Ancient Aliens (TV Series) Chariots, Gods and Beyond (2009) User Reviews

A really fascinating topic presented in a well made film.

[TxMike · 28 October 2009]

I have not read the book upon which much of this is based, but from childhood I have always wondered about the sky. What's up there, way up there. I remember as a youngster looking up in the night sky to try to catch a glimpse of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite launched by our modern civilization.

But what if there were aliens visiting Earth thousands of years ago? Suppose the ancient Biblical accounts of things from Heaven were really Ancient Aliens in rocket-powered space ships? This film addresses all those possibilities and many more. The number of unexplained structures, all over the world, some built with engineering and tools thought to be impossible thousands of years ago. Ancient drawings and writings.

Those on the side of visits by aliens are very sure of their theories and are absolutely convinced that aliens are the explanations for many mysteries. Those who remain skeptics have their own, seemingly sound, reasons. The film presents viewpoints on both side.

My Masterpiece number 136 !!!

[elo-equipamentos · 10/10 · 10 September 2019]

This opening episode couldn't be more appropriate, the high father of the all theorists of the Ancient Aliens, Erich Von Daniken, this Swiss man shocked the world with his revolutionary book "Chariots of the Gods?" in my last year on school was the very first time that I hear about this magnificent work, which changes the world, I was thrilled when I hear such bold theory, years later I finally bought the infamous book, ever since all my questions somehow were answered, in this episode was centered in this iconic writer, how he has been developed his theory and how it scattered through Europe and later the whole world, starting on Andes Range overflying all those incredible Incas lines, and giants animals designs which just can be seen from above, something like several airports, after that Machu Pitchu, many Pyramids on Mexico and Egypt and India, the best episode that introduces just to "open minds" a new approach of this new theory, fabulous and unsurpassable series!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2019 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD-R / Rating: 10

Ancient Aliens - Ancient questions

[trausti-hraunfjord · 10/10 · 27 August 2009]

As a child of 6 years, I read Eric Von Daniken's book "Were the gods astronauts", and it captured my sci-fi interested mind, lasting to this day, almost 40 years later. In the following years I had read everything I could possibly find written by, and about Eric and Charles Berlitz and others who went onto the same path. Both positively charged towards the ideas set forth by Eric, and also the negative reviews.

The questions asked back then, have still not been answered, rather more questions have been put forth, as time has revealed more mysteries, more strange and inexplicable ruins and artifacts. Traditional archeology does not offer credible explanations, mostly, as I see it, because of religious indoctrination of societies.

How I would have loved seeing this program as a child... I will ensure that my children will watch and listen... and hopefully also get the books and read everything they can come across on this subject.

I went to the Nazca plateau a few years back, for the first time... after moving to Peru from Iceland/Scandinavia, and I was really impressed by the lines. A lot of INSANE theorists, claiming the lines to be water-ways... were flushed down the toilet the day I stood ON the lines with my own feet. Such theorists have no freaking idea about what they are talking about. Probably they live in their grandmother's basement, never seeing the light of day, never having had any real dealings with nature or real life. "Nerds"... would be too kind a description for them. I went to Nazca again earlier this year, bringing my parents with me, since this was also a location they were very much interested in... and they were impressed.

Some things need to be experienced, but any and every beginning is OK through information, and this program is better than most, especially taking in consideration our times of visual materialism.

If you come across this title, grab it and watch it. This is a keeper.

This documentary was awful, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

[skyfire95 · 1/10 · 25 December 2009]

To tell the truth, I spend most of the time either laughing at this or getting annoyed with the absolute stupidity and the obvious way they were grasping at the tiniest little things.

I am currently studying archaeology and even though I do not know a great amount about everything in this documentary, I know enough to immediately know that a great deal of this was greatly out of date. I had assumed that this was made many years ago and was completely amazed to see that it was made this year. Sure not everything can be proved without a doubt but for several things shown in this documentary, archaeologists are rather confident in their explanations for them.

I also found this documentary very insulting to ancient peoples. It made it seem like those ancient civilizations could never even possibly make any of the ancient structures without the help of aliens. For example, the Egyptians and the pyramids, the Mayan's and their pyramids, and the Nazca lines. Why is it not possible that these peoples were more than capable of making these things without outside help? Sure it does seem like a great amount of technology but technologies have been lost before.

I don't deny that there might indeed be aliens somewhere in the universe, it seems rather egotistical to believe that we are completely alone actually. But what's to say that if there are aliens they have a greater technology than we do? And why would they bother helping us in the past and not now?

Good subject; poor production insulting to viewer's intelligence

[mark-lauritsen · 2/10 · 7 March 2010]

While this two hour show's ostensible purpose is to provide evidence of ancient aliens, it only succeeds due to the strength of the show's central protagonists, Erich von Daniken and Giorgio Tsoukalos. Von Daniken has been an ancient astronaut/alien researcher for 45 years and is author of 26 books on the subject. Tsoukalos is the director of Von Daniken's Center for Ancient Astronaut Research. Other ancient astronaut experts are quoted in the show including David Childress, Michael Cremo, Jason Martell, Dr. Luis Navia and Barry Downing.

