UFO

Don't get me wrong, I nearly turned this off. It starts as many UFO documentaries do, with the usual talking heads spouting nonsense unsupported by evidence. I was distracted by my phone though so it stayed on, and wow. What a surprise. We got a rational and opposing point of view from some folk with actual critical thinking skills. Not only that, a revelation about The Phoenix Lights incident crops up, that actually cleared something up for me after more than 20 years. This series addresses both sides better than anyone has done before and lets you make your own mind up. For me though the addition of some sanity in the room for once won hands down. If you ask me, the truth isn't out there, it's right here.

This show does a wonderful job looking at the UFO phenomenon critically while also putting you intensely in the shoes of those who have experienced this stuff. "UFO" also lays out all the moving parts, spinning the tales of believers and non-believers alike and leaving you astonished at the topic's complexity. Moreover, clarity is gained from this in terms of understanding why no one has solved the mystery yet. You may find yourself believing in all the possibilities without resting your stance in any one side of the issue. For example, the arguments presented for UFOS being secret government technology is very strong in this series, but that is not without marveling at the arguments for extraterrestrial origins as well. Even though I was up to date with some of the material covered in "UFO", I was glued to the screen the whole time. Finally, you will encounter some of the more exotic UFO phenomena in this series (abductions, skinwalker ranch), but I'd advise you not to turn back from this roller coaster ride just because it has a few wild turns.

Finally a well made UFO documentary that doesn't jump to conclusions the way most History Channel documentaries do.

It's nice to see reporters, witnesses and politicians being interviewed instead of "UFO researchers" who are nothing more than writers trying to sell books.

This diced spaghetti salad could have been riveting, but leaving out pivotal details and voices in the UFO historical narrative weakens the arguments both for and against the phenomenon in exchange for exorbitant time spent on less significant details, but worst of all the chop suey structuring of the information in this scrambled eggs documentary makes for ADHD broken understanding that jumps from point C to point X to point L to point E to point R to point A, etc. Ever heard of a zig zag? Ever heard of a zig zag that u-turns and ties itself in knots? That's this series. Great music though...

Well produced, except I don't like CGI re-enactments. If you have the video, show me the video. The fact is, there is only so much real footage, and so they produce this dramatic "filler." Unfortunately, it is the wide availability of CGI tools that have led to the production of so many fake videos that populate YouTube.

I also wasn't all that pleased with dropping the whole "Skinwalker Ranch" controversy into the video. We are talking about UFO's, not ghosts. The only reason I didn't take more stars away is because the honorable Senator Reid was involved. I have complete trust in Senator Reid, and I know he would never waste taxpayer money. In fact, it is Senator Reid's involvement, and not just The NY Times, that lends the most credibility to this Documentary and the whole subject of UFOs.