis Walton near Snowflafe Arizona is probably the most convincing such case on record. It was multiply witnessed; Travis (the abductee) was missing for five days and nights to be returned traumatised and dehydrated; extensive investigation including polygraph testing of all the witnesses only strengthened the reality of the case, and not one of the witnesses has changed a single detail of his testimony after 35 years. Anomalies in tree growth compatible with high radiation exposure have been identified in subsequent years in the precise location where the encounter with the UFO reportedly took place, so despite being outside our normal paradigms of consensus reality, it looks like it really happened.

Tracy Torme's 1993 film is a thoughtful piece of work which conveys the essential elements of the story and is largely faithful to the real-life narrative. D. B. Sweeney as Travis and Robert Patrick as Mike Rogers are particularly outstanding in an excellent cast. All the cast and crew became convinced by the story during the shoot. A town in Oregon substituted for Snowflake in the film.

The film begins on the morning of 5 November 1975, a normal day for the young loggers engaged in their tree-thinning contract. The encounter takes place as the seven loggers make their journey home down a mountain road in Mike Rogers' pick-up truck in the early evening, shown from the perspective of the six witnesses as Travis is knocked off his feet by a beam from the hovering UFO. The subsequent difficulties experienced by members of the crew during the five days Travis was missing is well realised, as they deal with accusations and incredulity from the wider community and suspicion from the local police authorities. Then Travis is returned, confused and traumatised, the story attracts the international media and things get even worse for all involved. The film has a good script, dramatic tension, is convincingly acted, well edited and rewards occasional repeat viewings.

In his literary and informative book of the same name, Travis describes the making of the film and his involvement with it. He explains the reasons why the abduction scene aboard the UFO and the appearance of the aliens in the film differ from his real-life recollection; why these changes were made to enhance the drama and to communicate the horror and strangeness to the audience. He also felt D.B. Sweeney was well cast, shared his attitude to life and had a similar general character, and was pleased with his portrayal in the film. I really recommend reading the book to anyone interested in the story. Travis is a good writer and discusses many things including his own life prior to the abduction and some of the far-reaching philosophical implications of non-human extraterrestrial life, particularly as it seems to be visiting us here.

I met Travis in Snowflake AZ in May 2010 and found him to be as genuine, straightforward and principled as everyone who meets him describes him to be. He wishes he'd stayed in the truck with the others, and would have preferred had the incident happened to somebody else. The international exposure has been so unwelcome that for years he didn't even have a phone and shunned virtually all media contact. He and Dana (who have been happily married all these years) have four children and eight grandchildren, and almost never discuss the incident within the family or with neighbors. They still live in Snowflake, as quiet a middle-American town as you could imagine, where on a weekday everything seems to close at 9pm. He is a man of few words but those he does speak are well-chosen. He radiates integrity and has a terrific dry sense of humor.

It's a pity Torme's film generated only US$20 million in 15 years, but nevertheless it was a modest commercial success. It's good, has stood the test of time well, and deserves a bigger audience.

Fire in the Sky is one of the most memorable films of the nineties for me, It had it all, compelling characters, the right pacing for a thriller, and quite possibly the scariest conclusion one could hope for.
some of the things that makes this film great are the attention to the storyline, the acting, and without a doubt the creature effects, which will leave you absolutelly stunned that a film like this was made in the early part of the nineties, and the special effects look absolutelly real, where nowadays we get to see horribly executed CG creatures that , because of their cheapness become forgetable. Definetelly not the case here.
Another note, the film is suposedly based on a real story, and the story does pout forward arguments that leave the viewer wonderung weather it could have been possible, since it presents all the possible sides. Anyone who is looking for a film that will stay with you for long after you've watched it, then check this one out. THis is one of the highest possible recomendation i could give fans of sci-fi thrillers, or just horror in general.

Fire in the Sky is striking for its statement: superior "entities" (whether they come from outer space, from another reality, or simply from the witness imagination) are neither necessarily benevolent...nor bad...or good, they might simply consider us as lab rats. It is with detachment and indifference that they examine their catches. We are abducted, restrained, examined, tagged, preserved, killed or simply released in our "safe" reality, depending on what they (the entities) feel might be useful for them. Like catching a fish, just for the pleasure of it, and then throwing the fish back in the water. Do we feel guilty in doing this ? It is very interesting to note that these aliens are quite similar to us: same anthropomorphic appearance and same cruelty but very scary face features. Demons. They might in fact be a mirror image of us. A manifestation of our deep subconscious nightmares, alternate life options born from the same collective unconscious. A movie you will not forget that easily because it sounds so real. Not for children and sensible persons.

