Ariel Phenomenon

Waited a very long time to see this film and it did not disappoint. This is the most intriguing and believable alien encounter story that exists. I remain an open minded skeptic, but the one thing this movie makes crystal clear- the kids did not invent this story and they fully believe what they experienced even into adulthood. It is very difficult for me to imagine someone staging a hoax where a nearly silent disc shaped craft flies across the sky in a blaze of bright light and lands, with 4 foot tall large eyed beings getting out and walking around. I have so far not seen even a lazy attempt at explaining how someone could fake that, especially in rural Zimbabwe. So I certainly lean towards the incredible yet simple explanation that fits the descrIptions - a flying effing saucer landed in a playground, and aliens interacted with children. Before you think that's crazy, listen to the children (now adults). Watch the film. See what you think. I haven't heard a believable alternative explanation, but I would like to see someone give it their best shot.

The events, witnesses, archival footage work is really extensive but unfortunately all of this effort suffers a lot from poor editing work. 1h and 40 minutes long that could have easily been 30 minutes long instead and become an extremely compelling documentary. The layout of the facts is way too scattered, the focus of the narrative is all over the place often going on tangents that don't really feel relevant or necessary.

The Phenomenon documentary (Directed by James Fox) covers all of the relevant parts of this same event in its last 10 minutes and does a fantastic job at it.

7 of 10 because of the extensive archival work done but again, from a documetaristic point of view it really needed more triage done in my opinion.

I've been admittedly frustrated with the time it's taken for this movie to be released, but I'm so happy it finally was. This incident is so incredibly compelling. I'm hoping once they receive some funds from rentals, there will be some additional publicity, and hopefully gets picked up by a streaming service so more people can see it. This is an incredible story about not only these children seeing other-worldly beings and things that can't be explained, but the importance of giving people a voice and listening to experiences, something John Mack was very passionate about. Learning about these children changed my life, and I'm a little jealous of all you who will be discovering this story for the first time!

I've been a lurking member of IMDB since, almost, its inception on the Internet as we know it today.

I've never been compelled to write a review of a film until now.

For centuries, people have been experiencing things all over the map of what we, traditionally, would conceive as outside of known reality.

What body or institution defines and catalogues our perceived worldviews or reality?

I'm perfectly happy embracing the unknowns of our universe and existence. I wake up every day looking forward to having more questions.

The awesomeness and wonder of it all is what drives me.

This film screams that sentiment.

Try to be a blessing to your self and everyone else around you.

I backed this project in 2017 and have been waiting diligently for it to come out, and now I can firmly conclude that it was worth the wait.

Contrary to the subject matter of aliens, this is still a very human story about the toll it takes processing something so completely unknown and extraordinary that it gets dismissed out of hand. But with all the facts neatly lined up in this film, it is very hard if not nigh impossible to deny that something incredible happened on that day in Ruwa, Zimbabwe in 1994. I would challenge anyone to watch this documentary and not reach the same conclusion.

It's a beautifully shot film which intermixes archival footage with modern day follow-ups with students, faculty and other people involved, as well as gorgeous images of the African countryside. It invokes feelings of sympathy, connectedness and a sense of wonder. The juxtaposition of old and new testimonies underlines the credibility of this story and how it hasn't changed in two and a half decades.

If it really actually happened, and there is little reason to doubt it did, what could it all mean?

It makes you wonder...