The Fourth Kind and Our Fascination with Aliens by Reg Seeton
After
extraterrestrials made a comeback in the mid-'90s
to abduct our inquiring minds about those little
green (grey) men from outer space, the upcoming
Universal Pictures release of The Fourth Kind
is stirring up the public's fascination with aliens
all over again with a new story of alien contact
of the fourth kind. In 1977, director Stephen
Spielberg introduced moviegoers to the meaning
of a third kind encounter, contact with aliens,
in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Now Universal
and director Olatunde Osunsanmi are introducing
moviegoers to The Fourth Kind, starring Milla
Jovovich, Elias Koteas, and Will Patton about
alleged real life alien abductions in Nome, Alaska.
Although The Fourth Kind has generated controversy over the accuracy of the alleged true facts of alien abductions in Alaska, The Fourth Kind has reignited our fascination with the potential for life beyond Earth and our interest in aliens on the big screen. Why are humans so fascinated with aliens? Why do we love extraterrestrial terror or comedy in theaters? Interestingly, with The Fourth Kind about to hit theaters on November 6, some of the most popular movies to come out of Hollywood have played to our fascination with aliens, abductions, and the notion that we may not be alone in the universe.
You could say the curiosity surrounding The Fourth Kind fires on the same paranormal cylinders as our ongoing fascination with Bigfoot and the Yeti, but how many Sasquatch movies have there been as compared to alien themed films? The Fourth Kind is the latest in a long list of alien based movies that have laid claim to our imagination and the box-office. In fact, with The Fourth Kind getting set to do the same, some of the most popular movies of all time have centered around aliens, an alien invasion, an alien abduction, aliens already among us, alien comedy, and a lot more throughout the decades.
Now
that The Fourth Kind with Milkla Jovovich is
only two weeks from abducting movie fans in
theaters, it's actually staggering when you
look at how many successful alien themed movies
there have been, or at least have alien elements.
Fans heading to The Fourth Kind in November
need only look to the original versions of The
Day the Earth Stood Still and War of the Worlds
as earlier examples of long ago cinematic fascination
with aliens. Since the 1950s, however, there
have been many more. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull? Aliens. Transformers?
Aliens. Independence Day? Aliens. District 9?
Aliens. Signs? Aliens. E.T.? Absolutely alien.
Alien? ALIEN.
Prior to The Fourth Kind, you can also look at such films as Starship Troopers, Star Wars, Men in Black, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Astronaut's Wife, the Witch Mountain movies, Mars Attacks, and even Superman can be filed under alien. But more in the alien wheelhouse of The Fourth Kind, other closely related films such as Communion, Fire in the Sky, and Close Encounters have also fascinated fans. And if you look beyond the big screen to TV, you have other alien favorites such as The X-Files, Alien Nation, Taken, The 4400 and many more. In fact, in relation to fan interest for The Fourth Kind, the alien film and TV list is seemingly endless.
So what is it about our fascination with aliens now that The Fourth Kind has brought the issue back into the forefront? Well, I haven't even mentioned the many reported UFO and alien sightings plus alleged alien abduction claims over the years. Are there more UFO sightings as compared to claims of alien abduction? When we talked to leading Ufologist and UFO magazine publisher, Bill Birnes, not long ago in a recent interview, Birnes revealed to TheDeadbolt, "Most people think abductions are some other kind of phenomenon. However, those who claim to have been abducted or contacted have no qualms about stepping up to say that there are far more abductions than people think there are."
Although
there have been sightings and alien abduction
claims, as The Fourth Kind and Milla Jovovich
explore with alleged real archival footage,
our fascination with aliens and extraterrestrials
is question based since we have no concrete
evidence on a wide, mainstream level. Interestingly,
when TheDeadbolt spoke to UFO authority and
publisher of Legendary Times Magazine, Giorgio
Tsoukalos, the wonderment was flipped toward
the aliens and similar questions extraterrestrials
may have with humans about a higher power beyond
themselves, as Tsoukalos explained. "I am convinced
that also advanced extraterrestrials have the
SAME question as we do in regards to life and
death, and God."
Obviously, if aliens do exist and the sighting and abduction claims can be taken as fact, and someday proven, it would be clear that aliens have an equal fascination with humans as we do with aliens. If aliens weren't fascinated with humans, why do we hear of so many sightings and abductions? Is there a connection between aliens and humans? Perhaps, which may explain our fascination with aliens and alien abduction on a deeper level. What is that connection? Who knows, but that could be why we're fascinated. Obviously, based on the amount of sightings, abduction claims, and the hundreds of alien based movies throughout the decades, including The Fourth Kind, it's a question that people want answered. Although The Fourth Kind won't be the definite answer, The Fourth Kind will certainly fuel our fascination with aliens and alien abduction for the next couple of years. Are the events in The Fourth Kind true? It doesn't matter, we're still fascinated.
I applaud The Fourth Kind for garnering so much awareness for this subject. I think it's great that they're taking real abduction and sighting accounts and making it more readily available for the public to understand.
THERE IS LIFE outside of earth. So much has been documented by normal civilians, government officials, scientists, the list can go on..
I think this movie does a great job generating interest in the subject matter and whether or not it's debatable? hey, anything can be.
jon – USA
October 26, 2009 - 17:22
Subject: Alien Abductions
Alien Abduction is the most feared close encounters. An actual alien taking you from your home and performing experiements upon you then wiping your memory, returning you to your bed. Unexplained injurys, loss of time, could it have been an alien abduction?
