Wonderfully offbeat film!

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

**mild spoilers**I saw the very similar film "The Phoenix Tapes 97" weeks earlier from here, and was blown away at how oddly compelling it was, while using an actual 1990s video camera to make it look like actual footage from 1997 rather than relying on unconvincing video effects to make it look like old footage, and how that acted as a perfect cover to hide any CGI or unconvincing costumes. I didn't know this film, The Phoenix Incident, was going to follow the same route. It's almost ironic (not ironic) that after I had praised "Phoenix Tapes 97" for using an actual 90s camera and not relying on unconvincing video effects, this film "The Phoenix Incident" relies on unconvincing video effects. The core of the film is a found footage story of the supposed four missing hikers during the Phoenix Lights incident, just like in "Phoenix Tapes 97" although in this film they use the actual names of the supposedly missing hikers. The video effects to make the footage look like it's from 1997 is thoroughly unconvincing and during some of the later scenes of the movie, seemingly start to not work properly, as the footage looks oddly smooth and crisp and clear, like they removed their 1997 filter for a few minutes at a time. This found footage story is long, drawn out, and boring until it gets to the spooky alien stuff. Crowding around it to try to keep the story going is a very long framing device of a "documentary" chronicling the story of the "coverup" of the Phoenix Lights incident, involving the military, a crazy religious man as a red herring, and a supposed ongoing war against aliens that has been fought throughout the middle east and Africa prior to the Phoenix Lights incident. It's all rather tedious, with some brief moments of genius, such as the revelation that the "lights" themselves weren't a UFO sighting, but actually flares dropped by the military... to distract from a genuine dogfight between F-16s and 2 triangular alien craft, which we actually get to see unfold from both the F-16 pilots point of view and from the hikers watching from the ground. The film finally picks up at this point, but foregoing its horror aspect and becoming an odd action thriller tone, as the four hikers go on a high speed ATV chase from the aliens, complete with action movie-style twists, turns, and explosions, followed by a shootout at the crazy religious guy's ranch. This odd tonal shift, while trying to stick to its found footage style, seems to make the film come apart as it loses focus of its original plot. The video effects to make it look like 90s video are almost completely gone by this point, with only some barely-there film grain as a token reminder of what it was originally supposed to be. There's even dramatic Hollywood-style music going on during these sequences, and it's never clear who is even holding the camera at times or why they're still filming. This movie doesn't seem to be able to fully commit to one style or another. There's an insistence on being a found footage film, while using the military coverup framing device to be like a mockumentary film, while containing multiple intricate and sometimes CG-heavy action scenes more befitting a gritty action thriller. Rather than failing at all three, like most films, the action thriller parts of this film are actually cool and beautifully executed, especially the dogfight with alien craft.This film should have committed itself to the military angle and sharply reduced or possibly even left out the entirety of the found footage angle. "The Phoenix Tapes 97" does this exact same story with the found footage aspect done with an actual 1990s video camera for a far more authentic look while by the nature of its much narrower scope is much more taut and concise than "The Phoenix Incident" is.

When I saw the UFO in the film it immediately reminded me of an odd encounter I had around that time, and Mark Washburn's review on IMDb describes a similar incident around the same time but I was in England. I was walking home from work crossing an unlit field and looked up to admire the stars on a very clear night when immediately above me flew a very large object which, from the way it blocked the stars was clearly triangular, with three white lights. It was moving very slowly, and what amazed me as I watched it was 1, there was no sound whatsoever and 2, it turned and changed direction without any degree of banking as if on a swivel, and then glided silently away. I wondered if it was a Stealth plane but couldn't explain the lack of any engine noise. With regard to the movie, I enjoyed it, although, as other have pointed out, I did question why someone would have kept his helmet on for so long with the camera, and why not look at the creatures for longer? But my strongest impression was that I just wanted Mitch to die; he has to be the dumbest post-adolescent I have ever seen. So annoying! But then if that was how I was meant to feel then, good acting.

For anyone interested in UFOLOGY its a safe bet to say you have heard or know of The Phoenix lights-the night strange lights and Black flying triangles were seen by the residents of Phoenix in Arizona. What makes this case unique is the number of witness's. The HOLE of Phoenix.Keith Arem's film is unique in the found found footage genre in that it mixes fact with fiction and actors with real witnesses.The story centres around four friends who,after being drooped of in the desert,go quad biking.They inadvertently stumble upon a dog fight between a flying triangle and USAF jets,who manage to shoot it down.Naturally they go and investigate. Now the reason I have I given this film full marks is because the story doesn't suggest-or even ask you to believe what happens next was real-it makes you question what happened that night and exposes the length the authorities went to cover up and ridicules the situation. Found footage films can either be excellent or truly awful-there is no other way this film could be done and it works a treat.Sometimes its hard to not think "Oh come on,you've just been through what ever the situation was and your STILL holding the camera?!" But Keith managed to work his way round this in a perfectly sensible way.If you want to learn about the incident this film will help and if,like me,you start googling things after then its succeeded in not only entertaining you but also educating you at the same time.

The Phoenix Incident starts off nicely, inspired by actual phenomena and using mockumentary approach to cover the issue. Characters, both from recording and supposed interviews, are relatively convincing. This is one of the better groups seen in found footage genre that audience can easily invest on. Unfortunately, persisting problem of jerky cam, cumbersome editing and frantic off screen view are dominant. One or two might be bearable, but the culmination of them all eventually hampers the movie.This mockumentary is a collection of tapes surrounding the event of alleged alien or UFO sighting back in 1997. It follows the group of young men as its main plot and then displays the accounts reflecting back to the fated night as well as possible cover up. Most cast of this type are random journalists or awkward family, this one has better on-screen characters, at least before the screaming and blabbering start.They seem believable as a group of friends, they may fumble with occasional juvenile antic, but a decent cast goes a long way to give a sense of realism, which is the goal of found footage genre. The interview scenes also present air of seriousness, be it may the whistleblowing dialogue or the eyewitnesses accounts.However, the transition is poor and the camera work is abysmal. For guys whose hobby is filming, these on-screen characters are not handy with camera. This shaky cam can be disruptive, especially towards the latter half where the events are revealed. The movie shows some special effects, presentable yet only a few seconds each.The movie shows promise early on, but just like many before it, the intrusive shaky cam and awful editing ruin it.