Documentary Review: Darcy Weir's 'Beyond The Spectrum'

For ages, the existence of aliens has been a highly debated topic, within the scientific community and beyond. Personally, I'm a bit ambivalent about the possibility. While I'm sure there are plenty of things out there in the universe that we don't know about yet, the idea of aliens still rubs me as too far-fetched to be a reality. But despite my viewpoint, I decided to give director Darcy Weir's Beyond The Spectrum series a watch by checking out the four documentaries (all of which are currently available to watch on Tubi) that center on the topic of aliens. Let's see if Weir can make a believer out of me!

Beyond The Spectrum: The Underground:

The first alien-centric Beyond The Spectrum documentary, The Underground, deals less with proving the existence of aliens and more with the theory that aliens not only exist, but are already inhabiting the Earth and being hidden by the government. As you can from the above poster, the film centers on the story of Philip Schneider, an ex-government engineer who made numerous lectures about alleged government-sanctioned coverups and secret projects involving alien lifeforms before his death in 1996. The most notable of Schneider's claims was that he was the victim of a near-fatal encounter with an alien during an excavation.

While those who are dead set against the idea of the existence of aliens may be quick to dismiss Schneider's claims as a delusional conspiracy theory, The Underground presents a great deal of research that is sure to have at least a few non-believers wondering. In addition to the wealth of information that Weir and company collected via various experts and sources, The Underground includes excellent use of visual effects. They give the documentary a creative edge as it provides interesting drawings to look at as we learn more about the various theories that experts have accumulated regarding alleged government-alien interactions.

The documentary proved most compelling for me when it was focused around Schneider's alleged experiences and the suspicious nature of his death, as these segments of the documentary were the most thought-provoking and attention-grabbing. The documentary began to lose my interest in its second half, which primarily focused around the less engaging details of alien existence theory and the government's possible involvement with alien lifeforms. The Underground cultivates an appropriately intense atmosphere, going along with the frightening possibilities that the documentary alludes to. In a time when it seems society has collectively decided that the government can't be trusted, the possibilities raised by The Underground are disturbingly plausible.

(Other moments that hit an emotional chord are the scenes in which the tragedy of Schneider's untimely death is addressed. The home videos of Schneider and his family are memorably poignant, as they remind the viewer that regardless of how they feel about aliens and government conspiracy theories, Philip Schneider was a man with a loving family who were left to pick up the pieces after his senseless passing)

The Underground tries to maintain objectivity by mentioning how there's no proof of what Schneider and others have claimed, though the documentary does come with the feeling that it's somewhat biased towards alien-believers over the skeptical detractors. Despite this, The Underground remains a highly informative and moderately engaging documentary that should prove an interesting watch for those that believe the theories and maybe even to those who are more on the fence like me.

Score: 6.5 out of 10 questionable budgets.

Beyond The Spectrum: Being Taken:

Compared to The Underground, Being Taken is a far more objective and balanced look at the phenomenon surrounding the claims of alien encounters and abductions. The documentary wisely takes an ideal position when evaluating the evidence for and against the existence of aliens, striking a balance between healthy skepticism and acknowledgment of the credible evidence and accounts given by many who report having encounters with extraterrestrial beings.

Much of Being Taken is centered around those personal accounts of those claiming to have experienced alien abduction, with the documentary highlighting the emotional aspect of these experiences that The Underground only sparsely covered. Of these compelling interviews, Travis Walton (whose experience has been discussed and researched at length) and Jonathan Waygandt stood out as the most impactful. Waygandt's testimony struck me as the most hard-hitting of the bunch, in part due to Waygandt's emotional recounting of the traumatic aftermath of his alien encounter. Filmmaker Dean Alioto's interview proved memorable in a different way. Alioto's experience with his found footage horror film UFO Abduction inadvertently becoming a part of the Ufology community is an interesting case to learn about, and Alioto's more laid-back "civilian" commentary on the fiasco and Ufology as a whole proving unique amongst the expert and eyewitness testimonies.

