One of the most famous UFO sightings in American history occurred on March 13, 1997, when thousands of people saw mysterious lights in the skies above Phoenix, Arizona, which seemed to move in formation (and yet, apart). The “Phoenix Lights” phenomenon has never been believably explained, and remains a benchmark event to UFO believers. A new movie, Phoenix Forgotten, posits that three teenagers went into the Arizona desert soon afterward, looking for evidence, and never returned.
Justin Barber’s film is a “found footage” film, in the style of Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield. This type of filming is cheap, easy to photograph and edit, and has the benefit of personalizing any story which utilizes it. In this case, the camera belongs to Josh Bishop (Luke Spencer Roberts), who is rarely seen because he is too busy filming everything. Josh persuades pretty Ashley Foster (Chelsea Lopez) and hunky friend with a vehicle Mark Abrams (Justin Matthews) to go out into the desert after they see the Phoenix Lights. Years after they disappear, Josh’s sister Sophie (Florence Hartigan) tracks down Josh’s missing tape, showing the fate of the three teenagers.
On the plus side, this is a fascinating (fictional) story. Were I of a similar age at that time and had seen the Phoenix Lights, I might easily have been persuaded to make a desert journey looking for clues. But I would not have stayed out so late, forced to look for the car in the dark, in the midst of unexplained (and unexplainable) rushes of wind, roaring noise and blinding light (not to mention the burned animal bodies). It would have been a cool adventure — during the day. But once the sun sets these teens fall prey to the common cinematic rule that they make all kind of bad decisions and stupid mistakes. That, of course, is what makes a movie.
On the minus side, it is wholly unbelievable that the “lost” tape even exists, much less is found, and then given to Sophie. Logic dictates that it would have been seen, turned over to the authorities and locked away forever long before Sophie ever asked about it. Sophie’s attempt to find out more about her brother’s disappearance — on tape, yet — also rings pretty hollow. And the film’s final explanation of how the teens disappeared is less than satisfying.
Barber’s film nicely mixes actual news reports of the time into the narrative, including footage of Arizona’s governor first making fun of the sighting, then years later admitting that he saw it and doesn’t know how to explain it. If one likes the “found footage” format, then the film is probably of interest. Otherwise, this could be an exercise in tedium. I appreciate the effort, and I like the way the trio of teens blithely drive into the desert to face the unknown. But even I found all the hand-held photography more distracting than revealing. Nice try. ☆ ☆. 30 April 2017.