Communion

Rating:
Summary: Well-Acted, Sometimes Effective, not bad.
Review: "Communion" the movie is a well-acted and sometimes effective drama. Christopher Walken does a good job here, though I've seen him do much better, but here he totally disappears in this character of Whitley Strieber. However, we are never quite clear of what the movie's intentions are. Is it a simple little creepy story? Or a serious dissection of the alien abduction phenomenon? I guess maybe it depends on your point of view on the subject. Which is, I guess, the same way people view the bestselling (non-fiction) book of the same name. I personally can say that I have never experienced some sort of UFO abduction and have my doubts on the existance of alien life, so I look at "Communion" from an outsider's view. For those of us who don't stay in the circle of UFO researchers or "Experiencers," "Communion" works as a good try at scaring the viewer. There are some effective sequences, especially those that take place in the Striebers' cabin, where the abductions first took place. The scenes with the alien beings look really well-done and real. I don't call "Communion" science fiction because it is, like the book, being sold as a true story and there are people who believe it and who have reported claims in the same nature and no offense is wished, so, for me "Communion" comes off as a creepy drama. It isn't completely horrific, indeed, I wished for a few better scares. The reason the movie didn't work completely for me, was that at the end I was left confused and puzzled, "Communion" isn't very clear on what happened or how. It was reported that a film was being worked on based on Strieber's follow-up, "Transformation," but it apparently never materialized, though I wished it had to shed some more light on the story. In fact, "Communion" is not clear when things ARE happening, not just when it shows flashbacks. Take the scene near the end when Walken apparently visits an alien vessel, I didn't understand zilch of what was going on in there and when Walken suddenly wakes up in his car, I was even more confused. Still, "Communion" isn't BAD, it works as an original story and as a showcasing of great performances through-out. UFO buffs will probably love it, outsiders like myself apparently need to not only read the book (which I haven't but now plan to) but watch the movie again after doing so. Not horrible, not terrible, not great, but entertaining and interesting.

Rating:
Summary: Well-Acted, Sometimes Effective, not bad.
Review: "Communion" the movie is a well-acted and sometimes effective drama. Christopher Walken does a good job here, though I've seen him do much better, but here he totally disappears in this character of Whitley Strieber. However, we are never quite clear of what the movie's intentions are. Is it a simple little creepy story? Or a serious dissection of the alien abduction phenomenon? I guess maybe it depends on your point of view on the subject. Which is, I guess, the same way people view the bestselling (non-fiction) book of the same name. I personally can say that I have never experienced some sort of UFO abduction and have my doubts on the existance of alien life, so I look at "Communion" from an outsider's view. For those of us who don't stay in the circle of UFO researchers or "Experiencers," "Communion" works as a good try at scaring the viewer. There are some effective sequences, especially those that take place in the Striebers' cabin, where the abductions first took place. The scenes with the alien beings look really well-done and real. I don't call "Communion" science fiction because it is, like the book, being sold as a true story and there are people who believe it and who have reported claims in the same nature and no offense is wished, so, for me "Communion" comes off as a creepy drama. It isn't completely horrific, indeed, I wished for a few better scares. The reason the movie didn't work completely for me, was that at the end I was left confused and puzzled, "Communion" isn't very clear on what happened or how. It was reported that a film was being worked on based on Strieber's follow-up, "Transformation," but it apparently never materialized, though I wished it had to shed some more light on the story. In fact, "Communion" is not clear when things ARE happening, not just when it shows flashbacks. Take the scene near the end when Walken apparently visits an alien vessel, I didn't understand zilch of what was going on in there and when Walken suddenly wakes up in his car, I was even more confused. Still, "Communion" isn't BAD, it works as an original story and as a showcasing of great performances through-out. UFO buffs will probably love it, outsiders like myself apparently need to not only read the book (which I haven't but now plan to) but watch the movie again after doing so. Not horrible, not terrible, not great, but entertaining and interesting.

Rating:
Summary: Good story.
Review: A story well told and well acted. I am very curious why some portions of the movie were clipped out of the DVD verions, which I bought recently. In 1991, when I first saw the movie, there were scenes with hybrid humans seen. But the DVD version I bought is missing this and who knows what else.

Rating:
Summary: A MAN PLAGUED BY ENDOGENOUS DMT DIMENSIONAL ENTITIES?
Review: A TRUELY CREEPY film starring the wonderful Christopher Walken.

