I enjoy sci-fi films, especially those that tap into extraterrestrial concepts, such as movies about aliens. Some of my favorite movies growing up were E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, offering a sort of emotional wonderment I haven’t felt much again. While UFO-based movies of the 21st century, like Arrival, have offered some gripping, emotional stories, they haven’t really been able to capture the whimsy and wonderment I felt watching the aforementioned ’70s and ’80s movies. However, Watch the Skies

managed to revitalize those feelings for me thanks to the fun yet emotional story it tells.

The movie follows rebellious teenage girl Denise (Inez Dahl Torhaug) in 1990s Sweden. Growing up in the foster system after the disappearance of her UFO-hunting father, a surprising event in her town makes her determined to find out the truth about what really happened to him. This leads her to discover UFO Sweden, a group of investigators who worked with her father on the fateful night he vanished. Armed with limited knowledge, the team decides to find out what happened to Denise’s dad, while uncovering an even bigger mystery in the process.

Watch The Skies Has Fun Characters & A Wildly Entertaining Storyline

The Movie Stands Apart From Other UFO Stories

The standout element of Watch the Skies is its interesting characters, all of whom offer a unique perspective on both the investigation at hand, alongside the way they all approach Ufology differently. It reminded me of the cast of Stranger Things to some extent, relying on ’80s nostalgia by throwing back to family-friendly adventure films of the time. Torhaug’s Denise is, of course, a major standout, offering a youthful perspective that adds uniqueness to the investigation. She’s an active character, despite not being as knowledgeable about UFOs as everyone else.

However, the biggest emotional journey comes from her connection to Lennert (Jesper Barkselius), her father’s old friend who had a major falling out with him before his disappearance. He also knew Denise in her youth, making their budding friendship a major element of the story. Their strong personalities balance out alongside the rest of the team, with the pair bouncing well off one another thanks to standout performances. The same can be said for everyone else in the film, from the rest of UFO Sweden to the surrounding characters who become embroiled in their investigation.

The storyline itself is just as entertaining, bolstered by the characters involved. There are many familiar tropes from ’80s sci-fi movies, pulling from both alien films and non-alien films alike in its inspiration. As the mystery unfolds, new elements reveal a less typical take on UFO stories, offering some unpredictable developments that help the film stand on its own. It’s these ideas, which I won’t spoil here, that make the movie distinctive, elevating it beyond being just a tribute to past alien movies.

Watch The Skies Is Dragged Down By Its Most Unique Aspect

The Movie’s Highly-Touted Attribute Is Also Its Most Noticeable Issue

However, there is one element of Watch the Skies that didn’t mesh with me, even though it was a highly touted element of the film. While watching, I noticed that many of the performances, while strong, were undercut by odd dialogue delivery. It wasn’t until near the end of the first act that I started to realize the movie was, in fact, dubbed (and, to the movie’s credit, it took me longer than usual to figure it out). I later learned this was done using the actors’ voices and AI, crafted to create a more immersive dubbing experience.

On the surface, this idea is an impressive way to utilize AI, keeping the original actors’ voices in all renditions of the movie. But, in practice, the dubbing feels like a typical, middle-of-the-road dub. The voices don’t always feel like they match the characters, and some of the line delivery is off-kilter, with tones that don’t necessarily match the scenes being portrayed. Had the movie been in its original language, the presentation would have allowed the performances to flow more naturally; instead, the English vocals feel like they’ve stripped away an important part of the original.

Be that as it may, Watch the Skies still provides a fun story with compellingly quirky characters. While the AI dubbing wasn’t to my liking, anyone who’s used to watching English-dubbed movies and TV shows probably won’t notice it. It was glaring enough that it did make some scenes feel less effective, but it didn’t dilute the overarching ideas and adventurous mystery the film presents. It’s a worthwhile, nostalgic UFO movie with plenty of interesting ideas that made it a strong, impressively pᴀssionate watch.

Watch the Skies arrives in theaters on May 9, 2025.