A group of lumberjacks go out into the woods. A UFO appears. They run away. One man (Travis Walton) is left behind. He is sucked up into the UFO. His friends inform the police, who later comb the woods. They find no trace of Travis. Travis' friends and family grow worried. The police accuse the lumberjacks of murdering Travis. They deny it. They take lie detector tests. They pass.
Several days later, a visibly traumatised Travis appears at the edge of town. He is taken home. He recounts the story of his abduction. The film ends with a 20 minute set piece in which Travis is abducted by aliens, wanders about their space craft and is subjected to torture.
"Fire in the Sky" is a pretty simple movie. It's quiet and unassuming and apparently based on a true story. Indeed, for its first hour, "Fire" unfolds like a fairly low-key "X-Files" episode, content to capitalise on the "UFO" and "gray alien" craze of the late 1980s.
Interesting, the tone of the film then completely changes during its last twenty minutes. Here, during an extended set piece, we watch as Travis is captured and abused by a group of sadistic, monstrous aliens. It's shocking sequence, not so much because it's graphic, but because it's a complete contrast to everything we've seen before. The film goes from a quiet, low budget character study, to big budget SFX horror flick in the blink of an eye.
Of course this is a calculated move designed to add some spectacle and titillation to what would otherwise have been a dull film. But the scene nevertheless resonates thanks to actor D. B. Sweeny's sympathetic performance as Travis, and thanks to some stunning (especially for a film made in 1993) SFX work.
Incidentally, this final act set piece was conceived and designed by the same SFX team behind the Matrix movies. "Fire's" wire-work, alien cocoons and gooey hibernation sacks would be reused a decade later in the first 2 Matrix films.
8/10 - A quiet and well acted exploitation film, made memorable by a single great set piece. As far as alien abduction movies go, it's better than Christopher Walken's "Communion". Both films are inspired by the Whitley Strieber and Bob Hoskin alien books of the mid 80s.
Several days later, a visibly traumatised Travis appears at the edge of town. He is taken home. He recounts the story of his abduction. The film ends with a 20 minute set piece in which Travis is abducted by aliens, wanders about their space craft and is subjected to torture.
"Fire in the Sky" is a pretty simple movie. It's quiet and unassuming and apparently based on a true story. Indeed, for its first hour, "Fire" unfolds like a fairly low-key "X-Files" episode, content to capitalise on the "UFO" and "gray alien" craze of the late 1980s.
Interesting, the tone of the film then completely changes during its last twenty minutes. Here, during an extended set piece, we watch as Travis is captured and abused by a group of sadistic, monstrous aliens. It's shocking sequence, not so much because it's graphic, but because it's a complete contrast to everything we've seen before. The film goes from a quiet, low budget character study, to big budget SFX horror flick in the blink of an eye.
Of course this is a calculated move designed to add some spectacle and titillation to what would otherwise have been a dull film. But the scene nevertheless resonates thanks to actor D. B. Sweeny's sympathetic performance as Travis, and thanks to some stunning (especially for a film made in 1993) SFX work.
Incidentally, this final act set piece was conceived and designed by the same SFX team behind the Matrix movies. "Fire's" wire-work, alien cocoons and gooey hibernation sacks would be reused a decade later in the first 2 Matrix films.
8/10 - A quiet and well acted exploitation film, made memorable by a single great set piece. As far as alien abduction movies go, it's better than Christopher Walken's "Communion". Both films are inspired by the Whitley Strieber and Bob Hoskin alien books of the mid 80s.