When I first saw this film in 1993 I was very surprised to learn that it was based on a true story. The way the movie portrayed the townspeople as all non-believers is the way it would actually be right? This story adapted very well onto the big screen due to great writing, decent special effects, and very good acting. These actors really did a good job on not making this movie too corny or fake. I had kinda forgotten about this movie until it came out on dvd but after seeing it now the story really does stay with me. The dvd transfer is very crisp and clear with great 5.1 sound. I wish they had some special features included on the dvd. At least a follow up on the people the movie was about.

I believe if I have an inkling of belief that UFO's exist this movie does it for me! Well acted and played out by D.B.Sweeney and Company. Look for supporting role with James Garner. I know this movie is based on the book,which I have not read, but definitely will buy now. As far as pure escapism entertainment it is great. Never (outside of Alien) has there been a more scary and realistic alien experience laid down on film. At least not as believable as this one. A must see if you love sci-fi..and pretty damn good if you don't! Based on a true (?) story, it portrays a group of log cutters in Northern Arizona, whose buddy is abducted before their eyes, and the aftermath. Fine acting!
Now on DVD. The DVD is a better picture, but not really any extras to speak of.

Remember this movie? Pretty damn cool, isn't it? Whether or not you believe the story being told, it still made for an entertaining movie. And admittedly, having the "Based On A True Story" line attached does tend to add a bit more creepiness to an often told Hollywood tale.
I remember this being marketed more as a science fiction film, but other than the premise and the sequence near the end of the film that shows Walton's experience aboard the ship, this is really more of a mystery/drama.
The film tells the tale of Travis Walton and his logger buddies who witness a UFO in the mountains one night in 1975 while driving back to town. Travis leaves the truck, is shot by a light from the ship and disappears. His buddies return to town to tell the story, but soon find themselves suspects in Walton's disappearance. But no matter how hard they try to convince friends, family and law officials of what they saw, they find the town turning against them and the whole thing turning into a media circus that nearly ruins their lives. When Travis is found alive five days later, it opens a whole new can of worms. Now no one is suspected of murder, but are now accused of trying to pull a huge hoax(ya just can't win when you get abducted, can ya?).
It's a fascinating movie that could have come off as corny, but ends up being rather effective. Good performances all around by a cast of mostly character and lesser known actors including Peter Berg(writer/director of Very Bad Things and star of Wes Craven's Shocker), Craig Sheffer(Nightbreed), Henry Thomas(E.T of course!!), D.B. Sweeney(The Cutting Edge and Spawn) and Robert Patrick(everyone's favorite liquid metal robot assassin). Sweeney may be the figure which the film revolves around, but a good chunk of the film belongs to Robert Patrick, who does a damn good job in a dramatic role. Sweeney does a fantastic job of showing sheer terror in the spacecraft scenes, as well as his post-traumatic state. I've always felt that both Sweeney and Patrick are horribly underused actors. The star power here is James Garner as the detective working on the case. He doesn't believe a damn word of their story-even when a polygraph test shows they are all telling the truth-and is hellbent on discrediting and exposing them as fakes.
The alien sequence at the end of the film is very effective and creepy. This sequence could have sunk the movie if handled wrong, but thankfully it works damn well. Granted it's been Hollywood-ized and differs from Walton's actual account of what happened to him, but movies have to be sensationalized, right?
If you didn't catch this one the first time around(I don't remember it making a huge splash at the box office), I'd highly suggest seeing it. Hell, I'd highly suggest seeing it even if you have seen it before. It just might make a believer out of ya.

This is based on a true story involving young logger Travis Walton who was allegedly abducted by aliens and had bizarre experiments performed on him. Is it true? I have an open mind, and this movie never tries to convince you, it just goes about its business of showing the turmoil and disbelief that shrouded the other loggers who witnessed the alien invasion, but not the actual abduction.
While D.B. Sweeney who plays Travis gets top billing, the movie really focuses on his friends, mainly Robert Patrick as his best friend who finds himself ostracized by family and friends, and even accused of murdering the missing Travis. Sweeney and Patrick are both quite good in their roles. The friends are well embodied by Peter Berg, Bradley Gregg, and Craig Sheffer. James Garner is his reliable old self as the state investigator who never believes the abduction story.
What really keeps this from being an exceptional movie is the slow pacing and unimaginative direction. Filmed in 1993, special effects weren't as sophisticated and the lack of any explanation for the abduction and Travis' release only adds to the skepticism, but UFO buffs will probably eat this up.