Another unique aspect of Being Taken is the fact that it offers a plethora of thought-provoking ideas for the viewer to consider. The most prominent of these: if aliens exist, are they as malevolent as films and TV make them appear, or could they be peaceful lifeforms? Could they even be attempting to protect humanity rather than destroy it? While Being Taken shares The Underground's flaw of becoming less engaging in places, it manages to avoid this pitfall more than its predecessor, with the second half containing the more intriguing material that will keep the viewer listening. Overall, Being Taken is a strong documentary that wisely doesn't set out to proselytize, but instead gives the audience its research and leaves them to draw their own conclusions. A good UFO documentary for believers and skeptics alike.

Score: 7.5 out of 10 sleep paralysis hallucinations.

Beyond The Spectrum: Maussan's UFO Files:

For the first half of this 44-minute entry in the Beyond The Spectrum series, the focus is less on aliens and more on the story of the titular Jaime Maussan, a prominent Mexican journalist and Ufologist. While those coming into the documentary expecting straight UFO talk may be disappointed, Maussan's story of breaking into the journalism field and becoming a voice for UFO believers is an interesting listen. This is especially true when it becomes a segue into the lesser-known fact that Mexico is responsible for several UFO discoveries and the technology used by Ufologists to this day.

But despite the dramatic tagline IMDB credits this documentary with ("A journalist from humble beginnings that risked everything to expose the truth about UFOs"), Maussan's UFO Files feels like the least high-stakes documentary covered so far in this series. While we get to hear about Maussan's rise from average journalist to well-known Ufologist, the documentary rarely gives us any insight into the struggles Maussan went through on his journey. Even though Maussan's UFO Files is somewhat evenly divided between Maussan's journalism career and his Ufology career, it still feels like the documentary doesn't go deeply enough into either part of his life (possibly as a result of the short runtime).

But for what it does delve into with depth, Maussan's UFO Files proves another fascinating watch. Jaime Maussan's life story of going from an aspiring journalist to a voice of change for a community so often ignored and ridiculed is an inspiring one, and while it may not go into that story with the focus it deserves, Maussan's interviews are nonetheless informative and intriguing thanks to the journalist's easygoing attitude. It's worth a watch to learn a little about such a prolific man in the Ufology community.

Score: 5 out of 10 FLIR cameras.

Beyond The Spectrum: Humanoids:

Jaime Maussan returns for the final installment in the Beyond The Spectrum saga, which proves to be a much more even documentary than Maussan's UFO Files. In addition to giving more time for us to enjoy Maussan's laid-back commentary on Ufology and the various eyewitness accounts of alien activity, Humanoids maintains a consistent discussion about such sightings. Seemingly building off of what Maussan's UFO Files started, Humanoids delves more into the frequency of alleged alien sightings in Mexican areas. It also explores more thoroughly the frustrating way in which the media works to discredit any such accounts, no matter how much evidence is presented. Being a journalist himself, Maussan's fiery stance against such censorship is made clear in his testimonies.

While it's far from being as salacious and dramatic as The Underground or Being Taken, Humanoids worked better at keeping my attention throughout the whole documentary. Providing a plethora of attention-grabbing accounts, there's rarely a non-interesting moment to be had in Humanoids. It's definitely not as high-stakes as some of the other installments of this documentary series, but thanks to a combination of Maussan's impassioned screen presence and the compelling experiences discussed throughout the documentary, Humanoids is a solid and appropriately lighter entry to end Beyond The Spectrum on.

Score: 7 out of 10 triangular UFOs.

Overall:

While this docuseries at times falls victim to subpar pacing and uneven exploration of its subject material, Beyond The Spectrum (more times than not) provides a well-informed look into the phenomenon of aliens and the various aspects of the Ufology community. The most fascinating portions of the series prove to be the ones focusing on the controversies and challenges faced by those who study and believe in aliens, with Jaime Maussan's life story and the censorship faced by Ufologists being sure to resonate with many, regardless of how they feel about aliens.

As for me, while Beyond The Spectrum hasn't completely turned me into a believer, it has proved some food for thought about whether or not we're truly alone in this vast universe. And regardless of my beliefs, I can still wholeheartedly defend the right that alien believers have to express the beliefs and recount their experiences with alien encounters. If aliens are a topic that interests you or if you're just mildly curious about the subject, give some of these documentaries a watch.