source: Hangar 18

Trailer—Hangar 18

Hangar 18

A Schick Sunn films production, only this takes a different approach; rather than a docudrama style plot, this is more straightforward action thriller, starring Gary Collins and James Hampton as two returning astronauts forced to go on the run after the government decides to cover up a crashed UFO, and the astronauts find that they are expendable... If the story sounds familiar, it's because it was done already(except that was a hoaxed Mars landing) in "Capricorn One", a far superior film, with better writing and pacing, though director James L. Conway does what he can with the material. Darren McGavin plays their good friend at NASA who investigates the alien spacecraft, though is not involved in the murder plot, which is idiotic. Some camp value, but still silly.

Consider some of the flying saucer films we have seen over the years. The occupants speak perfect English, often with American accents to boot. In this film we never get to see the aliens; they have a kind of Satanic presence. Instead we have a control panel that displays photographs of military and civilian installations, weird hieroglyphics, and a synthesised voice that speaks an unknown language. Now that is much better than a couple of humanoids with detectable Boston accents who carry away chloroformed females to father the next generation when they get them home. Robert Vaughn sheds his affable Man from UNCLE image and makes a vicious government agent. This is the only UFO film that I have ever taken seriously.

Granted that this is an old movie, I still decided to give it a chance because of the story that it is dealing with. I didn't have any particular high expectations for the movie before I sat down to watch it, and perhaps it was good that I didn't, because this movie wasn't particularly outstanding or entertaining actually. At best it was a less than mediocre movie experience and I doubt that it actually raised much attention even back in the 80s. The storyline was too generic and predictable to be properly entertaining. And it was frustrating that you could sense whatever was coming a mile away. The cast were doing an adequate job with their granted roles and characters, but they were fighting an uphill battle. I managed to sit through "Hangar 18" to the end, and can honestly say that this is not a movie that I will be revisiting.

Ok, no, this isn't one of the greatest movies of all time by any means, but it does have some very interesting theories and suggestions, ala the "X-Files". If you were between 10-14 during the late 70's and early 80's, you'll remember the movies that dealt with such mysteries as Bigfoot, Noah's Ark, and (didn't this one just scare the be-jesus out of you!) Nostradomas, narrated by Orsen Welles. I think the movie is entertaining, even though it is "dated" by today's standards. I also don't think it's a strech to say this could have been the very birth of the X-Files as we now know it.

One of the most tedious films ever made. Your slowest and worst 6 Million Dollar Man episode moves faster, has better effects, better acting, and better writing. On top of that the film never explains how they got thousands of NASA employees to stay quiet. That's always the fatal flaw in conspiracy theory silliness. You can't even get a gang of three criminals to stay quiet, much less 10,000 people. This is for the same idiots who actually take Ancient Aliens seriously, and not anyone with a functioning brain.

This movie is the first "government conspiracy" flicks I ever saw and frankly it spooked me at the time. The story about the accidental encounter with aliens and the consequent cover-up and framing of the astronauts was as eerie as any later X-Files show. Remember this movie came out in 1980, the only other movie with the concept of government cover-ups at the time was Capricorn One. I'm glad it was made in 1980, if it was done today it wouldn't have had the same punch.

HANGAR 18 is a film that ties together the science fiction film with a government conspiracy thriller but the end result is middling at best. It doesn't help that it's saddled with dull characters, particularly the heroes who are very realistic and 'ordinary' for a couple of astronauts, but unfortunately that means they simply aren't very interesting or charismatic. The opening scenes copying STAR WARS so blatantly are problematic too. The government angle is better, with Robert Vaughn and Darren McGavin on form in support, but the handling of the flying saucer itself is rather dry and lacking in interest - it's handled in a more academic way. There are some requisite chases and explosions towards the end which are handled in a fun way, but this is a film that can be considered average at best.