Hangar 18

Ok, no, this isn't one of the greatest movies of all time by any means, but it does have some very interesting theories and suggestions, ala the "X-Files". If you were between 10-14 during the late 70's and early 80's, you'll remember the movies that dealt with such mysteries as Bigfoot, Noah's Ark, and (didn't this one just scare the be-jesus out of you!) Nostradomas, narrated by Orsen Welles. I think the movie is entertaining, even though it is "dated" by today's standards. I also don't think it's a strech to say this could have been the very birth of the X-Files as we now know it.

"Hanger 18" is from Sunn Classic Pictures....a now-defunct studio that brought us some quirky, paranoid films such as "The Outer Space Connection" (a documentary that claimed ancient civilizations were in constant contact with aliens who, apparently, made their cool structures) and "In Search for Noah's Ark". I expected very, very little from a Sunn film...that's for sure. However, the longer I watched the film, the more I realized it wasn't bad at all. Paranoid...yes...bad....no.

The film begins with footage of the space shuttle that looks dated today...but was amazing stuff for 1980. Consider this...years before the creation of Pixar, the film shows a lot of high tech CGI effects of the shuttle. I didn't have any idea how Sunn could afford this. It was only in the end credits where the studio thanked both NASA and Rockwell International....and it's likely they got the footage from them, as studios of the day simply didn't have the money or HUGE computers needed for such graphics. Regardless, it was pretty good footage.

While on a routine mission to deploy a satellite, the satellite accidentally collides with a UFO...and the UFO crashes to the Earth. This portion and the scientific study of the ship...all this was very well done and interesting. But there's another plot...one which seemed too influenced by Watergate...where some presidential aids take control of how to tell...or NOT tell the public. This portion, while interesting in its own way, kept the film from being better...that is until the nice twist ending.

Overall, a solid sci-fi film masquerading as yet another lousy Sunn film. Well worth seeing and highly original.

The standard Government cover-up of UFO. If we knew about it too soon it would sway the presidential elections. Part of the containment is to discredit two astronauts Steve Bancroft, Lew Price (Gary Collins, James Hampton) who witnessed the object. If they cannot be discredited, they need to be contained. If not contained, then? What is worse is that it seems that Lew has a real flair for adventure.

Standard conspiracy and obligatory auto chase. They tried to toss in Great Primed theory after it was figured out that people built it and left debris and work records. It sort of puts a damper on the story. Oh no, what about the missing link and where next?

The fun thing is looking at all the old technology of the eighties (some of it was old then). A side benefit is a rather good picture of Big Spring, Texas, where the movie was made. The movie is a good vehicle for TV actors of the time. Putting this film in a time frame the movie "Capricorn One" was made three years earlier. You need to watch this for cultural literacy, but it has lost the original flair and suspense of the time it was made.

This film was made in my hometown of Big Spring, Texas....my father is in the movie as an extra..he is one of the guys in the hanger around the ship ..look for the white dude with an afro...lol..I was going to get to be in the movie but they decided to scrap that scene for a night crash instead. If you visit the hanger on the old air base it still has the 18 on it. I love the movie. Its pretty good for being such a low budget film but its cool. The ship was sold to one of the rich people in town back then for his kid to have to have fun in. I always remember my parents telling me about Robert Vaughn, they told me that he thought he was this big time actor from Hollywood and he thought he was the coolest thing walking the earth. The other actors and a lot of the higher up towns people would have parties all get together...it was interesting.

Some parts of the film were done in Midland, Texas and Odessa, Texas...so when watching the film its like looking in my back yard.

This movie is the first "government conspiracy" flicks I ever saw and frankly it spooked me at the time. The story about the accidental encounter with aliens and the consequent cover-up and framing of the astronauts was as eerie as any later X-Files show. Remember this movie came out in 1980, the only other movie with the concept of government cover-ups at the time was Capricorn One. I'm glad it was made in 1980, if it was done today it wouldn't have had the same punch.