User reviews

Fire In the Sky didn't get much attention when it came out, I never heard of it before watching it twenty-seven years later, and to be honest this movie deserves a chance. If you like alien abduction movies this one is certainly worth a watch, with a couple good scenes that will get your full attention as there is some good suspense and tension building. The story, based on true events (not everybody will believe this story) is well written and filmed. It's entertaining to watch certainly if you're into this kind of stuff. The cast did a good job playing their respective characters, they all gave a believable performance. I'm surprised I never heard of this movie before as I watch tons of movies, especially in this genre. Give this one a shot, you won't regret it.

An Arizona logger mysteriously disappears for five days in an alleged encounter with a flying saucer in 1975.

For most of the film, we get more or less a drama. We know the logger has been abducted, but the authorities do not necessarily believe the other loggers. So there is some struggle, some argument, some emotional tension. Nothing too science fiction. And, indeed, they could have made the film completely without any of the science fiction if they wanted to.

But no, we also get a glimpse of where the logger went... and it is pretty wild. The film would be good either way, but those who like alien films will appreciate the effects and design that went into this. Definitely an understated modern classic.

A terrifying climax highlights this portrayal of the alleged 1975 alien abduction of logger Travis Walton. Walton and fellow loggers were driving one night when, the story goes, they spotted a mysterious spacecraft hovering over head. When Walton is beamed aboard and declared missing for several days, nobody believes his friends, providing an interesting angle on the story. This element of the film is particularly effective in building up suspense. Where is Walton and what did he experience? A cast that includes D.B. Sweeney, Robert Patrick and Henry Thomas (Elliot from E.T.) deliver quality performances. It doesn't have the look or feel of a blockbuster (it wasn't one), but this is a classic example of an overlooked gem.

This movie has a good plot, a good cast and a good feel to it. It is obviously a low budget movie, but one done well. The story is about an alien abduction, but instead of focusing on the aliens and what they did, the focus is on the people involved and how do they react "under fire".

You can call it a "TV psychological thriller" more than a sci-fi. I expected something dumb, instead I found not a masterpiece, but a good movie, one that was worth the watch.

James Garner had a really weird role, but he is old, so he gets what they throw at him; Robert Patrick does a good role and, even if he did play in some silly movies in his time, I think he is a good actor, one that can surprise if properly cast.

Adapted from best-selling book which the author claims is true and eschews his opinion about the strange events , starting with a phrase by prestigious Roman writer named Seneca . Sci-fi thriller with various famous actors (Robert Patrick, D,B. Sweeney, Henry Thomas, Craig Sheffer, Peter Berg) as loggers return from the woods claiming one of them has been abducted by aliens . At location of Snowflake , Arizona , a skeptic detective (James Garner) and a sheriff (Noble Willingham) have doubts , believing the story is a cover for a killing . Meanwhile the missing for five days wakes up to the first meeting with non-human creatures and they whisk him off inside their rare aircraft and subject him to painful ,rigorous examination . The loggers' behavior becomes more erratic and more frequent suspicious , then they agree to undergo detector sessions which reveal the truth by his conscious mind . Later on ,the missing turns up completely nude and thrown into confusion , causing incredible impact on mass media and yet he subsequently barely remembers nothing .

This exciting picture supposedly based on fact from Travis Walton's book titled ¨The Walton experience¨, in which Travis was allegedly taken prisoner by weird extraterrestrials . Engrossing movie contains thrills , suspense, a pretty interesting drama that treads the similar ground as ¨X files¨ . Excellent imagery with magnificent FX in which the starring is taken away by aliens from outer space and practice scientific experiments about the integrity of his body in which orifices are penetrated and finds himself surrounded by muddy interiors and ooze . The frightening though modest story follows the same ink as ¨Communion (1989) ¨ by Philippe Mora , though is better realized and has a more correct pay-off . A bit overlong and the dramatic scenes between Robert Patrick and his wife Kathleen Wilhoite don't work but the story is still effectively scary while never gratuitously gory . It packs a colorful cinematography by Bill Pope : Matrix , and thrilling musical score by Mark Isham . This Scifi outing is satisfyingly directed by Robert Lieberman . He's a professional filmmaker of TV episodes as ¨Eureka, Shark ,Dexter , Invasion¨ and occasionally for cinema like this one . Rating : 6,5 , good film that provides an enjoyable build-up . Better than average , worthwhile seeing .

My friend recommended this and it was really great. The acting is comically bad at times, but the story and actually the emotion were just as good as the main attraction. Highly recommend for any sci-fi or 80's horror.

How many times have you seen the words, 'Based on a true story,' at the beginning of a Hollywood film? Normally, when that's written, what you see on screen is about as far away to what actually happened as you can possibly get. However, 'Fire in the Sky' is almost quite close to what really happened (obviously, if you believe what the story is all about).

