SKYMAN (Film Review)

                               Starring: Michael Selle, Nicolette Sweeney, Faleolo Alailima

                                                 Directed by: Daniel Myrick

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 The anticipation of what's going to happen can be worse than the actual event itself and in the case of director Daniel Myrick's extraterrestrial feature, Skyman, the audience will see what's coming a mile away...or 95 minutes away if you're counting.

  This "documented events" exhibit takes us inside the mind and world of Mr. Carl Merryweather (Selle), who at the tender age of 10 was the recipient of an alien encounter - people in town had a hard time believing him then and not much has changed almost 30 years later. He firmly believes that "Skyman" (aptly named) will return for him on his 40th birthday and whisk him away to another planet. First off, if your eyes are functioning and they are in the open position for any stretch of this film (which admittedly isn't an easy task), you KNOW what's on the horizon for Mr. Merryweather - no fakin', no makin' this up. Carl then enlists the aid of his sullen sister (Sweeney) and best bud Marcus (Alailima) to tag along to his "prepper" spot in the desert for the final days before his birthday and eventual visitation from his other-galaxy compadre...talk about a nice present to yourself!

 From the moment that adult Carl is introduced to the audience, it's as clear as crystal Pepsi that he's been a little slowed down due to his supposed experience as a child, and it's carried over into his adult life. He's still somewhat of a productive individual (outside of his dogged fixation on reconnecting with Skyman), and he even gets the daily chance to visit his elderly mother in the nursing home... who just happens to think that Carl is "slightly off the tracks" with all this UFO nonsense. Myrick does a good job of presenting his main character in such a light as to not exploit him as a kook or shamed castoff from the populace - he's just a man who still has that childhood wonderment towards an experience that might (or might not) have changed his life many moons ago. The down-side to this presentation is the length of time that's spent laying the story out for us - at times it's as if we the audience are just over Carl's shoulder as he goes about his daily doings, and it can get to be a bit monotonous over the course of 90 minutes.

 If you're looking for that elusive scare-a-minute film you're going to be highly disappointed - Skyman is a character study in its viewed format and the depths of a subculture that many dismiss as a joke. A deeply troubled man looking for answers in an unfulfilled life, or someone who truly knows what's out there and is simply waiting for his chance to hitch a ride and see it first-hand? The end-decision is yours, and while I normally can ring the bell and put a stamp on a film that I'd just as soon not want to revisit again, I'll honestly give this one another chance and see if my take on it moves in a more interstellar direction. The movie is available now at some drive-in theaters across the country and will be making its On-Demand debut on July 7th.

FILM RATING: 2.5 out of 5