Customer Reviews

Overlords of the UFO [VHS]

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

 

 

It seemed like the 1970s was a prime decade for those low-budget documentaries. One of them was Mysteries From Beyond Earth (1976) hosted by Lawrence Dobkin. Another was Overlords of the UFO, also from 1976, hosted by W. Gordon Allen. This film was made in Seattle, so it should not come as any surprise that some of the subjects being covered should be around the Seattle area (like Vashon Island, Renton, or Uri Gellar at a Seattle radio station called KVI). Of course they cover the rest of the country and world as well. Apparently Overlords of the UFO was originally aired in drive-ins, you can be pretty certain you wouldn't be finding a whole lot of teenagers bringing their dates to see this film when it came out. Or anyone else, for that matter. But it's just unbelievable. Here, W. Gordon Allen drones on and on about different subjects from UFO sightings, alien abductions, cattle mutilations (which I thought was a '90s phenomenon, until I first saw this), alien contacts from the Prophet Joseph Smith (founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), and the most silly of all, aliens from Ummo coming to Earth. The picture quaility isn't recommended for the DVD crowd (and besides it's only available on VHS). Very grainy, in that wonderful '70s sense. Looks like it was filmed off someone's home movie camera (that is, before camcorders ever existed) and viewed on a movie projector like what schools used to use. That means you'll find lots of nice streaking vertical lines, as well as the usual video defect you come to expect from such film (like the occasional black splotches). The documentary also included lots of stock footage from NASA, the United States military, and alleged filming of a UFO off someone's home movie camera. The music is often orchestral, of what seems to be public domain stock, with also bizarre electronic effects played on an ARP 2600 synthesizer. There are also bizarre psychedelic light shows too, particularly on the Space Voyage from Ummo scene. Perhaps the most ridiculous part of the Overlords of the UFO was the filming of a UFO flying erratically. But what was really silly was it was so wobbly that you can tell it was dangling on a string. It was so obvious, but they included it anyway and they were convinced it was real. It's obvious that the makers of this film needed to do a little more research on the material being presented before they started making the film. But because of how poorly organized they were in making the film got me laughing. I just love this film, and I give it a four star rating anyway. It's totally 1970s, and if you really missed the 1970s, this film will take you back. It's far from perfect, to say the least, but if you enjoy a low-budget UFO documentary with all its flaws, you're sure to enjoy this.

Excellent 70's documentary on extraterrestrial phenomena, sightings, and other theories. Cool dated effects and footage!

SuperDuper

Just WHO ARE the 'OVERLORDS' of the U.F.O.? Well, this cheesy schlockumentary will tell you... they are the beings from UMMO -- which by the way is a styrofoam Chinese take-out buffet container (see http://www.rense.com/general10/saucerhunt.htm ), a UFO fraud pulled off in Spain in 1967 -- who have traveled many light year to earth. OVERLORDS OF THE UFO has everything one could want in a schlocumentary. Bathroom quality sound. Grainy 70s film stock. Zero knowledge of interior lighting for interviews. A weatherman/MC hosting the material and loads and loads of hilariously bad visual effects to flesh out the time where no UFO evidence is being presented. Especially the excrusiatingly long "flight of the UMMOs" animation. SNORE! This is worth having just for laffs. It's the worst, so its the best-worst.