Extraordinary: The Revelations Quicktake: Experiencers & Whistleblowers Go on the Record
Extraordinary: The Revelations doesn’t waste any time diving into a high-stakes world of UFOs and alien life. According to the film, human-alien hybrids are here on earth blending into society. And this alien presence poses a threat, unlike anything humanity has ever faced.
At least that’s one of the prominent theories explored in director Jon Sumple’s third entry in the Extraordinary documentary series. The Revelations steps back to give the UFO phenomenon historical context before examining the subject from three points of view.
Extraordinary: The Revelations Video Review
To prove that UFO encounters aren’t anything new, The Revelations takes viewers back to the dawn of civilization. The film reveals a series of prehistoric cave paintings showing what looks like piloted aircraft right alongside conventional images of people and wildlife.
Most peculiar are the Wandjina cave paintings which are part of Australian Aboriginal mythology. With their pale skin, big heads, and large eyes, Wandjina depictions bear an uncanny resemblance to what we know as grey aliens.
The history buffs in the film argue that these ancient cultures weren’t crafting fairytales, and they only recreated events they experienced.
Throughout recorded history, people have always noticed strange objects in our skies. The ancient Romans wrote of large shields moving through the air and some renaissance paintings feature people staring up at mysterious airships. These historical artifacts are fascinating regardless of how you feel about the reality of UFOs and alien life. And The Revelations is at its best as it contextualizes these mysteries.
The film lands on shakier ground once it starts theorizing about the nature of the UFO phenomenon. The film shifts from parsing over historical artifacts to diving down conspiracy theory rabbit holes.
The UFO community is anything but a monolith. However, the film sorts everyone from researchers to true believers into three camps: biblical, ascension, and colonization.
Biblical
The biblical perspective believes aliens were the inspiration for religious texts. Biblical tales of a virgin birth (artificial insemination), disembodied voices (telepathy), and angelic sky beings (UFOs) sound like aspects of what people now report as alien abductions. The Revelations tells us our ancestors mistook ancient aliens for gods and worshiped them as religious figures.
Ascension
The ascension paradigm looks at aliens as cosmic brothers intent on helping our species reach the next stage of evolution. Interviewee Mary Rodwell, a hypnotherapist and author, believes ET wants to enlighten humanity. People in Rodwell’s camp think nonhuman intelligence is here guiding a shift in our collective consciousness.
These folks believe that alien encounters spark spiritual evolution, even if abductions are traumatic at first. After working through their initial fear, many alleged abductees claim to reach a point where they appreciate the alien presence in their lives. In the end, they consider themselves fortunate experiencers rather than victimized abductees.
Viviane Chauvet, a subject in the doc, claims she is a biological hybrid born of a human mother and alien father. Chauvet says she’s here to help humanity ascend with her special knowledge and expertise. We’re also told earth is one of many planets that aliens have guided in this way.
That’s a bold claim that the film can’t back up. It doesn’t even bother trying. You’re asked to casually accept what would be the most important scientific discovery in history. The movie drops this bit of info with the nonchalance of someone listing their skills on a LinkedIn profile.
Chauvet fires off plenty of mumbo jumbo without detailing how she will usher in this new reality. She drops jargony terms about indoctrination, collective consciousness, and false paradigms without getting into the nitty-gritty of how this works. Would she share her special knowledge in a Ted Talks tour or put her expertise to use volunteering with Habitat for Humanity? We have to wait and see.
Colonization
Not every UFO researcher thinks aliens are here for our benefit. The film’s colonization narrative sees the alien presence as an imminent threat. Humanity evolved through conflict, with aggressive cultures dominating their foes. The colonization paradigm assigns this human trait to ET visitors while insisting their hostile takeover is already underway.
David Jacobs has been a key figure in the UFO community since the ‘70s. Jacobs has written several books on alien abduction and conducted over 750 hypnotic regressions on abductees. Jacobs’ research suggests an alien presence is here on earth methodically replacing humanity. He believes that alien hybrids passing for humans are working their way into society.
Jacobs is proud of his work but suggests he may have lived a jauntier life had he not spent decades looking into this bleak reality. Again, the doc breezes over a monumental statement without examining what it means on a personal level. How does Jacobs engage with the world once he goes home, loosens his tie, and tosses his blazer over the back of a chair?
To believe everything Jacobs says is to live life like your head is on the chopping block. How does someone make it through the day thinking aliens have invaded earth? Would you drink yourself to death or suffer through depressive episodes on a weekly basis? Or would you dedicate every minute of the day to warning people about the impending threat?
The movie’s final section questions the US government’s disclosure agenda and calls out a longstanding UFO coverup. The doc touches on well-tread conspiracy theories like covert Nazi UFO programs, CIA disinformation campaigns, and President Truman’s knowledge of the alien presence.
The Revelations features former military personnel who claim to have insider knowledge about secret programs like Project Moondust. These men go on the record about remote viewing programs, crash retrievals, and even how soldiers acted as liaisons for alien beings. Their tales sound straight out of a Spielberg flick, and all we have to go on is their word. Their tales make intriguing stories and not much else.
The Revelations is the most entertaining entry in the Extraordinary series. Sumple took the series’ production values up several notches. This installment features a pulsing score, slick b-roll, and authoritative narration by radio personality and UFO community staple Jimmy Church.
Like any UFO doc worth its salt, The Revelations features a large cast of ufology experts, including Richard Dolan, George Noory, Nick Pope, and Melinda Leslie. Most importantly, the film presents a broader investigation of UFOs and nonhuman intelligence than the series’ previous entries.
Extraordinary: The Revelations doesn’t break new ground on the subject or reveal info deserving of its declarative title. But it is by far the most compelling entry in Sumple’s Extraordinary series.
The doc is aimed at a specific slice of the UFO community. It’s packed with the type of far-out theories and wild speculation that won’t make the evening news. Even though the film doesn’t feature any skeptical voices, it does explore the topic from clashing points of view, something too many docs in this field refuse to do.
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