Travis Walton was a logging worker in 1975 who, while up in the mountains, was abducted by a flying saucer right before his co-workers' eyes. This is the account of what happened. One criticism is that it heavily favours the account of Walton and his co-workers, over those sceptical of their fantastical claim. However, when you think about it, Fire in the Sky would have been a pretty dull film if all that happened was Travis decided to hide in the woods for a few days while his mates made up crazy stories about what they've seen.

This is a great film - kind of like a 'real life' episode of the X-files. And, you can enjoy it on two levels: if you're a 'Mulder' and believe in aliens, UFOs etc, you can look at it as a documented account of what actually happened. However, if you're a 'Scully' (i.e. a sceptic) then you should be able to enjoy it by simply seeing it as a good piece of dramatic science-fiction.

Either way, if you're into sci-fi or drama, you should quite enjoy it. It's also worth looking into further - the real Travis Walton wrote quite a comprehensive book on the subject matter and there's plenty of 'evidence' to back up his claims if you do some research on the internet.

This movie must have been approved by the participants in the "true story," because this movie spends an inordinate amount of time - most of its time, actually - telling us what ordinary, folksy, down-home, nuclear-family-breeding good old boys these characters are. I expected to see them photographed in front of a giant flag like Patton. After a friend disappears during a trip, the town tries to determine whether it was an actual alien abduction as the men claim. This, in itself, could have been compelling, courtroom drama type stuff, but it is dreadfully dull. We are at about the eighty minute mark before we see any aliens, and they are indeed scary, and the scene is frightening. Fans of the movie must remember these four minutes, which can probably now be seen on YouTube. This is the only portion of the movie worth viewing. For the remainder of the movie, you'd be far more entertained hanging out in a truck stop.

This movie is a true eye opener. I remember seeing it with a few friends and we all had the same reaction to it. Especially in the scene where the guy is used in an experimental manner by the aliens. We were all scared and appalled. Could you imagine? We all wondered and winced at the mere thought of being used as an experiment, how awful and painful and traumatic an experience that would be. But take a closer look and when your eyes are opened, what you may see is like looking into a blurred reflection in a mirror. And the question has to be asked. What would we do if the same situation occurred here on Earth. What if we found an alien stranded here, or better yet what if we kidnapped one? Would we let it live a normal peaceful life? Or would we put it under the knife and do DNA testing, take blood samples, urine samples, semen samples? Would we do every possible experiment to this creature as we possibly could? You're damn right we would! And perhaps that wasn't the films intention ( to draw parallels to us and them ) but then again maybe it was. The problem though is that we only see what we want to see. But really, what separates us from them? Our humanity? HA! What is humanity? It is being human, and sometimes that can be more disgusting than being alien. We don't know their intentions or motivations, but we do know ours and that makes us inhumane for doing some of what we do.

Fire In The Sky is a frightening movie. It is a frightening thought that this could happen to us, and it is disturbing to think that this may have happened to some people already. I had clouded thoughts and opinions about aliens before seeing this film. But after the movie I was compelled to do my own research about apparent alien abductions and such. And there is a lot of material that supports what this film has to say. And that makes it intriguing. If you are curious about aliens the way I was after this film, then spend some time on the net and look up some stuff, you'll be surprised, but back to the film.

D.B. Sweeney did a great job especially when he had to show fear. He makes you feel that he was there and when you look into his eyes, you can feel his fear. And that was one of the great parts of the film. The actors from Peter Berg to Henry Thomas ( Elliot from E.T. ) do a credible job portraying his confused and interrogated-one-to-many-times friends. But what the real strength of the film is, is the story. It makes you open your eyes and ask some tough questions. The story seems plausible, the boys passed every lie detector test, and there is no proof to say that they were lying. So where does that leave you, the viewer? It sealed my opinion on the subject. And on that level it is a great film.

The only complaint I have with the film is that it seemed to end too abruptly. There were so many questions I had that I wanted answered, but they just stopped. And that left me frustrated. I'm not sure if they did that on purpose or if was unintentional, but it left me yearning for more. But that is the only glitch I had with the film. If nothing else, it does make you question life. And any film that can pose moral questions to me and not have me lose interest in the process has accomplished something.

Do aliens exist? I think so. Watch this film and perhaps decide for yourself.

The centerpiece of this movie, the ten to fifteen minutes of Travis Walton (D.B. Sweeney) inside the UFO, is so fantastic that it's a crushing disappointment that the rest of the film is completely worthless. Most of the film is made up of endless scenes of the other five guys who were in Walton's logging crew either bitching at each other or loudly declaring their innocence. Who cares about these guys? But, seriously, how friggin' horrifying is that sequence with the aliens? Gorgeously shot and directed, with great art direction and excellent special effects and puppetry. Robert Patrick and James Garner also co-star, but don't really need to be there at all.

"Fire in the Sky" can be appreciated only if you are into UFO movies, and if you like scary alien abduction scenes. The film is based on the allegedly true story of Travis Walton's alien abduction. After seeing the film, and becoming extremely interested in the subject, I read the book by Travis. Reading it, I found out that the abduction scene was changed in the movie. Whether what happened in the book was real or not, the change in the film was good, because those ten minutes of abduction scene are, quite possibly, among the most frightening pieces of footage in film history! I couldn't go to sleep for a month after that. It was tough to deal with. I recommend it because I know that there are some of you out there who like UFOs, and like a good scare!

