Product Details

• Actors: Artist Not Provided
• Format: Black & White, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Vanguard Cinema
• DVD Release Date: June 18, 2002
• Run Time: 54 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000067DCY
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86,649 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

No matter how hard they try, Hollywood's best have never really had a chance against reality: nothing they come up with tops what's really going on out there. (Though, to be fair, the real world doesn't always manage to finish the story within two hours, and the protagonists tend not to look as good as Will Smith. Steve Buscemi might be a liitle more accurate.)

Such is the case with Area 51. "Officially," the air base doesn't exist, but it's an open secret that there is a U.S. military installation at Groom Lake, Nevada; it's never been revealed what exactly goes on there, though. It's widely believed that the Groom Lake installation is where experimental U.S. aircraft are developed and tested--but many go beyond that. They posit that the base is the site of an ongoing collaboration between the U.S. government and aliens, that the experimental aircraft being worked on there is in some part extraterrestrial in nature.

That's all well and good; Area 51 has had its part in The X Files and Independence Day. Area 51 the documentary hopes to capitalize on that and provide the full story on what really goes on in the Nevada desert. Unfortunately, the documentary is far less interesting than the subject it hopes to illustrate; potentially interesting tidbits--how one ex-Area 51 researcher supposedly had his background erased by the government, the existence of a second, even more secret, base just south of Groom Lake--are few and far between, and even when unearthed, they're given a cursory explanation and discarded.

It's too bad: as a piece of exploitation journalism, Area 51 could have been a great guilty pleasure, but as a documentary it's too evenhanded and underwhelming to amount for much. --Randy Silver

Product Description

Deep in the heart of the nevada desert..There exists a place the government would rather you not know about. There are no gates but those who stand guard have permission to shoot anyone who attempts to penetrate its border. Area 51 investigates the place that attracts ufologists & the curious alike to the desert Studio: Vanguard Cinema Release Date: 06/18/2002 Run time: 60 minutes Rating: Nr

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ufos at Area 51?, August 29, 2002

By	L. Ferraro (Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This documentary was made in 1997 about the mystery of Americas most secret base, Area 51 or otherwise known as Dreamland. Area 51 researcher Glen Campbell is interviewed throughout the program and talks about mystery that surrounds this secret base that's not suppose to exist. There is also an interview with the owners of the Little Ale in. There are more up to date programs out there on this topic but still not a bad program. The program runs for 54 minutes.

Transfer is video quality with the occasional line streaming down the image. The audio is Dolby stereo 2.0 and is average. For the extras, there is 58 minutes of ufo footage, the quality is very poor quality, and whoever put this extra on forgot to include audio. This feature runs for 58 minutes.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good video, but the interviews are annoying., October 5, 2003

By	Dhaval Vyas (Dallastown, PA U.S.A) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a half decent, but short video about the mystery of Area 51. The interviews are a little annoying. Why does the director feel the need to put a coffee mug or a ketchup bottle right in front of the screen? It distracted me from the people who were talking. Nonetheless, the video films of the UFOs are one of a kind.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not the best Area 51 Video!, October 24, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Area 51 [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Out of all of the Area 51 videos I have viewed, this one is probably the worst. It does not touch on any of the key points of the mystery surrounding area 51. It also does not touch on the more "hands-on" information that viewers might find usefull when visiting the Groom Lake area. Nothing about the security force, the borders and no GOOD footage or photographs. I highly reccomend Amazon customers try another video in stead of this one. The only reaons I gave it 2 stars is because of the cool box cover and graphics sequences.