My quick rating - 4.8/10. In 2010 “Skinwalker Ranch” gained media attention after experiencing a wide range of unexplained phenomena. Reports ranged from UFO sightings to livestock mutilation, but maybe most notable was the disappearance of ranch owner Hoyt Miller’s eight-year-old son Cody on November 11, 2010. Close to a year later, Modern Defense Enterprises has sent a team of experts to document and investigate the mysterious occurrences, which only escalate upon their arrival. Tensions rise as the team must decide how far they will go to unlock the mysteries of “Skinwalker Ranch.” The group debates whether the answers are worth risking their lives for, or if they should just call off the investigation and leave the ranch assuming leaving is actually an option. I am not typically a fan of this first-person style and the fake documentary has to be done right to be entertaining. This flick sits on the "so damn close" on both accounts to actually being damn good. The buildup and background is well done and presented in a very believable manner. The narrative as it is explained grabs your attention if you are a fan of the whole UFO and supernatural genre. After it gets going though, it loses that pseudo-realism and starts taking weird turns for no apparent reason. The characters become assholes and the story takes turns that can only be done to attempt more tension and the cost of reasonable. The camera work is one of the strong points since the multiple shots from different spots on the ranch are used well to keep us involved. The acting though ranges from passable to awfully and never in the upward swing. That is one big deterrent from this being a more recommended flick. In short, it has some good ideas, even tossed in on a hidden tape, and some really nice camera work but it just travels a weird path with some bad acting to balance out the mediocre affair.
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