UFO Sweden

Saw this at the Imagine film festival 2023 in Amsterdam. I assume this to be a movie for a much younger audience, letting viewers identify themselves with the lead actress Denise. Remember (in Dutch) the Bob Evers books, where young amateur detectives find the real truth where officials fail. Obviously, with my 75 years of age, I am way beyond the target group.

Lead protagonist Denise meets a collection of typical nerds in the form of UFO Sweden, a group so very anecdotical nerdy that it becomes too much to bear. Ditto with the 4-letter company owning a secret measurement station in the woods, not appearing on any maps. The company has an unwelcoming head office, seemingly very secure, but two of our nerds obtain access easily (too easy) via a backdoor. We meet their head of research a few times, The first time in the woods next to the officially non-existing station. She has all the appearances of a typical bureaucrat, very reluctant to cooperate. She did not admit that the station exists, even standing in front of it.

Very much later in the story, the same woman proves to be a true scientist under the skin. She changes heart once seeing the truth in the formulas shown to her, and happily works along with two intruders in a way that violates her job description on many counts.

I see little harm in the attempts made to simplify the laws of physics, calling names of famous scientists, mentioning well-known phenomena (relativity, wormholes etc), and using models for wormholes with sheets of paper.

I scored 3/5 for the audience award when leaving the venue. I must admit bias, knowing more about physics than an average viewer, and also not belonging to the target group of young people who are expected to identify themselves with lead-protagonist Denise.

PS: In the introductory address, one of the festival programmers said that the movie industry in Sweden succeeds for a fraction of the budget that Hollywood needs to still fail (said not exactly that; I paraphrase). This vintage movie feels genuine. It shows striking special effects, maybe made with better tools than exis-ted in the 80/90-ties it is situated in, but nevertheless looks neither over the top nor impossible for that era.

This charming, fun and thrilling movie takes you right back to the 90;s (and a bit of the 80;s as well). For a lover of vintage you will find a lot of nice details, and for a lover of old school sci fi you will get the feels from those old Spielberg movies such as "Close encounters of the third kind".

The special effects are stunning, yet true to movies 30 years ago, and there were some nailbiting scenes were we, me and my 13 year old daughter, were leaning far in our chairs at the cinema.

The roles are perfectly casted, and the characters are diverse. I especially enjoyed Isabelle Kyed as "Töna" and Niklas Kvarnbo Jönsson as "Karl-Tefat" but I only have great words to say about the rest of the cast aswell.

This movie succeds were others fail by being absolutely genuine and down to earth (pun not intended) and I am very impressed by the small production company Crazy Pictures that continues to build a name for themselves with productions like this.

For lovers of sci fi and action this is a must see, but it's also filmed with that humor and warmth that takes it to another level.

I had no idea what i expected from this movie beforehand. But my expectations were not too high.

I don't watch a lot of Swedish movies anymore. Mostly because of the fact that, they're usually not entertaining. But I've seen some of "Crazy Pictures" earlier work and always enjoyed their humor. Which is why I gave this one a shot.

You can say a lot about this movie, that it's unrealistic, not too much character development and predictable.

But with a good soundtrack, likable/quirky characters and impressive special effects, this movie will probably win you over. It's fast paced and with comedic elements, which will keep you watching.

Honestly a good watch and a step in the right direction for Swedish cinema.

I must say that I knew nothing about this film, all I saw was a teaser trailer on a small screen. But I had a good feeling about the film, although to be honest, I expected something different.

The film is set in Norrköping, Sweden, in the 90s and follows a smart but headstrong teen girl who has lost her father. Yet, there's a possibility he's alive. Intent on finding him and uncover the truth, she visits her father's old colleagues and friends at 'UFO-Sverige,' aka UFO Sweden. Which is, by the way, a real organization founded in the 70s.

This is the kind of film that I am missing in the american cinema these days. The screenplay definitely has an american influence to it though, and by that I mean the good ol' (late) 20th century america. For the most part, the story surprised me in a positive way.

I was also positively surprised by the cinematography. Despite being a relative newcomer to feature films, Victor Danell did a splendid job as a director.

Inez Dahl Torhaug and Jesper Barkselius were both great in their roles, and the supporting cast was solid.

(I see a bright future for Victor Danell and Inez Dahl Torhaug in the film industry!)

If you want to see a fun sci-fi themed film that is easy to watch, I'd recommend this. I rate it a strong 7+/10.

This is a B-movie with a high budget. The characters are under-developed and not believable. All technically related stuff in the movie is painfully unrealistic. There is a lot of mindless action that always ends in the way you thought it would.

I think the worst part is actually the characters and the writing. The actors themselfs are mostly fine and deliver (including the two main characters).

But the personalities are one-dimensional and narrow. They never say or do anything unexpected and it mostly feels they are just created to make the story fit together.

I will mention a few plus sides though: The cinematography and special effects are good. The choice of music is mostly good too. The setting in the 90s feels beliavable. It has a bit of funny moments as well.

At best, the movie has some "Stranger things" vibe to it. At worst, it makes you cringe and wanting to fast forward a segment or two.