La abducción

I was initially suckered into watching the 2013 movie "Skinwalker Ranch" on account of it being a movie that I had never seen, nor actually heard about, before, and the fact that the movie's cover was somewhat interesting. And with it being a movie I wasn't familiar with, of course I had no idea what I was in for.

And I have to say that I am a bit amazed that collectively then writers Steve Berg, Ken Bretschneider, Devin McGinn, Murphy Michaels and Adam Ohler could manage to pull off something that was only mediocre at best. Sure, there were elements to the script that were nice and really had potential, but the overall impression of the movie was one that left much to be desired. I feel that I was given an incomplete movie from directors Devlin McGinn and Steve Berg.

Once the movie came to an end, after 86 minutes, I was left with a staggering sensation of 'was that really it?' and it was a somewhat of a hollow viewing experience. I feel that the movie's cover was a bit more promising in comparison as to what directors Devlin McGinn and Steve Berg delivered.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, aside from Jon Gries. And I have to say that it is always a treat to see Jon Gries on the screen, as he has a particular gruffy charm to him. It should be noted that the acting performances in "Skinwalker Ranch" were good, despite of a somewhat subpar script and storyline.

Visually then there were some scenes here and there throughout the course of the 86 minutes that the movie ran for. And the effects used definitely helped to bring the movie to life and added a great sense of mystery and inexplainable thrill to the narrative. And that certainly did its part to keep the movie watchable.

If you enjoy alien visitor movies you might get a small kick out of watching the 2013 movie "Skinwalker Ranch". But if you are a casual viewer looking for an evening's worth of entertainment, then this movie might not be the best of choices.

My rating of "Skinwalker Ranch" lands on a five out of ten stars.

I'm not really a big fan of Documentary style films, unless of course they are done well and the subject is interesting. Another similarly themed film that I liked was 'LAKE MUNGO' (2008). That one leaned a bit more toward the Paranormal, so it was more spooky. Whereas this one is more of a Sci Fi / Horror film, and has more of a Thriller / Suspense feel to it. I am most definitely NOT a fan of Found Footage films, but this one doesn't quite fall into that category (regardless of what some other clueless numbnuts have said here...) This is a DOCUMENTARY style film, not a Found Footage film...

As a Documentary style film covering the activities of an investigative team who are looking into the disappearance of a boy at a ranch, it is fairly decent for the most part. I personally feel that what REALLY makes the film is most definitely the soundtrack; that is by FAR the strongest element of the movie. Very nice use of ambient sound, nighttime sounds, crickets, etc. There always seems to be some kind of ambient sound in the background which adds a great deal to the atmosphere; very similar to how David Lynch does in some of his films, particularly 'ERASERHEAD'.

Also, what I like about this film as opposed to others that are similar, is the way the cameras are place around the ranch and the way those shots are nicely worked into the videographer's footage. So, you almost have the feeling of traditional establishment shots around the ranch, which especially at night, are quite effective. So, in other words, you don't have to suffer through shaky, hand-held camera shots throughout the ENTIRE film. The net effect is a bit more cohesive than usual for this type of movie.

However... with that said... Unfortunately, what really detracts from the film is the acting. It is not ALWAYS bad; for the most part it is tolerable, considering the Documentary style. BUT... there are a few REALLY atrocious moments, particularly when people are getting upset (isn't that ALWAYS so hard to do...?) where the 'acting', such as it is, is pretty painful and amateurish, to say the least. IF the director(s) had been either a little more talented or experienced, they NEVER would have used the shots that they did in these scenes. They would have definitely gone back and used different takes. But... still... IF you can overlook those few moments, you are left with a pretty suspenseful and tense film that does indeed keep your interest all the way through.

Now, one thing I really must add though... without giving anything important away, there ARE some rather imaginative elements that come into the film that may have SOME people rolling their eyes in disbelief. Thus the many blatantly negative Review Summaries here (such as 'Utter, utter, utter, utter, utter crap', etc... :) HOWEVER... IF you are the kind of person who likes a little 'Otherworldliness' in their films, and if you enjoy a nice X-Files-like vibe, then you should find this movie fairly entertaining.

I REALLY wanted to give this film a '7', grading it on sort of a curve because it honestly is made quite well compared to a lot of other similar films, but the awful acting in a few places kind of brought it down to a strong '6'...

But, there ARE indeed still plenty of good scares and some genuinely creepy moments to be enjoyed here...

Found Footage features typically rely on either horror/supernatural kinds of stuff or UFOs and alien sightings. Here, efforts were being made to do both! And I'm afraid that specific plan didn't work out too well.

I feel, storywise; it didn't have a lot to contribute. A pretty basic plot that consists of a group of specialized people investigating the disappearance of a little boy on mysterious grounds. Same old, non-exclusive approach!

Paranormal Happenings, UFOs, Aliens, Prodigious Beasts; this movie is an uncanny assemblage of all run-of-the-mill tropes one could possibly imagine in their wildest dreams! I'm all for trying out fresh ideas, but not here though! It is too much to bear and even more so without any context.

Thankfully, the execution isn't so bad. Performances are decent enough, there is sufficient tension that build-ups over time, and in particular; the choice of site is pretty impressive! Those widely spread plain fields did capture my interest, not gonna lie. Special effects & CGI fall onto the cheap side of the scale, but that is expected; especially given their modest resources!

In conclusion, if the Writing was on par with what I initially envisaged; it would have been a prominent addition to my ongoing streak of Found Footage films.

Alas! It just ended up being one of those forgettable viewings.

This is one of the best movies I've seen. It's a very creepy, edge of your seat, action packed film. I love these kind of movies because they tend to be original, innovative and creative. I was really hoping for a second one because I was definitely not disappointed. If you have not seen this film yet, I highly recommend you watch it.

Out of all the lost footage movies, where the vast majority of them sucks, this Isn't half bad.

The movie have a good start, a fair mix between creepy atmosphere and jump scares to keep you interested. It also had plenty of stuff that is open to interpretation.

There aren't that many decent UFO movies out there, but this one deserves a watch if you are hungry for creepy aliens related movies. If you are looking for a more down to earth sci-fi, then this wont cut it. Its simply not that genre.

I gave the movie 5/10 only because well, its lost footage, and that stuff is overdone. It it were shot with a mix of surveillance cameras and regular footage, it would have gotten a higher score. But still, an average movie that might get the hair on your neck to stand.