MONSTROUS MOVIE REVIEW: Roswell (1994)
ROSWELL (also known as ROSWELL: THE UFO COVERUP) is a 1994 television film produced by Paul Davids based on a supposedly true story about the Roswell UFO incident, the alleged U.S. military capture of a flying saucer and its alien crew following a crash near the town of Roswell, New Mexico, in July 1947. Along with the Roswell crash, the film references prominent UFOlogy events such as Area 51, alien autopsies, the death of James Forrestal and Majestic-12. The script was based on the book UFO Crash at Roswell, by Kevin D. Randle and Donald R. Schmitt.
Beginning at a 30-year reunion for members of the 509th Operations Group, flashbacks are presented that follow the attempts of Major Jesse Marcel to discover the truth about strange debris found on a local rancher’s field in July 1947. Told by his superiors that what he has found is nothing more than a downed weather balloon, Marcel maintains his military duty until the weight of the truth, however out of this world it may be, forces him to piece together what really occurred.
This is a really well-done movie. The casting is phenomenal, and they all take their roles seriously. The pacing is excellent and for its time, the visual effects are amazing. I remember seeing this film when it first came out and at the time, being not sure how I felt about it. Upon a recent re-watch, I realized how good this movie really is.
Out of all of the UFO lore out there, the Roswell incident is one of the most compelling to me. Though some liberties are taken with the story, most of it seems spot on to what has been reported. You feel the frustration of Jesse Marcel, played by Kyle MacLachlan, as he tries to prove that what he saw was in fact what he believes he saw. At the time of the real event, Marcel was used as a scapegoat, presenting him as someone who didn’t know what a weather balloon was, even though he was exposed to them almost daily.
Whether or not you think this is a true story is up to you. Two things to think about though is that so many people came forward and reported the exact same thing. In addition to that, the military has been caught in one lie after another, as they change their explanation of what actually happened. If you are one of the few that knows nothing about this historical event, ROSWELL is a great way to introduce the story to you.
Though Showtime released this on DVD, it is a threadbare release. There are no extras whatsoever; all you get is the actual film. ROSWELL definitely needs a Blu-ray release with extras. I would love to hear what some of the actors thought of this event. Do they believe or was this just another job to them? If you would like to own a copy of this movie, just click HERE. If you would like to read UFO Crash at Roswell, the book that started it all, then just click HERE.
Make sure to check out all of my MONSTROUS MOVIE REVIEWS.
~David Albaugh
