Just yesterday, in my review of The Glass Dome, I complained about how most made-for-streaming shows lack visual excitement and energy. And now, here's Project UFO (original title: Projekt UFO) saying to me, "Well, you are not entirely right." Kasper Bajon, the writer/director/creator of this series, has a fine visual style. The world he has created in Project UFO feels deliberately off and soberly loony. The jokes don't come rushing towards you. They are, in fact, strangely subdued, which is why you don't laugh much while watching this series. I would go as far as to say that one could express serious doubts before labeling Project UFO as a "comedy." The quirky touches - two women drinking Coca-Cola, a sex scene that gives you the impression that the camera was placed on a seesaw, two hotel receptionists so lost in their world having "fun" that they fail to notice a character - can often come across as shiny embellishments. Consider them a spice that tries to bring taste to a bland dish because Bajon knows how to film his series visually, but doesn't know how to shape his material coherently.
Project UFO takes its inspiration from the Emilcin Abduction. Apparently, in May 1978, a farmer, Jan Wolski, was abducted by the aliens. He was driving a horse-drawn cart when two green-faced entities attacked him. With these otherworldly creatures on board, Wolski arrived at a clearing where he saw a large object hovering. What's more, a monument has been erected in the place where the abduction took place (there is a photo on the Wikipedia page). Bajon takes creative liberties with this real-life story. Firstly, he changes the setting from Emilcin to Truskasy. Second, the name of the farmer in the show is Josef, not Jan Wolski. Bajon, though, doesn't put his show within the confines of the UFO sighting. He extends the scope of his story by including PRL-era events (the emergence of the independent labor union Solidarity and the martial law imposed to suppress it) and a commentary about the role of media in influencing the public. Basically, the news channels - the media people - love sensational stories because it give them good TRP. Who knew? Jan Polgar (Piotr Adamczyk), the host of a television show called Close Encounters, gets into a professional conflict with Zbigniew Sokolik (Mateusz Kościukiewicz), a ufologist who believes aliens live in the Bermuda Triangle. According to the latter, since the aliens exist in the water, the term USO (Unidentified Submersible Object) should be more suitable. Jan doesn't want to lose his show to a hypnotist, and Sokolik and Jan's mistress, Wera Wierusz (Maja Ostaszewska), try to sabotage Jan professionally. You see, everybody wants to glow in the spotlight.
Bajon, unfortunately, doesn't flesh out his characters and their motivations convincingly. All the above-mentioned things give rise to no real sense of drama or conflict. Bajon seems content with the mere societal and political implications suggested by the script. With Project UFO, the writer-director tells us how our leaders use news channels to distract our attention from the main topic. While Jan and Sokolik debate about aliens and try to validate the farmer's story, a hunger strike goes on in the background, which indicates that the main characters have messed up priorities. Bajon, though, isn't able to produce humor - or anything - from this point. He fails to effectively juxtapose one thing with the other thing, which is why you don't strongly react to the message of this series. Alas, without a gripping story, Bajon's eccentric images feel empty. Nonetheless, the three female actors - Ostaszewska, Julia Kijowska, and Marianna Zydek - keep you watching. Ostaszewska exudes seductive energy, Kijowska has crazy eyes, and Zydek looks deliciously unhinged when she smiles. Their roles are unmemorable and thin, but the performances are wild and energetic. These actors imbue Project UFO with a pleasantly alluring charm. Without them, Bajon's sci-fi/comedy/drama would have been utterly mechanical, anemic, and stodgy.
Final Score- [3.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times