Watch the Sky

A deliberate though hollow subversion of early-period Steven Spielberg sci-fi, the family movie Watch the Sky tees up one familiar narrative device after another and cranks each to the border of irony—although not parody. A young boy named Shawn (Miles Muir) is part isolated brainiac, part UFO nerd, and all grieving son following the death of his mother. His father Steve (Luke Albright) is sheriff of their small town and becoming less tolerant of Shawn’s depression-fueled withdrawal from life. Shawn and his indulgent, loving older brother Michael (Karson Kern) set out one day to pasture land where Shawn can conduct an experiment sending a video camera, via balloon, just above the upper atmosphere for glimpses of space. Meanwhile, the mysterious disappearance of a cranky old man leads to an investigation by Steve that seems to point to something unearthly going on (the sudden arrival of zip-mouthed army soldiers certainly suggests that something is up). Steve’s path will ultimately intersect with that of his two sons in writer-director Alexander Murillo’s homage to Spielberg (complete with soaring music in a John Williams style). In more sure hands, this could have been a brash comedy, but this one falters right up through the wildly unsatisfying end. Not recommended. (T. Keogh)