THE SKIES SOAR
Movie Review – Watch the Skies
Review by Ray Schillaci
Swedish writer/director Victor Danell and co-writer Jimmy Nivrén Olsson deliver an extraterrestrial event with Watch The Skies, reminiscent of the nostalgic magic of a young Spielberg crossed with a light touch of Stranger Things. The most remarkable part about this movie is that it’s a foreign film that, with the help of a company called Flawless, has made it accessible to the U.S. market by seamlessly dubbing and A.I.-generating the mouth and some facial movements of the actors, delivering an American shift that has become easily translatable and slightly different than the original film, entitled UFO Sweden.
Other than the locations and the accents, audiences here at home will not be able to tell the difference thus making Watch The Skies all the more accessible to America’s viewers. Aside from that, the filmmakers have brought to our shores a film that is best seen on the big screen. I’m not talking about the 75” in your living room. This film benefits from a communal experience accompanied by the recent theatrical visuals and sound that have been provided by high tech theater chains.
Here is a family film that has not been dumbed down. The filmmakers place us in the throes of characters with so much heart we cannot help but cheer them on as they venture towards a perilous journey led by one determined young girl who’s father may or may not have been abducted (by either extraterrestrials or the government…for nefarious reasons). The mystery races through with excitement, good humor and spectacle.
As a young child, Denise tagged along with her father on the elusive hunt for proof of the existence of UFOs along with a small odd ball team of enthusiasts that have formed a club. At one point her father decides to go it alone in a certain region of the forest for the safety of his daughter. From there he goes missing and we fast forward to many years later as Denise is now a troubled teenager.
She has mapped out her goal of finding her father for years. Finally, achieving a breakthrough, she seeks the help of her father’s former UFO club. My, have they aged and gotten even quirkier. Some may compare them to a grown up version of Spielberg/Donner’s Goonies. At first, they are leery of Denise since they felt abandoned by her father who they felt went far too much on the fringe side of things. This is coming from a small group of eccentric conspiracy theorists, who dabbled in federal crimes to chase their pursuit of the unknown.
Eventually, she is able to win some of them over to join her and they embark on an adventure that captures the attention of a covert government operation. Writer/director Danell and his writing partner, Olsson, present an exciting and unique experience that may have hints of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Jordan Peele’s Nope, but their film takes an unexpected approach that has us thinking about the story long after it is over. Their film feels refreshingly different and will have hearts racing as Denise’s passion leads everyone through a harrowing conclusion.
Danell and Olsson’s combined effort has turned this into an event film in more ways than one, Not only for it’s excellent storytelling, but for the advancement in technology that so many have questioned in the industry. A.I. has been the big bugaboo buzz word to many creative artists in the film community, but Flawless, the company that has made this movie more accessible than ever, believes it can be a tool that widens the audience for many films. Their goal is not to replace actors or take jobs away in the motion picture and television business, but to enhance the film’s viewing capability.
Either way, Watch The Skies is a historical film for the ages with its technology that takes a foreign film and near seamlessly translates it to English (or Swenglish as the Swedes like to say). General audiences will be unable to tell that the film is dubbed. This is great for those who dismiss films with subtitles.
Although, there is the question if they would do this with older foreign films. It’s doubtful since the process takes time and money. Besides, what truly enhances this technology is the original actors themselves that were used to dub their own voices. All the more reason to witness this enjoyable experience that delivers a punch not just by technology alone, but by wonderful storytelling, craftsmanlike production and engaging actors that capture our hearts.
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Directed by: Victor Danell
Release Date: May 9, 2025 (original Swedish release date – December 25, 2022)
Run Time: 115 Minutes
Rated: PG-13
Country: Sweden
Distributor: XYZ Films