Prometheus Entertainment produced the show for The History Channel. Prometheus' selection for producer and writer, however, detract from the show's writing, narration and choice of antagonists. Their total lack of knowledge with the subject matter seriously detracts from the show, especially in the second hour.

In spite of Von Daniken's background, both the producer and writer work to discredit him throughout the show. The producer, Kevin Burns (Playboy's "Girls Next Door", "Lust in America") has no production or writing background to qualify him for this show. The same can be said for the writer, Rob Hampton ("Gong Show" & "Let's Make A Deal" anniversary shows, Monsterama video compilations ("Witches Dungeon" et. al.)).

The producers include such scientific gems as this: a randomly polled, twenty-something woman is asked her opinion about ancient aliens (off camera), and offers: "I can't imagine, I don't know, I'm not sure..." Another randomly polled man is asked the same and responds, "I mean who knows - many things are lost in antiquity, we just have shreds..." This in light of the TONS of evidence Von Daniken has produced in his 26 books, not to mention the TONS of things NOT lost in antiquity that are CARVED IN STONE and WRITTEN IN ANCIENT PRESERVED TEXTS. Oh, who knows? Obviously, the producer and writer show they know next to nothing themselves, and learned nothing nor cared to learn anything while making the show, other than how to make a fast buck.

The narration is just as bad scattered throughout the show. Comments are included from a choice skeptic - Mohawk-haired Todd Disotell, PhD, then NYU "Molecular Primatologist", today a self-described evolutionary, tropical "ant hunter" and biologist at Rice University in Houston. His antagonistic contributions to the show are pathetic, revealing his total ignorance of the subject matter with the inclusion of this gem: "My colleagues & I... we have never discussed ancient astronaut theory in any credible way whatsoever." Duh! The producer and writer had their collective head in the sand! From another scientist ignorant in the subject: "People want to believe that they (aliens) are out there...)" Oh, yeah, and this from his recollection of his watching the X-Files twenty years ago. His myth supports is the invalid 'theory' (non-scientific itself) that all sightings are really mis-perceptions of natural phenomena or conventional aircraft, and that these mis-perceptions are the result of the witness's ignorance, emotional state, or psychological health, or caused by unusual environmental conditions adversely affecting an individual's perception. All that is the old UFO debunker's line initiated and perpetuated by the US Air Force and their Project Blue Book report, already confessed to be false by its now retired military chief and author! So the "debunkers" here offer nothing but bunk themselves, which lowers the IQ rating of this show considerably. But then this History Channel show is offered as entertainment. What a waste of film, production and money! I for one will be less likely to watch shows on their channel anymore.

There is so much recorded, scientific evidence available today (ancient and current), and so many qualified, outstanding, recorded eyewitness accounts to confirm the producer's idea that there could be JUST-ONE-REAL-SCIENTIFICALLY-Proved-UFO-SIGHTING, but the producer & writer's lack of knowledge has resulted in a show that insults the viewers intelligence instead. Unquestionably, Von Daniken's proof stands on its own merit, along with many other new, archaeological finds world-wide in the past 2 decades. Those attempting to debunk the subject today are, in fact, the ignoramuses. How did ancient civilizations produce maps of our solar system -- Sun & planetary orbits? Subterranean Antarctica not covered in ice? The land bridge to South America, etc? Then go search for and view the many NASA-Alien / NASA-UFO videos on YouTube.com and see the plain evidence for yourself what is no longer hidden.

NASA's astronauts have published interviews of their mission sightings of UFOs around Earth, on the way to the Moon, and ON the Moon. Space Shuttle & International Space Station astronauts have video documentation of literally hundreds of UFOs, and see them every day. (See for yourself at www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlLN_Jcg1pc). We don't need to wait for "government disclosure" or stand for namby-pamby TV shows that pussy-foot around the subject.

Today, governments and military (primarily the U.S., not foreign) hiding this information are the ignorant ones, not the citizens who have seen it with their own eyes. If the reader of this review is uninformed, please see the Disclosure Project document gallery and National Press Conference Briefing (www.disclosureproject.org), the Report on UFOs authored by the former chief of Project Blue Book (www.nicap.org/rufo/contents.htm), and Project Camelot (www.projectcamelot.org).

A final note: "If we are to have the rich cultural, social and economic future that seems to disclose itself just ahead of where we are not, government must admit the reality of the visitors and encourage study of them. If it continues to stonewall the situation, the loss to mankind, already tragic, will certainly deteriorate even further. -- Whitley Strieber Mark Lauritsen, Dallas, Texas

A better explanation

[glob077 · 1/10 · 28 August 2009]

I too read Von Daniken's Chariots of the Gods, and not knowing any better, thought it was a viable explanation for ancient advanced technology. That is, till I read Secrets of the Lost Races by Rene Noorbergen. In a nutshell, Noorbergen shows how evidence of advanced technology (ooparts, or out of place artifacts) is better explained by our ancestors being more technologically advanced than we are, and that the human race has actually degenerated since then, rather than 'evolved' to a higher state of being. Secrets of the Lost Races should still be available on Amazon, as well as used if you do a search. A great read.