“Alien Autopsy: (Fact Or Fiction?)” is a documentary looks at “The Alien Autopsy”, a video released in 1995 that claims to show the autopsy of an alien creature. It has since been conclusively proven to be nothing more than an elaborate hoax.

Jonathan Frakes (“Star Trek: First Contact”) hosts this documentary that explores the mystery surrounding the alleged U.F.O. crash near Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. This includes investigating the legitimacy of a video of an alien autopsy by speaking to a wide variety of experts as well as those claiming to be witnesses of what happened in Roswell. The viewer is then encouraged to draw their own conclusions.

Jonathan Frakes is enjoyable as the host. Interviewees include forensics experts as well as a military cameraman, who filmed American nuclear tests. By far the most intriguing interview is the one with Stan Winston, famous for his special effects work on dozens of films including “Jurassic Park” and “Alien”. He claims to be impressed by the special effects work if the footage is faked, feeling that what is onscreen is as good if not better than anything he had done in Hollywood. The interviews with the alleged witnesses and Roswell locals are not very convincing. Ray Santilli, the man responsible for the video’s distribution is briefly questioned. He is now believed to have been responsible for faking the footage.

“Alien Autopsy: (Fact Or Fiction?)” may have served a purpose back when it was released but now that we know for certain that the footage was phony, there is little point in watching this. The footage itself never looked very convincing to me as the alien looks like a dummy and way too similar to the stereotypical alien that we have seen in countless films, tv shows and videogames. This is an interesting time capsule but nothing more than that.