Movie Review: Beyond the Sky (2018)

Chris Norton (Ryan Carnes) is a documentary filmmaker  with a wild hair up his ass to disprove alien abductions. Ya see, his father Peter (Peter Stormare) claimed to have had such an experience, and the end result has made Chris a major douche to anyone who believes in such things. So off he goes to New Mexico, camera crew in tow, to be a thorn in the side of U.F.O. enthusiasts at a convention run by Bill Johnson (Don Stark)… and these folks have little patience for his ‘tude. This goes on until he meets Emily (Jordan Hinson); a pretty normal type o’ gal…except for the fact she claims she is abducted every seven years…and the time is almost nigh for another close encounter! When that event occurs will the truth be that aliens are taking rando folks and shoving stuff up their ass, or is it all a bunch of made up garbage as Chris believes…or is there a third truth?!!
Beyond the Sky is a weird flick for sure; not quite full on found footage flick…it’s more like the shit that goes on before one of those affairs, all presented in (mostly) documentary fashion. Also the subject matter of alien abduction, and some of the truths encountered about them, is an interesting avenue to explore, and the strong performances from leads Carnes, Hinson, and Stark really help sell the whole affair…and the cameo from genre legend Dee Wallace was very welcome indeed!
That’s not to say that there aren’t problems. The first half of the film, before things kick into outre overdrive, alternates between being engrossing and slow as all hell. While the effects are impressive when they do happen, this flick sure could have used a lot more of them…and ultimately it’ll be up to the viewer to determine if the wait to get to the good stuff is worth it in the end.
Although the pace is uneven; the subject matter, strong acting and effects, and presentation make Beyond the Sky worth a look, especially if you dig on U.F.O.s and alien abduction, or want to see a flick that does something new with found footage tropes.