The Alien Report’ Review — A Visually Stunning Found Footage Abduction Stand Out [Unnamed Footage Festival 2022]
Sharai Bohannon
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The Alien Report was not the movie that I was expecting. It opens with a two and half minute Powerpoint presentation on alien abductions. Because the movie claims it’s based on real UFO phenomena, I was worried this would become the whole movie. However, when that was over it gave way to what was ultimately a fun ride.
We meet an abductee (Braxton Hale) who shares his abduction stories with us. Because no one believes him, he’s collecting proof and starting his own investigation. He’s hidden a camera inside of his cochlear implant and is actively seeking out the aliens. This sets the film up for the use of iPhones, Go-pros, and micro cameras and the aesthetic it’s striving for. Instead of coming across as a micro-budget film it actually sells the idea that this could be actual documentation. This is something quite a few found footage movies just barely miss the mark on at times. This also made me less salty about the opening two and a half minutes where it felt like the movie would never start.
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The technical elements are what make The Alien Report stand out. Not only did the devices used to film provide differing aesthetics but utilized them to tell us when and where we are. They helped keep everything organized as they propelled the story forward to reach this chapter’s conclusion. During one of the lead’s confessionals, they show a taxi subtly changing into one of the cars he’s come to associate with the alien conspiracies. It’s trippy and made me pause because it proved a point he was making earlier even though he couldn’t see it happen behind him. There are so many moments like that that make us feel like we’re more than just audience members for this story. I would really love to know how Visual Effects Supervisor Dan Walden was able to pull all of this off.
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We were warned at the top of the film that would be, “Flashing lights and disorienting scenes,” and these worked in the film’s favor. Not only is it anxiety-inducing but it also looks cool as hell. The editing and lighting effects blend so seamlessly together to make the time spent with the aliens even more disturbing. The Alien SFX Make-up artists brought to life exceptionally eerie alien-human hybrids. J. Anthony Kosar and Anna Cali managed to merge the two species into something that is familiar, cold, and a little haunting. In all honesty, I’m mostly coming back for part two to see what they continue to do with this budget. I’m also coming back because I love seeing Chicago used as a backdrop for sci-fi.
While The Alien Report feels like a showcase for the special effects team, I think it’s a fine enough movie overall. This is part one of a trilogy so I’m hoping the story finds its footing in the next installment so we can really have something worth talking about.
Let me know if you’ve had a chance to see this movie at @misssharai.
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The Alien Report
Summary
This movie is exciting because of what it pulls off with so little. It’s so cool and pretty that it makes you want to like it more than you do.
