"We are not alone" has become a cash-making phrase; how many people continue to make a mountain of money on the subject of UFOs and aliens? Mediums, alleged contactees, victims of alleged abductions who write books and sell them online, and, of course, film producers ready to adapt purported true stories for the big screen. E.T. is a money-making factory! As long as people keep questioning whether we are alone in the universe, the wallets of these speculators will always be full, and in so doing, we will never discover the truth; the more the fraudsters increase, the more this subject will be taken lightly. Once there were many more gullible people; today, however, with the technologies we have, we know it takes nothing to create a flying saucer or an alien, making it even look real! Just a simple Photoshop. 99% of the UFO/alien footage on the internet is FAKE! The 1% could depict something real, but it gets mixed with the fakes, creating confusion and chaos among experts. In this confusion, it is almost impossible to recognize what is real from what is fake.

What we do know is that the case of the lumberjack Travis Walton, a victim of an alleged alien abduction on November 5, 1975, remains one of the most controversial and still unexplained cases of abduction (close encounters of the fourth kind) in the history of ufology. It might seem like just another scam, a man claims to have been abducted by aliens, invents a little story about little green men, writes a book, and makes money; yet... many elements of this story still have mysteries to unravel today, given that the abduction happened right in front of his workmates! The interesting element is indeed the account of his friends, practically identical in every detail! Questioned separately and subjected to lie detector tests, the lumberjacks all told the same story. How could they all be so good at beating the lie detector? (which, okay, can be beaten, but it takes concentration skills, and these were mountain lumberjacks, not Hollywood actors) furthermore, established doctors confirmed that Travis's symptoms when found were real, including disorientation, hallucinations, panic attacks, NOT due to any type of drug. A very strange case that could not go unnoticed by the film industry.

"Fire in the Sky" is a 1993 movie based on the story of this abduction, although, by Travis Walton's own admission, for scene requirements, some parts of the film differ from the original account, especially regarding the scenes on board the spaceship, here of course spectacularized by typical American virtuosity. Regarding the lumberjacks' story, the original events are told.

The first part of the film focuses on the panic of the lumberjacks, fleeing from the woods after their colleague's abduction. A brilliant Robert Patrick joined by equally good actors play Walton's friends, shocked by the event and obviously not believed by the locals and authorities. Initially taken for drug addicts, then suspected of murder, yet they all perfectly recount having seen the exact same thing; hence they are subjected to lie detector tests, with positive results for all the guys... they seem to be telling the truth! These events are shown with a documentary aspect, based mainly on dialogue and the skill of the actors, especially the aforementioned Robert Patrick (two years after playing the iconic T-1000 in T2). The direction isn't all that great, but it's all based on emotional crescendo and an aura of mystery. Those unfamiliar with the original story might think they're watching a common thriller expecting the plot twist that the lumberjacks chopped up their friend and invented a story about the UFO. The film's tension increases significantly after Travis is found in a gas station, naked, confused, and panicked; from here on the viewer is literally glued to their seat, curious to know what the hell happened to this poor unfortunate. What the audience expects from here on is a simple account... small flashbacks, regressive hypnosis to make Walton talk... no one would ever have expected what happens in the last 15 minutes! From a common documentary film, one suddenly finds themselves facing pure terror! The film suddenly veers into horror, offering one of the most chilling endings in cinema history! Forget "The Ring" and similar nonsense.

Travis, in panic during a party, positions himself under a table, accidentally hitting a jelly on the table, and is struck by strong convulsions that mentally bring him back to what happened. From here the film transforms, the direction changes style, everything is different from what we have seen just a moment before... the psychological component of the story drags the viewer into total fear. Travis waking up on the alien spaceship is nothing short of terrifying! Surrounded by gelatinous slime in some kind of capsule, he manages to free himself and flee by floating in zero gravity, the environment is cold, gloomy, nothing short of frightening, and our poor unfortunate suddenly ends up TORTURED by aliens on an operating table! The realism with which this scene is shot is unnerving, the coldness of the aliens is terrifying, and I challenge anyone to remain impassive in front of this sequence, especially considering this could really have happened! (or could happen to any of us).

We will never know if Travis Walton was a victim of an alien abduction or a brilliant fraudster, what we do know is that these controversial events should not be underestimated. "Fire in the Sky" is one of those "based on a true story" films that have been more successful. To be watched again at night, outdoors, under a starry sky!!!

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