Fire in the Sky poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

D.B. Sweeney, Robert Patrick, Craig Sheffer, Peter Berg, James Garner ... see more see more... , Henry Thomas , Bradley Gregg , Noble Willingham , Kathleen Wilhoite , Georgia Emelin , Scott Macdonald , Wayne Grace , Gordon Scott , Julie Ariola , Jerry Basham , Robert Covarrubias , Jane Ferguson , Glen Lee , Kenneth White , Charley Lang , Peter Mark Vasquez , Richard Pagano , Debi Manwiller , Sharon Bialy , Bruce Wright

One of the most famous real-life UFO abduction cases on record becomes this character-driven drama from sci-fi screenwriter Tracy Torme. D.B. Sweeney stars as Travis Walton, a forestry worker who disa... read more read more...ppears one night during an encounter with a flying saucer. Authorities treat with skepticism the outrageous story related by the only witnesses to the event, Travis' five co-workers, who include his best friend and future brother-in-law, Mike Rogers (Robert Patrick). A state lawman (James Garner) finds a tabloid newspaper in the crew's pickup truck and quickly ascertains that tensions had arisen between Walton and a surly fellow logger (Craig Sheffer), leading him to conclude that a murder cover-up is underway. However, all of the men pass lie detector tests and the case becomes stalled until the shocking last-minute reappearance of Travis, who tells a literally fantastic story involving his whereabouts for the past week. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Flixster Users

55% liked it

19,463 ratings

Critics

33% liked it

15 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Robert Lieberman

Release Date: March 12, 1993

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: October 19, 2004

Get It:

Stats: 862 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Fire in the Sky fire in the sky fire in the sky fire in the sky fire in the sky fire in the sky fire in the sky Fire in the Sky
Upload a Photo | View All Fire in the Sky Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (862)

  • imrealgod
    January 27, 2010
    imrealgod
    Allegedly based on true story, this one's fairly watchable.
  • SirPant
    September 24, 2009
    SirPant
    A must for UFO/B-movie fans and anyone who wants to believe!
  • puffchunk
    February 14, 2009
    puffchunk
    Pretty slow for a while, but once the guy starts to recall his abduction, the awesome fx commence. Pretty twisted, I'm sad it didn't comprise the entire movie.
  • FilmFanatik
    August 17, 2008
    FilmFanatik
    Scares the hell out of me, even to this day.
  • deano
    August 20, 2007
    deano
    Unbelievable! This is based on a true story, most of the film is banal in the extreme, only coming to life in the terrifying sequence where I find out what really happened to a logger claims to have been kidnapped by a flying saucer. Believe it or not!
  • YosemiteSamFan
    July 27, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    An ordinary man is abducted by aliens and violated. When he returns home, nobody believes his tale. He is traumatized for life. Disturbing. Raw. Ouch! Well-done but hard to watch.
  • garyX
    July 14, 2007
    garyX
    Alien abduction story presented in documentary style that will appeal to fans of The X-Files. Like me.
  • nuheart
    December 26, 2006
    nuheart
    Not as good on subsequent viewings as I remember it being.
  • guitar952
    January 28, 2012
    guitar952
    Fire in the Sky was really well-done and is probably one of the best alien movies I've ever seen. The entire flashback of Walton's on-board experience was great and the fact that it wasn't totally unrealistic only made it that much creepier.
  • EbertsLittleApprentice
    September 3, 2010
    EbertsLittleApprentice
    Fire in The sky is a 1993 film based om the book under the same title by a man named Travis Walton. He was a logger suspossedly abducted by a glowing orange light(Or in lament terms ufo) in the mid 1970's in Snowflake, Arizona near the white mountians.

    I liked how it started ... read moreout. The guys driving thier truck, racing down the road in shock. they go to a bar trying to think of a way to tell the authorities what happened. Eventually they all are sitting down getting ready to try to explain what happened to the police. It then switches to the morning before. It starts out with getting thier job started early so they can get alot more down so they do not lose thier contract.

    Like any Sheriff, of course he doesn't believe them.He thibks they murdered him. He thibks thier story is frick'n bullsh*t! Now of course everyone would. Aliens? The bad thing is for them, they passed a lie detector test. Well actualy two of them.

    Well the movie keeps switching back and forth between the previous day, the day after, and the day they found him. Also the time aboard the ship, that Travis belives he was on.

