For a movie that preserves the 2010s type of speculative sci-fi in a 1980s story arc, Watch the Skies delivers quirky Swedish weirdness in a story that makes sense without being saccharine.

If you enjoyed films like Cloak and Dagger and The Last Starfighter in the 1980s, you will find the tropes of shattered families, lost trust, and general lack of faith in ourselves and society to be familiar.

The story line involves a group of Swedish UFO researchers — the entire movie is in perfect English, for reasons not entirely understood here — searching for a UFO that they are tracking through weather patterns.

Like a solid episode of Doctor Who, the storyline deepens as more is revealed about the characters and the science behind their search, while characters are shot through with doubt about their mission and place in life.

With an amazing immersive minimalist soundtrack and strong performances by Swedish actors you may know from more “serious” cinema, this movie keeps action frequent and interesting even if not particularly large events are on the plate.

Every piece of the story is used in parallel against each other, making the script feel more like sifting through chaos to find a core, than pursuing a linear narrative.

Despite having its roots firmly in genres of the past, this movie looks toward the future with a type new century feel, and captures that unique Swedish outlook which is both whimsical and grimly comedic at the same time.

Tags: cinema, sci-fi, Sweden