I have watched a ton of UFO and Alien movies. For when it was released, they did good. There is a huge buildup to the final climax and honestly the first time I saw it I couldn't sleep for days afterwards. I tried to watch it again after probably 10 plus years of seeing it, couldn't do it. Too scared.

This was kinda mediocre and then kinda scared the crap out of me. One of those "based on true events" believe it or not stories right up there for fans of the X-files. It takes place in 1975 and follows a group of forestry workers returning from a day of logging in the woods who come across a huge bright light in the night sky. It appears to be a fire, they stop to investigate, one of the guys gets out to take a closer look and is "killed" by a beam of light from what is a flying saucer.

The men take off back to town where the authorities treat their story with scepticism, believing that they are covering up the (now missing) mans murder. For the next five days, the town ridicules them, the media arrives, the police have them take lie detector tests and then Travis returns. At first he remembers nothing about his abduction then the terrible memories come back...

A genuinely scary movie with a decent cast which includes James garner in a sheriff type role and a young and very good looking Robert Patrick. Its well acted particularly by D.B. Sweeney who plays Travis Walton. His abduction (torture) scenes onboard the spaceship are freaky, freaky but what scared me most about him was when he first returns; naked and cut up, trying to hide and screaming whenever someone touched him. What happened? 10/31/15

This Movie is by far one of the best Alien Abduction movies you will ever see. The story is about of a group of loggers, when on there way home from a hard days work in the white mountains of snowflake, Arizona stumble upon a UFO hovering over an open field. One of the loggers Travis Walton steps out of the truck to take a closer look. He gets abducted. Missing for 5 days, his co-workers are being blamed for his murder. Walton appears 5 days later, and what he has to tell is incredible. Watch this amazing story unfold and be prepared for one of the most intense alien encounter scenes ever filmed. I have just learned that Paramount are finally releasing this on DVD anytime soon. Lets hope it was worth the long wait. This is a true story!

It's a great story about allegedly real events. But there is something that annoyed me. The co-workers are extremely helpless to explain what they have witnessed. I mean it wasn't so complicated. A shining UFO in the sky paralyzed Travis Walton, who was fascinated by the UFO. The rest of the co-workers were scared and ran away (drove away). That's all. But out of 3 sentences that any of these guys are speaking, 2 are like: ".... I don't know, leave me alone.......". They behave perfectly as if hiding something from the police officer. Really? They behave like murderers, for no reason at all. Perhaps they were ashamed because they were scared...... but that wouldn't justify such stupid behaviour either. Maybe the book is dictating it. I haven't read it.

The alien scenes on the other hand are very well done and somehow believable. The ETs look unique, not like the typical Greys or similar. There is also a great screenplay, great visual effects and good acting. Worth watching.

Not much to say about this one, i really really liked it. The hour and a half prior to the money shot scene was worth the wait. I agree that this would be the best X-files episode ever if it were added to the series with Scully and Molder doing the investigating instead of the sheriff.

I didn't read all the comments but if mine proves useful at all, i have to say, the entire abduction scene was an accident. The writer and director were pressured by the studio to put it in. It's beyond me why they didn't want one at all. Tracy Thorne concocted the whole thing to have a message that went deeper than aliens. It goes a little something like "how would you feel if you were taken from your comfortable lifestyle with your own species and subjected to cruel experiments with no way of reasoning with your captors, being humiliated and borderline raped with no reason of why" sound a little like when you used a magnifying glass on a random ant? or like the experiments done to animals for research? if we cant co-exist with our planets own damn creatures than where's the logic in wondering about aliens? District 9 is a little less vague, but still a good example of human ignorance.

Best abduction movie to date! very scary, with a good message.

The movie in its entirety is slow and boring. The abduction scene, however, was and still is the most riveting alien abduction scene in cinematic history.

Thankfully story in this movie is actually a hoax. The fellows the movie protrays were renouned pranksters in their town, calling people up and telling them their cattle all died and that sort of thing.

The idea behind the 'abduction' had a couple motives. For one the National Enquirer at the time was offering $10 000 for the most fantastical alien experience. Secondly the guys responsible for the 'abduction story' were in danger of breeching their contract for clearing off the area of forest they were working on. They wouldn't have been able to clear off the land by their deadline. SO they needed some means of legally breaking their contract. The idea was, that if one of the workers was abducted by aliens then they'd be too scared to go back to work and they'd be able to break their contract with no penalties.

So that's what happened. Travis Walton wasn't actually all screwed up when he was found. He was in perfect condition like he was just hiding in somebody's barn for 5 days. Also the guys involved in the incident cheated on their lie detector tests. The National Enquirer had the lie detector operators sign non disclosure agreements and ran the story despite the fact that it was a hoax.

Sorry folks. Aliens aren't visiting earth and covering people with brown goo and cheese cloth.