Unidentified (2006)

What is the real purpose behind UFOs? How does that work into a Christian fundamentalist view of the Bible and Jesus? Those are the questions asked and answered in the Christian film Unidentified. The story starts out with varying people in a small Texas town who see a UFO. Two reporters for a non-tabloid, bipartisan magazine visit the town to investigate. As it turns out, one reporter is an atheist, the other a part-time Christian.

As the story unfolds, as the experiences of the abductees are relayed and as more sightings occur, the reporters each pursue opposite sides of the story. The part-time Christian investigates to determine if the events are real and the atheist investigates to see if the UFO phenomenon is all a clever ruse used by others to make money. The story concludes with both sides being explained, but with the UFO sightings identified as a deception by demons and Satan to pull people away from Christ as the rapture approaches.

The overall concept and potential of Unidentified are exciting, unfortunately the implementation of the story plays out like a TV movie of the week. There's a lot of talking, and I mean a lot, with almost no visualization or cinematic imagery at all. Explanations are told instead of shown, which makes for an uninteresting film experience.

Plus, the effect of the film would have been far greater had it come out ten years ago, before 9/11, when shows like the X-Files and numerous Roswell, Texas books were so popular. Now, in a post-9/11 world, we're too focused on the real dramas in the war on terror to put much emotional weight into UFO sightings.

I've enjoyed the work of Rich Christiano and these filmmakers before (Time Changer), but, even though Unidentified has its heart in the right place it unfortunately it misses the mark.