Eric – France
October 26, 2009 - 00:31
Subject:
The author of this article, like many others, is still in the "IF" paradigm; i.e. "If ETs exist...", and "IF ET's are visiting us..." etc. etc.
That paradigm is OVER. DONE. FINISHED. (Just look at the other comments here, if you don't believe me).
We are way beyond that. The questions now are; WHO? WHY? and WHEN are the governments of the world going to fully disclose what they know(?)
karlie – Simi Valley
October 25, 2009 - 22:23
Subject: no longer a fringe belief...
people who have seen UFOs and and had alien encounters are no longer the "crazies" or the "weirdos"
we are the majority and the fact that a film like this is in the mainstream only proves it further.
those who deny are the ones who are out of touch with reality and i think this movie is going to open a lot of eyes to the sorts of things that have been going on for years.
Quiet Storm – Albuquerque, NM
October 25, 2009 - 21:30
Subject: Life forms On Other Planets
As a child, I grew up watching the night time sky every night with my parents & siblings. I have seen some very unusual objects in the sky, and have been privy to some info that has not been released to the public. They are real, people. Logic as described by the other comments will bring you to the same conclusion. We are foolish and ignorant if we think we are the only darlings of the universe. In fact, we better pray there is life more intelligent than we have shown ourselves to be when you look at how we are destroying ourselves and our planet.
I feel this is a No-brainer.
I think that even without any evidence of any kind or any witnesses, that with all the stars and planets in the universe, even when you count only the planets that could have life as we know it, there are still millions (if not billions) of life forms in this universe.
Do they visit us?
Think about this: What is our space program trying to do? Duh...
I feel that they have visited us long ago, that they visit us now and that they will continue to visit us for many years to come.
Are we on the same intelligence level? No, some of them are way behind us and do not have the intelligence to get here yet, some may be on the same level, and some are millions of years past our intelligence level to the point that we cannot conceive their technology.
Summary: There is a much greater chance that aliens exist and are visiting us than there is not. Don't be so conceded... we are not the only intelligent life in the universe.
Chuck B. – Atlanta,Ga.
October 25, 2009 - 17:52
Subject: Aliens and 2012
You are correct, they have bases under the ocean,under the ice in Antarctica,also on the dark side of the moon. Astronauts aboard the space shutle have seen UFO's on flight misions.When Astronauts landed in the Pacific for the first moonwalk, they aqdmitted to have had contact with other life forms.They all know about 12-21-2012
Chuck B. – Atlanta,Ga.
October 25, 2009 - 17:46
Subject: Aliens and 2012
I believe the government has been allowing small leaks to soften the blow to the public when this all comes to light.Having that said, 2012 is doing the same thing. I am 45 years old and I have been researching 12-21-2012 since I was a teenager, I have learned alot of facts that are backed up by prominent scientist throughout the world.... it's TRUE !!!
Google 2012, the mayan long count calender,pole shift in 2012,once ou start browsing,only read the oficial postings by experts in this field.I am not trying to scare anyone,but I would want to know,I have already made my peace and I hope you will do the same... if nothing happens, at least you'll be at peace. Also research Zacariah Sichin and learn about the Annunaki and Nibiru (Planet X) which will also visit our solar system at the winter solstice on 12-21-2012. If you would like to contact me you can email me at chuckboonel@aol.com Serious inquiries please.
Hundreds of people saw AFOs(Aliens Flying Object) in the night sky under my guidance in New York and New Jersey, including 5 PA MUFON UFO field investigators, chief investigator Butch Witkowski, Jonh Ventre (director of PA MUFON), well-known Ufologists, etc - at UFO conference (Montgomery county community College on 10/09/2009), be one of them.
After
extraterrestrials made a comeback in the mid-'90s
to abduct our inquiring minds about those little
green (grey) men from outer space, the upcoming
Universal Pictures release of The Fourth Kind
is stirring up the public's fascination with aliens
all over again with a new story of alien contact
of the fourth kind. In 1977, director Stephen
Spielberg introduced moviegoers to the meaning
of a third kind encounter, contact with aliens,
in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Now Universal
and director Olatunde Osunsanmi are introducing
moviegoers to The Fourth Kind, starring Milla
Jovovich, Elias Koteas, and Will Patton about
alleged real life alien abductions in Nome, Alaska.
Now
that The Fourth Kind with Milkla Jovovich is
only two weeks from abducting movie fans in
theaters, it's actually staggering when you
look at how many successful alien themed movies
there have been, or at least have alien elements.
Fans heading to The Fourth Kind in November
need only look to the original versions of The
Day the Earth Stood Still and War of the Worlds
as earlier examples of long ago cinematic fascination
with aliens. Since the 1950s, however, there
have been many more. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull? Aliens. Transformers?
Aliens. Independence Day? Aliens. District 9?
Aliens. Signs? Aliens. E.T.? Absolutely alien.
Alien? ALIEN.
Although
there have been sightings and alien abduction
claims, as The Fourth Kind and Milla Jovovich
explore with alleged real archival footage,
our fascination with aliens and extraterrestrials
is question based since we have no concrete
evidence on a wide, mainstream level. Interestingly,
when TheDeadbolt spoke to UFO authority and
publisher of Legendary Times Magazine, Giorgio
Tsoukalos, the wonderment was flipped toward
the aliens and similar questions extraterrestrials
may have with humans about a higher power beyond
themselves, as Tsoukalos explained. "I am convinced
that also advanced extraterrestrials have the
SAME question as we do in regards to life and
death, and God."