The truth is out there.
Well, that’s at least what The X Files‘ Fox Mulder and Dana Scully told us back in the day. Now, there’s a new sci-fi film on the block that claims the same thing. Created by the Swedish collective known as Crazy Pictures, Watch the Skies is about how we’re not alone in this universe – but it’s also a comfort watch, encapsulating an era of filmmaking that’s long gone. It’s about a time when people believed a boy could peddle his bicycle into the air to save his alien friend. It’s Steven Spielberg and Stranger Things all wrapped into one cozy heartwarmer.
Watch the Skies takes place in 1996, following the story of teenager Denise (Inez Dahl Torhaug) who discovers evidence that her father, Uno (Oscar Töringe), didn’t just go missing years prior – he was abducted by aliens. In the past, Uno had been involved with the renegade organization UFO Sweden, as they searched for extraterrestrial life and uncovered government secrets about aliens. Now, Denise must approach UFO Sweden, hoping that her father’s former friends will help her find out the truth – and perhaps her missing father too. Not everyone wants them to succeed in their objective, though.
In Watch the Skies, the people who believe in aliens are seen as the outsiders – the weirdos. You know, like the Hawkins gang from Stranger Things. As smart as Denise is, she doesn’t have many friends. The same is true about UFO Sweden, as most people tend to view them as the kooky alien hunters who believe in conspiracy theories. Yet, when Denise comes into contact with UFO Sweden, this is where she finds her place and her people. They work together to find out what exactly happened to Uno, but they find something more important along the way: community.
Crazy Pictures
For Denise, it’s clear that the disappearance of her father weighs heavily on her. She feels isolated and misunderstood by this world, struggling to relate to others, and her character arc runs parallel to the story’s big question: are we alone? Ultimately, she receives the answer in the form of the new family she makes.
Stranger Things features a similar ongoing theme. Despite the group facing off against Demogorgon or Vecna, the series is about friendship and family. It’s all about how these bonds are the most special joys that life can offer. And Watch the Skies concurs.
Right now, the world has an AI problem. People are relying on ChatGPT to tell them how many times they should breathe per minute, and this is all looking like Skynet 1.0 in the making. Hollywood hasn’t been immune to it either, as those fat cats at the top look at ways to cut creatives out of the picture, make movies for cheaper, and stuff more profits in their bursting pockets. So, when reports said that Watch the Skies used AI, eyes rolled.
Yet, this film actually used artificial intelligence in an ethical and innovative way – essentially, how it should be utilized rather than as a means to get robots to make art. Watch the Skies was originally filmed in its native Swedish language under the name of UFO Sweden. Instead of just slapping a dub into the language-switching options, Crazy Pictures brought back the original cast to do their lines in English, then utilized AI to digitally manipulate their lips to match the new dub. Check out how it was done here. The result: a film that doesn’t look like a dub at all – nor did it put anyone out of work. Imagine that. Also, Watch the Skies doesn’t negate the existence of UFO Sweden; this version just expands the potential global reach of the film.
The future of cinema looks like a blurry haze in the distance. With algorithms and data driving creativity rather than emotion and heart, it’s a bleak state of affairs. All is not lost, though. Every so often, a comet soars past, blistering past the bland and mediocre – but if you blink, you miss it. In this case, it’s the bright-burning Watch the Skies that asks you to believe in the unbelievable. Evidently, Crazy Pictures learned all the right lessons from filmmakers like Spielberg, Zemeckis, and Lucas, focusing on stories that transcend plot and touch the soul. In the end, this film might not change the world, but it’ll change your day for the better.
Watch the Skies lands in theaters on May 9.
Well, that’s at least what The X Files‘ Fox Mulder and Dana Scully told us back in the day. Now, there’s a new sci-fi film on the block that claims the same thing. Created by the Swedish collective known as Crazy Pictures, Watch the Skies is about how we’re not alone in this universe – but it’s also a comfort watch, encapsulating an era of filmmaking that’s long gone. It’s about a time when people believed a boy could peddle his bicycle into the air to save his alien friend. It’s Steven Spielberg and Stranger Things all wrapped into one cozy heartwarmer.
Watch the Skies takes place in 1996, following the story of teenager Denise (Inez Dahl Torhaug) who discovers evidence that her father, Uno (Oscar Töringe), didn’t just go missing years prior – he was abducted by aliens. In the past, Uno had been involved with the renegade organization UFO Sweden, as they searched for extraterrestrial life and uncovered government secrets about aliens. Now, Denise must approach UFO Sweden, hoping that her father’s former friends will help her find out the truth – and perhaps her missing father too. Not everyone wants them to succeed in their objective, though.
‘Watch the Skies’ is for the rebels and outsiders
In Watch the Skies, the people who believe in aliens are seen as the outsiders – the weirdos. You know, like the Hawkins gang from Stranger Things. As smart as Denise is, she doesn’t have many friends. The same is true about UFO Sweden, as most people tend to view them as the kooky alien hunters who believe in conspiracy theories. Yet, when Denise comes into contact with UFO Sweden, this is where she finds her place and her people. They work together to find out what exactly happened to Uno, but they find something more important along the way: community.
Crazy Pictures
For Denise, it’s clear that the disappearance of her father weighs heavily on her. She feels isolated and misunderstood by this world, struggling to relate to others, and her character arc runs parallel to the story’s big question: are we alone? Ultimately, she receives the answer in the form of the new family she makes.
Stranger Things features a similar ongoing theme. Despite the group facing off against Demogorgon or Vecna, the series is about friendship and family. It’s all about how these bonds are the most special joys that life can offer. And Watch the Skies concurs.
The film uses AI in the good way – yes, really
Right now, the world has an AI problem. People are relying on ChatGPT to tell them how many times they should breathe per minute, and this is all looking like Skynet 1.0 in the making. Hollywood hasn’t been immune to it either, as those fat cats at the top look at ways to cut creatives out of the picture, make movies for cheaper, and stuff more profits in their bursting pockets. So, when reports said that Watch the Skies used AI, eyes rolled.
Yet, this film actually used artificial intelligence in an ethical and innovative way – essentially, how it should be utilized rather than as a means to get robots to make art. Watch the Skies was originally filmed in its native Swedish language under the name of UFO Sweden. Instead of just slapping a dub into the language-switching options, Crazy Pictures brought back the original cast to do their lines in English, then utilized AI to digitally manipulate their lips to match the new dub. Check out how it was done here. The result: a film that doesn’t look like a dub at all – nor did it put anyone out of work. Imagine that. Also, Watch the Skies doesn’t negate the existence of UFO Sweden; this version just expands the potential global reach of the film.
Keep your eyes to the sky
The future of cinema looks like a blurry haze in the distance. With algorithms and data driving creativity rather than emotion and heart, it’s a bleak state of affairs. All is not lost, though. Every so often, a comet soars past, blistering past the bland and mediocre – but if you blink, you miss it. In this case, it’s the bright-burning Watch the Skies that asks you to believe in the unbelievable. Evidently, Crazy Pictures learned all the right lessons from filmmakers like Spielberg, Zemeckis, and Lucas, focusing on stories that transcend plot and touch the soul. In the end, this film might not change the world, but it’ll change your day for the better.
Watch the Skies lands in theaters on May 9.