Ariel Phenomenon

This movie has everything and anything you need to start believing in this topic. This is not just a bunch of clips put together but indeed a human account of a event that shocked so many. It takes you to the kids being interviewed in all age groups. To the aftermath of the kids grown up and recalling the events with the maturity and wisdom of their own. To see the BBC reporter admit he was overwhelmed and shaken from this event to the facial expressions of the kids will keep your mind captivated to the end. This movie is passed well and the edits keep the story on a human level. At the end of the story you will want to rewatch it again. Finally I will say having 64 to 70 kids tell a story of such a life changing event and anyone who knows kids and young adults truly knows they are telling the truth. Five ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars.

The events, witnesses, archival footage work is really extensive but unfortunately all of this effort suffers a lot from poor editing work. 1h and 40 minutes long that could have easily been 30 minutes long instead and become an extremely compelling documentary. The layout of the facts is way too scattered, the focus of the narrative is all over the place often going on tangents that don't really feel relevant or necessary.

The Phenomenon documentary (Directed by James Fox) covers all of the relevant parts of this same event in its last 10 minutes and does a fantastic job at it.

7 of 10 because of the extensive archival work done but again, from a documetaristic point of view it really needed more triage done in my opinion.

Parts of this film are quite old so hopefully things have changed by now, but Harvard really gave Dr. Mack a hard time which I had not known about. As someone in the doc says, you can believe in God and angels etc., at Harvard, but not in ET life.

The other disturbing part was how the very religious parents of one of the girls (Emily Trim), reacted to the incident. I've always suspected that religious people would have their worlds rocked by an ET encounter but this proved just how much it upset them because they wouldn't even let their kids talk about it and they moved back to Canada as soon as it happened (they had been sent to Africa by the Salvation Army to do religious work). Although perhaps not all religions are as closed-minded because in 1959, Father William B. Gill, an Anglican missionary, saw a space ship in Papua New Guinea and he didn't seem freaked out at all.

But it's a good doc even if you know the story and have seen clips of the kids before. It would have been nice if more of the former students could have been in it as adults now because I think those were the best parts. But it's definitely a good watch if you're a UFO buff.

I've been a lurking member of IMDB since, almost, its inception on the Internet as we know it today.

I've never been compelled to write a review of a film until now.

For centuries, people have been experiencing things all over the map of what we, traditionally, would conceive as outside of known reality.

What body or institution defines and catalogues our perceived worldviews or reality?

I'm perfectly happy embracing the unknowns of our universe and existence. I wake up every day looking forward to having more questions.

The awesomeness and wonder of it all is what drives me.

This film screams that sentiment.

Try to be a blessing to your self and everyone else around you.

Waited a very long time to see this film and it did not disappoint. This is the most intriguing and believable alien encounter story that exists. I remain an open minded skeptic, but the one thing this movie makes crystal clear- the kids did not invent this story and they fully believe what they experienced even into adulthood. It is very difficult for me to imagine someone staging a hoax where a nearly silent disc shaped craft flies across the sky in a blaze of bright light and lands, with 4 foot tall large eyed beings getting out and walking around. I have so far not seen even a lazy attempt at explaining how someone could fake that, especially in rural Zimbabwe. So I certainly lean towards the incredible yet simple explanation that fits the descrIptions - a flying effing saucer landed in a playground, and aliens interacted with children. Before you think that's crazy, listen to the children (now adults). Watch the film. See what you think. I haven't heard a believable alternative explanation, but I would like to see someone give it their best shot.