By George & Josh Bate
When The X-Files premiered in 1993, Chris Carter’s television series compelled as a sci-fi-tinged political conspiracy show, detailing two FBI agents’ investigations into the paranormal and, more specifically, the presence of aliens on Earth. The series, which starred David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, had a somewhat serious tone, approaching the subject matter with sincerity rather than silliness (for the most part).
That tone continued for the initial seasons of The X-Files, but the show eventually branched out to include plenty of episodes that leaned more into comedy. Many of these, like Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space,’ ‘Small Potatoes,’ and ‘Mulder and Scully Meet the Weremonster’ became some of the most beloved of the entire show, highlighting the success that The X-Files could have when it combined the supernatural with humor.
In particular, this victory showed just how much alien stories could work with an unexpectedly humorous tone. From this, a whole subgenre was born, with movies and shows that simultaneously aimed to tell a story that was both funny and conspiracy theory-esque. That’s the case for Into the Sky, which made its world premiere at this year’s Fantastic Fest and has quickly ascended to be among our favorites of the festival.
Into the Sky follows a man who is plagued by alien abductions. The man, named Bobby and played by Sam Richardson (Veep, Ted Lasso), has seen his life fall apart as his wife, Brittany, left him and already moved out of the house (and rented it on Air BnB) when he got out of a stay in a psychiatric hospital. Renting the house is a tenant, Nico, played by Sofia Black D’Elia, with whom Bobby develops a relationship. At the same time, he also reluctantly befriends another alien abductee, Jaden (the excellent David Cross), and the two seek to get to the bottom of their shared troubles. Concurrently, Bobby agrees to pose as a high end music festival producer for Nico in front of her family, who she’s desperate to impress (and, even more importantly, have them get off her back).
The story itself is reminiscent of some of the classic comedic episodes of The X-Files, and is clearly inspired by Chris Carter’s show. Arguably the most important thing when combining aliens and humor is getting the balance right; some of the best entries in The X-Files managed to tell a story that audiences were invested in, but one that also provided plenty of laughs and entertainment along the way. That’s the main challenge for Into the Sky, but one that it largely succeeds with.
Unlike The X-Files, which tended to lean slightly more towards the aliens in these episodes, Into the Sky goes in the other direction, embracing the comedy ever so slightly more. That decision proves to be the correct one for this particular story, as the film’s alien abductee story is, while perfectly serviceable (and very entertaining), something that most audiences have likely seen before. However, combining that story with a vibrant sense of humor is something that hasn’t been done as often, especially not since The X-Files left screens in 2018, which adds to the novelty of Into the Sky.
One thing that always greatly helped The X-Files is the magnetic performances from David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Together, the duo were able to rescue even the most mundane and, quite frankly, boring of episodes into something perfectly watchable. Through excellent direction and a sharp screenplay from Drew Mylrea and Evan Wolf Buxbaum, Into the Sky excels far beyond the watchable category. The film hardly has a lull as it progresses from joke to joke and plot beat to plot beat seamlessly and with a flow and proclivity for pacing most films could only aspire to. And, even if the film struggled in this regard, the performances from Sam Richardson and David Cross would be more than enough to make up for any misgivings.
There are slight stumbles in Into the Sky, though. In particular, while the balance in story and tone feels just right, it’s important to note that there are several plot lines running at once. The main two are the alien abduction story and Bobby and Nico’s elaborate trickery with the latter’s family. If those two sound completely disconnected from one another, that’s because they are. Of course, these two stories do intersect with one another, but they are still so vastly different from each other that it feels a tad jarring at times, especially in the film’s first act.
But again, what makes up for dysconnectivity between plot strands are the stellar, perfectly tonally attuned performances across the board. Richardson is his usual self – a charming yet slightly frazzled character with a big and undeniably lovable on-screen presence. David Cross similarly gives a classic performance fans of his have grown accustomed to, playing a hero that is as bizarre and he is likable. Sofia Black-D’Elia arguably has the hardest role of all the main cast, however, as her character (and storyline) is much more grounded than the alien tale. D’Elia does well to take all that in her stride, playing Nico with believability and sincerity, even amidst the flashier elements of the story.
VERDICT: 8/10
Making its world premiere at this year’s Fantastic Fest, Into the Sky is a comedic sci-fi film clearly inspired by The X-Files, particularly its beloved episodes that successfully combined supernatural stories with humor. Following alien abductee Bobby (Sam Richardson) as he befriends fellow abductee Jaden (David Cross) while becoming entangled in Nico’s (Sofia Black-D’Elia) elaborate family deception, the film balances an alien conspiracy story with vibrant comedy and strong character-driven and tonally attuned performances. While its disconnected plotlines can feel slightly jarring, especially in the first act, excellent direction, a sharp screenplay, seamless pacing, and stellar performances keep the film entertaining throughout. Richardson brings a charming yet frazzled presence, Cross delivers a bizarre but likable performance, and Black-D’Elia grounds the story with believability and sincerity. Ultimately, Into the Sky overwhelmingly succeeds in getting the balance between aliens and humor right, offering a fresh and highly entertaining take on a familiar alien-abduction story that culminates in one of our favorite films of Fantastic Fest 2026.