“Millions of people around the world believe we have been visited in the past by extraterrestrial beings. What if it were true? Did ancient aliens really help to shape our history? And if so, what if there were clues left behind, something hiding in plain sight? What if we could find that evidence?”
Ever since Eric von Daniken released his speculative book and its subsequent 1970 film Chariots of the Gods, there has been an entire field of study created around something commonly called Ancient Astronaut Theory. The idea is that extraterrestrials have visited many of our ancient civilizations. The theory continues that these visitors had a hand in shaping our development whether it be through technology or even manipulation of our very DNA. These believers point to a world of evidence to support their claims. There are tons of images from earlier civilizations that could certainly be interpreted as depicting modern devices, concepts, or even spacemen. There is plenty of speculation that some of the knowledge and accomplishments of these peoples could not have been possible without some outside interference. There are even those who believe that aliens best explain our religious beliefs and that God himself was/is an extraterrestrial being. Whatever your own beliefs on the subject, there are certainly some fascinating points to be made. There is no question that the speculations and observations bring up some interesting queries that deserve our attention. This series attempts to document much of this evidence and the beliefs these findings have inspired.
This is a five-part series with each episode running 90 minutes. There is a loose focus for each episode, but you’ll find they do pretty much drift back to many of the common points of emphasis. Here is a list of what you will encounter if you decide to pick up this high-definition release on Blu-ray:
The Evidence:
“Mega-machines cutting through solid rock. The transportation of multi-ton stone blocks. Modern aircraft carrying millions of people each day around the world. And space shuttles sending humans to the stars. But are these examples of modern technology, or is there evidence that these incredible achievements existed on Earth thousands of years ago? Could ancient man have possessed the knowledge far beyond that of our own century? And, if so, where did it come from?”
The episode begins with golden ingots of ancient carvings that appear to depict a modern jet craft. Scientists have examined the aerodynamics of the design in modern wind tunnels and find the design sound for air travel. There have even been flying model replicas constructed. Is this evidence that these pre-Columbian peoples witnessed and even flew modern aircraft? Then there is the old question of the Egyptian pyramids and whether or not there was significant technology in place to make their construction possible. Apparently, some of these constructs are not even possible to reproduce with current technology. There’s even speculation that they were microwave generators, part of a worldwide power grid system. The episode even offers a scientific answer to the Biblical story of manna. There’s talk of a machine that would convert algae into a nutritional substance. The machine would need to be disassembled and serviced each week, thus accounting for the creation of the Sabbath, according to this theory.
The Visitors:
“Reports of UFO sightings come from all corners of the globe. Most believe that alien encounters are a modern phenomenon, but the fact is, they have been reported for thousands of years.”
Of course, any episode that deals with alien visitation has to begin at Roswell. This one takes us through that event and the alien hysteria that was the event’s fallout. The episode examines the likelihood of life existing elsewhere. Then it’s back to ancient times and King Tut’s daddy Akhenaten. Apparently, there has been a ton of speculation that this pharaoh was at least partly alien. He has been depicted as having the almond eyes and elongated face of the common “grays”. Both he and a civilization 1000 miles away called the Dogon claimed to have come from the star Sirius B. The only problem is that the star wasn’t even discovered until the 1970’s and is not visible to the naked eye of early telescopes. Yet these civilizations appeared to know it was there. The episode treats the Martian Meteorite evidence as fact when it is still a hot topic of debate. There are human origin stories from China and Iraq also offered into evidence here. Finally, the episode speculates the possibility that these are not aliens at all, but time travelers from the far-distant future.
The Mission:
“For centuries mankind believed that life only existed here on Earth. But today many scientists agree that we’re not alone.”
This episode no longer explores the “if” aliens visited but turn the focus on the “why”. Various theories are presented. Some believe that aliens came here to mine gold for some issue with their own atmosphere. No real answer is given on how gold could fix an atmosphere, however. Others believe that cattle mutilations prove that these aliens are using the planet as a genetic harvest or hunting ground. There’s speculation that we’re an intergalactic nature preserve, which is why we are still visited but contact isn’t being made. Finally, there is the more common belief that they are merely explorers. It all leads us back to Egypt and evidence of human/animal genetics experiments and the creation of hybrid creatures. Perhaps that explains those nasty anal probes.
Close Encounters:
“Could alien beings have been responsible for Biblical floods, medieval plagues and even ancient nuclear attacks? Might there be evidence of real-life close encounters? “
This episode begins with the American tests of the first atomic bomb to end the second World War. The explosion leads to an examination of the possibility that such weapons existed in ancient times. There are various works of art that can be interpreted as modern warfare. The investigation then leads to the Biblical story of Noah. There is belief that the ark was really a genetic bank and not really the physical collection of all of the animals. The idea is that certain species were selected to continue, and then the planet was flooded to sterilize it for alien species. The episode also talks about the sighting that Christopher Columbus recorded in his log just days before reaching land. It just so happens he was inside the Bermuda Triangle at the time.
The Return:
Space ships over Los Angeles. Body snatchers controlling our minds. ET’s making contact. These and other alien-based scenarios have been the plotlines of countless science fiction movies and television shows. But what if extraterrestrial beings came to Earth tomorrow? Would they signal the birth of a new age of peace and prosperity, or trigger a war of the worlds?”
This episode explores various government investigations and suspected cover-ups of alien visitation. There is speculation that world leaders cover this information up because they fear the knowledge will be devastating to our society. We get a look at SETI programs and NASA’s search for other earth-like planets in the galaxy. The story of the WWII legendary Foo Fighters offers speculation that Hitler had captured a ship and was using its technology. There’s plenty more on Roswell here as is appropriate. Apparently Steven Hawking has warned often that we should avoid seeking contact with alien life. He believes such contact is extremely dangerous. The episode examines the questions of who should be in charge of any contact. The last 10 minutes pretty much goes over old ground and acts more like a summary of the series.
The episodes offer plenty of footage of these discoveries. Experts in the Ancient Astronaut Theory are on hand to offer their thoughts. There is a lot in the show from the following “experts”: Christopher Dunn (Lost Technologies Of Ancient Egypt), David Childress (Technology Of The Gods), Robert Bouval (The Egypt Code), Michael Cremo (Forbidden Archaeology) and, of course Erich von Daniken (Chariots Of The Gods).
Video
Each episode is presented in its original broadcast 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The episodes look rather nice in their 1080p high-definition image presentations made possible through an AVC/MPEG-4 codec with solid bit rate numbers. Much of the footage is documentary style location shoots that carry the obvious limitations. Black levels are solid.
Audio
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 is dialog dominated and offers excellent audio reproduction.
Special Features
For some reason a 6th episode is considered an extra. Interesting.
Final Thoughts:
I don’t really buy into most of what is reported here. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t interesting. It also doesn’t mean that the questions aren’t quite thought-provoking. We all have questions about the ancient world. Without the invention of time travel all that we are left to do is speculate. That doesn’t mean it isn’t fun and entertaining. Definitely check it out. While I did find much of this very interesting, I remain quite skeptical. I do believe life exists somewhere else. I even believe it’s possible we’ve been visited. I’m just not sure I buy the whole Ancient Astronaut Theory. After watching about 9 hours, I’m left with the same question: “Where’s the proof?”