    After the light hits Travis and throws him on the ground they think he is dead. They flee thinking the glowing orange light is coming after them. When Mike returns he can't find him.(the others waited on the highway farther back)

    They put out a search party, but there was no luck in finding Travis. He doesn't even show up until about a week later. Severly emaciated and naked. he is shakened, and scared sh*tless. Walton is also very, very thirsty(We'll get back to that)

    Most of the people thought it was Dallis He was mean and had a record. he messed around with Travis alot. He didn't stick around at that point in real life because of that. they thought it would be all pinned on him. he was even hessitent to take a lie detector at first.

    Robert Patrick(Ironicly a future X-Files star) was good as Travis's best friend Mike. He was edgy, and was very frustrated. His best friend may or may have been killed, or even abducted Every one is even blaming him and the other loggers. To top it all off his wife is b*tching and complaining about the bills and house, and what the people have been saying around town.

    Suddenly Mike get's a collect call. From who he thinks is Travis. It was from a gas station telephone. His wife , one of his logging buddies, and Travis's older brother go looking for him. Whent they find him jhe is really out of it. scared to death. he is hurting, and desperately needs somne water. it looks as if he had been starved and gone for a long time. more than just a week.

    Travis Walton (played by the undserrated and phenomeonal D.B. Sweeney) starts having flashbacks of the time aboard the ship as he is being loaded in the ambulence(atleast during the movie that is when it is happening to him). He starts freaking out. He starts seeing the ship and the extraterestrials carting him down a long wierd set of hallways. When mike trys talking to him in the hospital room, he is like a non-respondant mute. Travis feels that if they had never left, none of this would of happened. He wouldn't of had to undergo that traumatizing experince.

    Now of course everyone says that scene on the ufo is a nightnmar inducing scene. A scene done by Industrial light and Magic, that is one of the finest scenes ever to grace the movie screen. Now I would sure be damn lieng if I didn't agree. It is by far one of the most horrifying scenes in any movie ever.

    You may think some of the X-Files stuff was good, and really visually awesome. This isn't no episode of The X-Files(Yes, I loved that show) This was beyond that. That scene was so extreme I think it is really well done. It scared me a bit . No I am not kidding. That is a scene from a movie I will never forget. Never.

    The movie ended on a sentimental note. I couldn't say it was much of an ending, but I could say it was a good film excluding that. I'm guessing that even if it started out with a bang, and ended with a whisper, it didn't matter. The whole movie in between was really good.

    True Fact:In February 1993, Cyrus Gilson re-administered another polygraph to Mike Rogers,Travis Walton, and Allan Dallis whose earlier test proved inconclusive. This time they all passed.

    "While most Alien films waste time on the main threshold of Aliens and ufo's, Fire in The Sky mainly focuses on the five guys and what happend while Travis was missing, rather then just on Travis and his abduction, leaving it to just one major scene that will for burn in the mind forever, and terrify the hearts of people everywhere."

    I liked this film, and I reccomend it to any Sci-Fi fan. Also, if you have been looking for that perfect Alien, and/or abduction movie, then this film is it. The only saddening fact is well, it's based on a true story. Wether it is true or false is still hard to deciede. Plus with everyone passing polygraphs, it's hard to know for sure if they aren't telling the truth.

    Oh, and good news guys! They just added this film for instant streaming on netflix. Enjoy it in HD!

View All Fire in the Sky Reviews

Critic Reviews

Bill Clark
January 9, 2006
Bill Clark, FromTheBalcony

An intriguing film made all the more noteworthy due to its nightmare-inducing sequence onboard an alien ship.

Kevin Carr
September 2, 2005
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures

Lame-brain version of a classic UFO abduction.

Scott Weinberg
April 4, 2005
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Features one of the most harrowing sequences (maybe) ever. I get chills just thinking about it.

Christopher Null
October 25, 2004
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

The X-Files could have done this story in 42 minutes flat, though in reality, it probably would have deemed it to boring to bother with at all. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
September 7, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Lawrence Cohn
March 26, 2009
Lawrence Cohn, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Click to read the article Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Apollo 18
    Apollo 18 (96%)
  • Super 8
    Super 8 (70%)
  • The Fourth Kind
    The Fourth Kind (100%)
  • Night Skies
    Night Skies (50%)

More Movies like Fire in the Sky

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • George: What does Gordon Scott look like in the movie.
Submit a Fact | View All

Fire in the Sky : Watch Free on TV

Fire in the Sky Trivia

  • What is the name of the 1993 movie that tells the story of the famous Travis Walton alien abduction?  Answer »
  • This movie is based on true events surrounding an alien abduction in Arizona in 1975.  Answer »
  • In which movie was Travis Walton abducted by aliens  Answer »
  • In the film Harry Potter and The goblet of fire, what ominous sign appears in the sky over the campsite after the quidditch world cup?  Answer »
More Fire in the Sky Trivia

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Fire in the Sky to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?