Beyond the Sky

Well, I didn't even know about "Beyond the Sky" - aka "Encounter" - prior to getting the chance to sit down and watch it. Normally the Sci-Fi genre is not my first choice of go-to movies, but alien abductions just have something alluring about them. So I gave the movie a chance.

Turns out that I am not wasting my time in doing so, because "Beyond the Sky" actually turned out to be a rather entertaining movie and had an interesting story to tell. I liked how director Fulvio Sestito and writers Rebecca Berrih, Marc Porterfield, Fulvio Sestito and Rob Warren Thomas came up with a storyline that both keeps the audience in the dark, trying to guess and figure out if there is some truth to the happenings or if it is all hoax and make-belief.

There is a good atmosphere to the movie and it feels like you are right there in the midst of the action yourself. So that was a rather enjoyable aspect of the movie. And of course it was set to take place in Roswell, New Mexico, where else could it have been for a movie such as this? Sure, that was a bit corny, but hey it is all part of the charm and the whole mystery that surrounds alien abductions and visits from outer space.

They had a fairly good cast coming together for the movie, and each actually performed quite well and brought their respective character to life on the screen. I was not familiar with the three lead performers; Ryan Carnes - playing Chris Norton, but he performed quite well in this movie. As did Jordan Hinson - playing Emily Reed, and also Claude Duhamel - playing Brent.

It was nice to see the likes of Don Stark - playing Bill Johnson, Peter Stomare - playing Peter Norton and Dee Wallace - playing Lucille, in the movie as well. While their roles were not all that prominent, well Don Stark's character was, then they provided a needed spicy element to the movie with their performances.

While "Beyond the Sky" is a movie that deals with an extraterestial phenomena, it is not a movie that is heavy in its usage with CGI and special effects. And that actually worked out quite well, because the movie was more about suspense, building up tension and atmosphere. But the special effects and CGI that was there was spot on, and really worked so well for the movie.

I was more than genuinely entertained with this movie, and I had somewhat expected it to be a less than mediocre movie experience, perhaps even one of those kind of found-footage movies with shoddy camerawork. Glad it turned out not to be that kind. If you enjoy light Sci-Fi and have an interest in alien abductions, then you should definitely take the time to sit down and watch "Beyond the Sky".

I liked it a lot. It is very unpredictable and that is why it is so interesting.

When Chris Norton (Ryan Carnes) was a boy, he witnessed an argument of his parents. His mother leaves the house, there is a power surge and she vanishes. His father Peter Norton (Peter Stormare) claims that she has been abducted by aliens. On the present days, Chris is a filmmaker that wants to expose the hoax about alien abduction that destroyed his family. He travels with his crew to New Mexico to interview people that claim that had been abducted by alien that participate in an alien exposition promoted by Bill Johnson (Don Stark). Chris and his camera Brent (Claude Duhamel) meet Emily Reed (Jordan Hinson), who claims that was abducted when she was seven and fourteen years old. She will be twenty-one on three days and Chris decides to stay with her. They fall in love with each other while strange things happen to Chris and Brent. What is the truth about alien abduction?

"Beyond the Sky" is an entertaining sci-fi-mystery film about alien abduction. The screenplay is well-written and the film is developed in adequate pace. Unfortunately the camera work is very poor and the hair of Jordan Hinson is awful. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

The overall storyline is ok, with just enough suspense and unexpected twists. The best actor performance comes from the supporting cast, Claude Duhamel and Peter Stormare. Some sequences are lacking in directing artistry. For me there is also too much use of hand-held camera (found footage technique).

Interesting movie. A much more realistic approach to the debate between the truth and skepticism about alien abductions, in my opinion.