Le cristal de l'espace

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie - I would like to give some history on this movie - it was not, as some may believe, and exploitation of a sick child, rather it was the granting of a dying wish of a child, Mickey Hays, to be a movie star. For that reason alone, I applaud this movie, and as hokey as it is, I enjoyed the positive message of the little alien coming to Earth and interacting with the citizens (and animals) of Aurora, Texas. Even though it has a sad ending, it also had many laughs, and several positive messages.

'The Aurora Encounter" is based on a much publicized "airship" that supposedly crashed near Aurora Texas in 1897. This event was no doubt greatly embellished by the press, and eventually became so 'fictionalized" that any trace of believability vanished. Taking the standard U.F.O. plot and placing it back in the old west is a great idea, that unfortunately does not live up to it's potential. "The Aurora Encounter" is badly scattered, and that is it's main problem. Despite the presence of the wonderful Jack Elam, what you get is a part sci-fi, part western, part "Goonies" clone, that is too simplified for the sci-fi fan, too devoid of action for the western fan, and too boring for the "Disney" crowd. - MERK

In the small Texas town of Aurora in the late-19th Century a tiny man (Mickey Hayes) seemingly fell out of the sky. This sets the tone for really the first legitimately-recorded UFO encounter in the U.S. (this is all supposedly based on a true story) as it seems the little man literally flew around in a small craft and was sent to this planet for some unknown reason. The children are entranced by the little fellow, the townspeople are a little frightened and the fright will ultimately lead to a sad tragedy as misunderstanding and prejudice will come into play. Hayes, unable to speak and harmless, meets old hermit Jack Elam (also somewhat an outcast in the small community) as all this transpires and they start a genuinely wonderful friendship as the two apparent opposites seem to have so much in common. "The Aurora Encounter" is one of those films that just seems to stick with me. The bond between Hayes (who suffered in real-life from a disease called Progeria, an illness which made him literally age about four to five times faster than everyone else) and Jack Elam is one of those cinematically magical experiences that I have a hard time explaining. Hayes, only 14 at the time of this film's release, would indeed die in the early-1990s (living to be only 20) from his horrible disease. This is the only film he ever worked on and his obvious kindness and the sympathy the audience feels for him is definitely undeniable. With all this said, "The Aurora Encounter" is still only an average film by the end. It succumbs to cinematic clichés and an unintentional mean-spirit that did not completely endear it with me. Elam (doing probably the best work of his long career) ultimately gets somewhat wasted because of other performers who really have no business in the movies. The direction is up and down and the screenplay is never sure what it wants to be. The movie just never really found an audience when released in 1986 and just became a very small footnote from the decade. If nothing else though, "The Aurora Encounter" should be watched for the scenes where Elam and Hayes are together playing checkers. As ho-hum as the movie is, the time when they are together on the screen is really something to embrace. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Thirty years ago I read a historical account in UFO literature where a spacecraft crashed into a windmill in a small Texas town back in the late 19th century. The townsfolk found a dead little occupant in the wreckage and gave him a "decent Christian burial". This is the jist of the original story that inspired this film. Everything else in the movie has been added for dramatic effect. One other thing---the place where the alien was supposedly buried has this kind of weird colored fungus or lichen that grows on top of the ground that can't be killed. I saw a picture of the landowner kneeling by the spot. I guess no one ever thought to exhume the grave to find out the truth of the whole matter. And whatever happened to the spaceship wreckage? I thought the movie was very long, dry and boring, the only exception being the little alien scenes.

My review was written in August 1986 after watching the film on New World video cassette.

"The Aurora Encounter" is a pleasant, very mild entry in the unusual genre of sci-fi Westerns. Second recent New World release from the filmmaking McCulloughs, who earlier made "Mountaintop Motel Massacre", opened regionally in March and quickly moved to its proper home, the video stores.

With full white beard and ample girth, Jack Elam has fun as the teller of this tall tale concerning a spaceman visiting the small town of Aurora, Texas in the 1800s. Amidst antics by the friendly little guy who brings a magic crystal with him, there is a minor plotline of school marm Alain, pronounced "Elaine" (Carol Bagdasarian), inheriting her dad's newspaper and using it to play up the spaceman's visit while championing women's rights on the side.

A corny, melodramatic climax (plus sentimental denouement) spoils the otherwise acceptable picture which bosts okay visual effects. Diminutive Mickey Hays, a bald monster with genuinely bizarre features made up here to resemble a pint-sized Max Schreck of "Nosferatu", adds to the sci-fi premise. Rest of the cast is interesting, with Bagdasarian a feisty heroine, country singer Dottie West adding sex appeal and former Our Gang comedies star Spanky McFarland popping in as Texas' very short governor.