But after reading the book DMT: THE SPIRIT MOLECULE by Dr. Rick Strassman, maybe Mr. Strieber whose autobiographical story this is, is a man plagued by an endogenous (occurring within) chemical produced by the pineal gland called DMT (dimethyltryptamine). South American shamans and healers drink this in the form of a brew called AYAHUASCA. Known celebrities such as Sting and Paul Simon have imbibed in this ceremonial hallucinogen. Some, but not all, of the people who have ingested this chemical report very real experiences of fairies, elves and alien entities who often probe, work, and sometimes heal the participant. The theory is that the glands of people who experience alien abduction, are overproducing the chemical DMT. However, almost all of these participants believe that they were experiencing these alien entities and probes in a VERY REAL hyper-dimension that co-exists side by side with ours. AND that these entities are REAL. Which makes this film all the more intriguing!!

Is Whitley Strieber hallucinating or is he really tapping into another dimension? I tend to believe the latter.

READ WHITLEY STRIEBER'S BOOK ALONG WITH DMT: THE SPIRIT MOLECULE BY RICK STRASSMAN, M.D. (available here at Amazon.com)

THEN BEND YOUR MIND WITH THIS GREAT FILM AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELF.

YOU CAN'T BEAT THE PRICE!!

Rating:
Summary: Not all That Good
Review: As an UFO researcher I became acquainted with Whitley Strieber's story, and was completely fascinated by it. I do believe that the experiences he had are completely true.

However, if you are going to know about Strieber's story, buy the book. The movie it's ok if you just want to entertain yourself or if you don't have anything else to watch. I do agree that the making of this movie is a disservice, not only to Strieber, but to UFO research. Only a small portion of the movie is what actually happened. I don't mind adaptation or artistic license for budget reasons or whatever, just as long as they don't distort the core of what happened to him. Unfortunately the distortion in this movie is too great for even consider it to be serious. I'm also disappointed at Mr. Strieber for having participated in the creation of this movie. Many stuff in it are obviously what Strieber thinks, not what actually happened.

If you want something for your amusement, then ok... buy the movie. But if you really want to have an idea about what really happened to Strieber, buy the books "Communion", "Transformation" and "Breakthrough". If you want to see a movie which is the closest to what an UFO abductee goes through, I recommend the movie "Intruders" (although I recommend better the book "Intruders" by Budd Hopkins).

Rating:
Summary: A triumph for Walken...
Review: Christopher Walken is indeed well-cast for this adaptation of Whitley Strieber's book. But for (probable) abductees like myself, this is one of the most frightening movies you will ever see. I also believe this video will help others understand that they are not in this terrifying situation alone, that tens or hundreds of thousands of people have had similar experiences. The hair on the back of my neck still rises every time I think about the closet scene!
"I see you!"

Rating:
Summary: Christopher Walken scarier than the aliens
Review: Christopher Walken is scarier than the aliens, but the film manages to stir up some creepy paranoia at times. The scenes aboard the spaceship (or whatever it was) were a little weak, but in the cabin and in that long spooky school hallway were well done.

Rating:
Summary: Never Sleep Again?
Review: Communion is guaranteed to freak you out, regardless of your extraterrestrial beliefs. Walken is perfectly cast as author Whitley Streiber (Wolfen), who is abducted and experimented by alien beings. Did it happen? You won't care as you're sucked into a well crafted intelligent thriller.

Rating:
Summary: A Freaky Little Movie
Review: Don't expect large-scale entertainment from this one, and don't expect definitive answers regarding aliens. The attractions here are low-key but satisfying. That's it's a 'true story' (however you wish to interpret that) gives it an element of spookiness. Christopher Walken is delicious to watch in anything. Eric Clapton provided the coolly elegant theme music. All the performances are good. I've watched it several times and it's begun to feel like an old friend, being more soothing than harrowing. Not a lot happens (or does it?), but the creepiness is pervasive and realistic. I'm only mildly interested in the alien abduction phenomena but this does give an interesting portrayal of...something.

Rating:
Summary: WATCHERS and Watching ........
Review: DREADFUL DVD AND SOUND ....[shame!] BUT AN ABSOLUTELY 'MUST HAVE'.

WALKEN IS SUPERB AS THE MULTIFRACTURED HERO .....quite a tour-de-force and this one is very very chilling since you're [the watcher] never quite sure whether we're in Kansas or not. Last year's "Signs" brushes along similar lines - except this one is invasive ...... did they or didn't they ... and are they here or not????

DYNAMITE CAST includes the special Lindsay Crouse as Spouse, and Frances Sternhagen as the very perplexed psyc.

"Dreamcatcher" is another clone ... but this one [if it can] makes more sense.

WELL WORTH HAVING ..... those chilly New York night time shots and that cabin [sister dwelling to Amityville .......]

NOW, just click your Alien ....... there's no place like .....?

{Nicholas Roeg's "Don't Look Now" makes a terif. double-bill - something different, but also very creepy ~ then there's "The Comfort of Strangers" ..... another Walken triumph!]