I was so wrapped up with the start of the “big game” last weekend that I missed another good excuse for a double feature: the 60th Anniversary of the Roswell Incident. That’s right, 60 years ago (and one week) the alleged unidentified flying object crash landed in a farm in Roswell, New Mexico and aliens have been on our brains ever since.
Think how influential that one incident has been on creativity? Would we have Star Trek or Star Wars and adventures happening on other worlds without that crash giving us the idea of life on other planets? Honestly, yes, we probably would. After all, movies had already explored the idea of visiting other planets and alien invasions before the 1947 incident. So without it, we probably would only have lost a few “Alien Autopsy” videos from Jonathan Frakes – not much of an effect on movies at all.
But that’s no reason why we can’t celebrate the Roswell Incident with a double feature. After all, encounters with aliens make up a lot of good movies. You have alien invasions, alien encounters, and alien abductions. This week’s feature will focus on the last one, looking at two of my favorite movies about human abduction by unknown, alien beings. So tie yourself down to a chair to make sure you aren’t abducted yourself and drop these in your DVD player.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Like Roy Neary’s obsession with the mountain shape in his mind, I haven’t been able to get Close Encounters out of my mind since I was reminded of Roswell’s anniversary. I’m sure part of that has to do with the “Spielberg on Spielberg” documentary this week, but it’s also because Close Encounters is simply one of the best movies about alien encounters out there. You have the terrifying abduction of young Barry, in one of the most thrilling sequences Spielberg has assembled. You have the implanted images in Roy’s mind which, even though it builds beyond it, peaks at the famous mashed potatoes sequence as Richard Dreyfuss’s character truly thinks he’s going out of his mind. About the only thing that is missing from Close Encounters is a government force interested deeper analysis of the alien forces beyond making contact. They are far too curious about a peaceful relationship with the strangers from another world than most fiction paints, revealing just how idealistic Spielberg was at this point of his career. Amazing how quickly that disappeared by the time E.T. came out five years later. Interesting tidbit: Close Encounters came out on the 30th anniversary of Roswell, the halfway point between the initial incident and this year.
Fire in the Sky
If you want a really terrifying depiction of alien abduction, look no farther than Fire in the Sky, a movie passed over by far too many people. For people who only know D.B. Sweeney from the lighthearted Cutting Edge, you truly need to check this one out. It’s not really tied into Roswell in any way (1993 is off for any kind of notable anniversary), but instead depicts the alleged 1975 Walton abduction in Arizona. The movie treats the source material with a frightening realism. At first the film is about the distress of the people around Walton after he disappears. Then it shifts to the psychological effects on Walton as he is returned, followed by a stunning conclusion as we finally get to see what Walton encountered… or what he thinks he encountered. Sweeney’s performance truly sells it within the movie, but when the movie ends skepticism returns. Still, this is an overlooked gem that has yet to be outdone in the genre of alien abduction, and Sweeney really does excel here. Other performers include Robert Patrick (who was trying to shake his Terminator 2 image), Henry Thomas (still living in the shadow of E.T.) and Peter Berg (who would go on to be better known as a director for Friday Night Lights among others).
Other extraterrestrial abductions: The X-Files, Spaced Invaders, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Enjoy our Double Feature suggestions? and maybe we’ll use them in a future column.
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