It's no secret that the writing half of Tape Freaks (Colette here) doesn't enjoy space alien movies. Movies like E.T. and Fire in the Sky, ruined my ability to enjoy this genre long ago. (There are exceptions to the rule, but generally, it takes a lot for me to even want to watch one.) But recently, upon my second-youngest sister's recommendation, I watched a documentary about space aliens. And not entirely unlike E.T., the bad guys of this movie were also bureaucrats! But also like in E.T., that offered me little comfort. In the weeks since, I've asked almost every nerd I've come across if they've watched this movie, because honestly, I NEED TO DISCUSS THIS THING WITH MORE PEOPLE!
The topic of this documentary: The Disclosure Project has spent decades trying to get our government to release to the public all the intelligence it has on alien technology. At some point along the way, they began trying to get it released to elected government officials and high ranking military officials as well. The documentary focuses in on the unexpected reasons UFOs encounters have been relegated to the tabloids for so many decades.
Don't believe it's for real?: I don't blame you. I was watching this doc while meal prepping, and at some point it started to seem like I should maybe be paying fuller attention. So I watched it a second time, and you know what? I've been sucked into conspiracy theories before, and I've been sucked into well-meaning-but-clearly-biased documentaries; this didn't seem to fit either of those categories. There were several points in this doc that made me stop and think “that actually makes way more sense as a motive than [any number of conspiracies that never made much sense to me]”. It honestly took very little suspension of disbelief to accept the information presented throughout the film.
Questions I've often asked that this documentary answered handily: Why (in an time when we carry computers/communication devices in our pockets) are we still relying EXTREMELY outdated technology for all our transportation and energy needs? In fiction, why are space aliens so often portrayed as evil invaders hell bent on conquering our planet, often for EXCEPTIONALLY flimsy reasons? Why would space aliens be so interested in probing our orifices? Why are UFO encounters from unreliable witnesses amplified so loudly, when there are credible witnesses of UFO encounters from around the globe? If there was an electric car to be killed, so many decades ago, why are our current electric cars so expensive and mostly still dependent on fossil fuels? (I could honestly go on all day.)
Other things I'll ask about if you've seen this one: Have you seen/read The Watchmen?
In the end, this was not a documentary about aliens: This was yet another reason we should abandon capitalism.
What wild documentary did I end up watching next?: The Pyramid Code. That one was more conspiracy leaning, but still offered some ideas that were similarly interesting and overlapping. (Some of the questions they examine: Why do we insist on infantilizing our ancient societies? Why would the technologies that ancient societies used be lost over time?)
But do we recommend it?: The subject matter is interesting, and it's a well made documentary collecting interesting perspectives (that are often overlooked in favor of more outrageous claims) all in one place. (Plus it's narrated by Giancarlo Esposito!) But be the judge yourself! It's currently on Netflix*, so watch it before you come to Tape Freaks because I SERIOUSLY NEED TO DISCUSS THIS MOVIE WITH MORE PEOPLE!
*Blogger's comment section remains a complete and total mystery to me. I edited this post to reflect that this movie is available on Netflix!
Where can I watch it?
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