Watch the Skies is a Swedish sci-fi fantasy/adventure film inspired by a real life organization known as UFO Sweden, established in 1970, by a small group of rogue misfit investigators determined to answer the question of Are We Alone in the Universe? The film opens in 1988. UFO Sweden founder Uno (Oscar Töringe) and scientist Lennart Svahn (Jesper Barkselius), who works for SMHI (Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute) have been tracking weather anomalies and measuring fluctuations in magnetic fields, looking at how this information correlates with reported UFO sightings. They believe that satellite reports dating back to the 1960s may be able to prove their theories. Lennart breaks into the SMHI data center to “borrow” the reports. But after he steals the data, the cops arrive and Lennart is left to take the blame, fired and discredited by boss Kicki (Eva Melander). Shortly afterwards, Uno mysteriously disappears in the mountains while tracking a UFO.

It’s now 1996, and 16-year-old Denise (Inez Dahl Torhaug), who was put into foster care when her father disappeared, has never given up hope of finding her dad. While most assume that Uno is dead, Denise believes he was abducted by aliens, and is determined to prove it. She’s become quite rebellious like her father, and a bit of a hacker. After her father’s car drops from the sky into a barn, Denise believes she has finally found proof of what happened to Uno, and once again believes SMHI is trying to cover up the data that proves it. So she contacts UFO Sweden for help. Lennart is now the chairman, and is joined by secretary Karl Tefat (Niklas Kvarnbo Jönsson), attester Töna (Isabelle Kyed), treasurer Gunnar (Håkan Ehn), and Mats (Mathias Lithner). However, the organization is a shell of what it once was. They had started this group to explore the unknown and search for the truth, but they’ve lost their way since Uno disappeared, becoming more of just a social gathering. UFO Sweden no longer takes risks, relying less on gut and instinct, and more on proof. But Denise’s determination to prove her father was kidnapped by aliens will take them on a wild ride that may just rekindle that old adventurous spirit within the members. Looking to take down the organization once and for all is SMHI director Kicki, who has enlisted the help of local cop Tomi (Sara Shirpey)—who previously had a relationship with Uno and has a bit of a soft spot and blinders when it comes to Denise—and an inside man who will try to discredit the club.

Watch the Skies was originally released in the Swedish language as UFO Sweden in 2022. Now it has been “visually dubbed” using advanced A.I. technology to present the film in English. This involves not just changing the majority of on-screen text into English, but also utilizing a new English audio track provided by the original cast, and AI to alter the picture to make the mouths of the characters line up properly to this new audio. This English dub looks and sounds very natural—I think most folks would never even know this was originally a Swedish film if it wasn’t for a couple signs remaining in Swedish and the word “Polis” on Tomi’s cop uniform. As someone who prefers English dubs over having to concentrate on reading the bottom third of the screen, this is an amazing gamechanger. I really appreciated this new approach, and hope more foreign films are released like this in the future. This technology will certainly help more foreign films reach a wider audience by tearing down two of the major barriers people have with foreign-language films—subtitles or out-of-sync audio.—and eliminates the excuse for needless US-remakes of foreign films!

Watch the Skies feels a bit inspired by Stranger Things, not just in its very similar score, but also in the fun 80s/90s supernatural adventure tone. The film takes lots of interesting twists and turns, and keeps you guessing as to whether this whole thing is all in Denise’s mind, or if her father really was abducted by aliens. The UFO Sweden team if filled with some entertaining, quirky characters, and its fun to see how Denise is able to rekindle that adventurous spirit in them. At the same time, there’s also this sense of danger—will the cops stop and discredit the UFO Sweden team before they have a chance to prove their theories?!

Decal Releasing has released Watch The Skies on Blu-ray and digital. We were sent the Blu-ray for review, and the video presentation looks amazing, with a sharp, clean picture, natural-looking colors, and an excellent level of detail throughout. I can’t imagine this looking much better. The English dialogue dub performance feels natural and well-acted, and perfectly lines up with the lips of the characters. The film’s score and soundtrack d an excellent job of evoking the era, and the surround and stereo channels are well-utilized to give a really immersive ambiance throughout.

The Blu-ray disc offers a small but entertaining selection of bonus material, including the film’s trailer, a discussion/look at Flawless’ “visual dubbing” technology, a short look at the inspiration for the film, and the option to watch the film in its original Swedish language, without the AI enhancements. The disc is packed in a standard HD keepcase, and our review copy did not include any slipcover.

What’s Included:

Film (1:56:35):

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

• Watch the Skies (Swedish Language) (1:56:36)
  Watch the film in its original Swedish language track, without AI enhancements to alter the mouths or change text on newspapers into English. Includes forced English subtitles.
• Trailer (2:22)
• Filmmaker Testimonial (2:54)
  Producers Albin Pettersson & Olle Tholén, writer/director Victor Danell, stars Inez Dahl Torhaug (“Denise”) & Jesper Barkselius (“Lennart Svahn”) and Flawless co-founder/CEO Scott Mann talk about the game-changing “visual dubbing” technology that allowed them to reach a much wider audience by creating an English language version of the film. Includes some behind-the-scenes footage.
• Flawless Sizzle Reel (1:44)
  Features footage from 6 films deploying Flawless’ vubbing technology.
• The Real UFO Sweden: A Look at The Group Who Inspired the Film (2:26)
  The filmmakers and others discuss the original documentary “Ghost Rockets” and the UFO Sweden organization that inspired the film. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with Vice Chairman UFO Sweden Clas Svahn, producer Albin Pettersson (Crazy Pictures), writer/director Victor Danell, Co-Founder AFU Anders Liljegren, and actor Jesper Barkselius. Presented in Swedish with hard-coded English subtitles.

Final Thoughts:

Watch the Skies is a fun film that feels like a bit of a throwback to the adventurous sci-fi films and TV shows of the 80s/90s. It is also a bit of a technical marvel, showcasing how foreign films can be properly made available to English-speaking audiences without the need for subtitles or frustratingly out-of-sync dubbed audio. Decal’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds amazing, and includes a small but entertaining assortment of bonus material. This is worth a look for sci-fi fans.