Watch the Skies Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Watch the Skies Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 9, 2025

Co-writer/director Victor Danell is part of a filmmaking collective known as “Crazy Pictures.” “Watch the Skies” is their second feature (after 2018’s “The Unthinkable”), with Danell (and co-writer Jimmy Nivren Olsson) attempting to launch an alien conspiracy thriller for a family audience, going a bit softer with the material’s depiction of paranoia and pursuit. Released in Sweden three years ago, “Watch the Skies” attempts to crack the North American market with its presentation of emotional wounds and physical endangerment, using a special A.I. program to help match lips to the English dub, hoping to attract more than the usual specialty cinema crowd. It’s a lively endeavor, and one that benefits greatly from its engaged acting, which lifts an occasionally familiar screenplay that’s often trying to replicate the Spielberg Experience without a truly inspired story.

In 1988, UFO Sweden is a “rogue group” hunting for evidence of extraterrestrial life. One of their members, Lennart (Jesper Barkselius), is an employee at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, working to find important information for UFO Sweden, only to be caught with his fellow members, including Gunnar (Hakan Ehn), while Uno (Oscar Toringe) manages to disappear during the hunt. Years later, Uno’s daughter, Denise (Inez Dahl Torhaug), has grown up to be a hacker, remaining interested in her father’s disappearance, much to the concern of local cop Tomi (Sara Shirpey). When Uno’s car is suddenly dropped into a local barn late one night, Denise snaps to attention, determined to prove the vehicle’s reappearance is part of an alien presence in the area. Winning over Lennart, Denise joins the remaining players in UFO Sweden, giving them a youthful burst of investigative energy while Gunnar remains a skeptic, refusing to go along with the mission, which once again brings the team to SMHI, putting employee Kicki (Eva Melander) on the move to stop them.

UFO Sweden is dedicated to the pursuit of a simple question: are we alone? For Uno, such a mystery has consumed his life, bringing Denise along on his journeys, and also his plans, including an introductory infiltration of SMHI headquarters. The sequence sets up the passion of the group and the urgency of evidence, exposing Lennart’s membership, while Gunnar takes a bullet to the leg during the escape. A time jump highlights changes in Denise, who grows into a rebellious young woman in possession of amazing computer skills. She’s a familiar movie brat with a tricked-out Game Boy, but the writing keeps her an appealingly curious character trying to make sense of family life that was taken from her after Uno disappeared. This hunger for answers drives the plot of “Watch the Skies,” which kicks into motion with the sudden appearance of Uno’s car in a barn, still playing “Forever Young” by Alphaville, as it was on the day he said goodbye to his daughter.

“Watch the Skies” connects as pure entertainment during time with Denise, who’s facing concern from Tomi, a police officer who’d love to see UFO Sweden shut down. Lennart refuses to entertain the teen’s ideas, only to break down after years of procedural steeliness, giving in to the belief that something strange happened to Uno, and the answers may still be on Earth. Conflict is contagious in “Watch the Skies,” putting Gunnar on the defense as he refuses to trust Denise, urging the rest of UFO Sweden to ignore her claims. And there’s Kicki, who’s part of the SMHI machine, out to stop the gang as they attempt to access hard drives, believing the organization knows exactly what’s going on. There’s some “X-Files” in the mix, but Danell is mostly working with momentum as discoveries are made, inspiring a few chases and heated confrontations as theories threaten to become reality.

Watch the Skies Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The image presentation (2.39:1 aspect ratio) for "Watch the Skies" handles skin particulars well, offering textured examinations of the characters and their different ages and states of distress. Costuming remains decently fibrous. Interiors maintain acceptable dimension, exploring decorative additions, including plenty of paperwork and postings with UFO Sweden. Exteriors manage some depth. Color maintains some vibrancy, exploring specific lighting choices and the glowing reds and oranges of otherworldly activity. Costuming delivers crisp primaries, and skin tones are natural. Delineation is acceptable. Compression issues are a common sight during the viewing experience, with banding repeatedly flaring up. Posterization is also present.

Watch the Skies Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix provides clear dialogue exchanges, working with English dubbing that secures crisp performance choices. Scoring supports with sharp instrumentation and decent dramatic emphasis, and musical moods carry into the surrounds for more immersive moments. Soundtrack selections are defined. Atmospherics explore group activity and outdoor experiences, and sound effects are a bit more urgent as actions intensifies, providing brief panning and separation effects. Low-end handles the weight of violent actions and celestial events.

Watch the Skies Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Swedish-Language Version of "Watch the Skies" is offered.

• "Filmmaker Testimonial" (2:54, HD) is a promotional piece featuring writer/director Victor Daniel, producer Olle Tholen, and producer Albin Pettersson, who claims the Swedish language is a "barrier" when trying to bring "Watch the Skies" to a global audience. Enter Flawless, a company capable of using A.I. technology to change lip movements, creating a more realistic looking English-language presentation. Time is also spent inside a recording booth, where actors Jesper Barkselius and Inez Dahl Torhaug work on their English performances, sharing their excitement over the creative challenge. Flawless CEO Scott Mann pops up as well, present at the feature's first test screening in America, where audience members share their enthusiasm for this new technology.

• "Flawless Sizzle Reel" (1:44, HD) is a commercial for the A.I. company, who look to celebrate their facial manipulation achievements on five features: "Tatami," "Vincent Must Die," Michel Gondry's "The Book of Solutions," Tom Tykwer's "The Light," and "Smugglers."

• "The Real UFO Sweden: A Look at the Group Who Inspired the Film" (2:26, HD) is a brief examination of the organization and its members, including Vice President Clas Svahn, who shares a passion for discovering just what's out there beyond the stars. Producers Olle Tholen and Albin Pettersson explore their introduction to UFO Sweden, catching the team in a documentary, which led the inspiration for "Watch the Skies." Cameras are permitted inside headquarters, which is home to the "largest UFO archive," putting members to work sharing their findings with a tour group. And actor Jesper Barkselius provides his thoughts on portraying a member of the unit, erasing his preconceived notions about UFO Sweden.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:22, HD) is included.

Watch the Skies Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Watch the Skies" deals with the usual in abandonment and trust issues, and the writing goes big with personalities to help the heroic nature of the quest, creating a few audience-pleasing moments. It's all sold with style, helping to overcome some lethargic writing, and the movie contains engaging performances that sustain exciting discoveries and touch on emotional wounds. The A.I.-driven effort to soften the awkwardness of dubbing doesn't bring much to "Watch the Skies," as it remains a Swedish film, now with slightly better lip matching. The picture is strong enough to engage without such technology, finding most of the issues facing the endeavor dramatic, not language based.