Project UFO Review
Director: Kasper Bajon
Date Created: 2025-04-16 23:43
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Project UFO Review: Projekt UFO is a Netflix limited series from Poland combining sci-fi and political drama. The series is directed by Kasper Bajon and stars Piotr Adamczyk, Mateusz Kościukiewicz, Maja Ostaszewska, Julia Kijowska, Adam Woronowicz and others. It consists of only four episodes, each roughly 50 minutes long. When I saw the title, read the description, and watched the trailer, I was prepared for an intense story about the conspiracies surrounding encounters with the otherworldly. But after seeing all four episodes, I scratched my head more than once and wondered what I had just watched.
Project UFO Review
The story unfolds in a small village named Truskasy, where the farmer Jozef Kunik says he saw aliens and even visited their ship. Then it’s a chain of events that kicks in: a TV host scrambling to save his dying show; a ufologist obsessed with water-borne aliens; secret agents, political figures and even a cop with personal demons. It felt like a cool mystery was about to unfold. But then things started getting way too complex.
I’m going to be honest, I didn’t enjoy Netflix’s Project UFO as much as I wanted to. I was expecting something dark or even like Stranger Things, but this was more political satire than sci-fi thriller. The spotlight keeps alternating from character to character, and rather than gaining insight, I just kept having more and more questions.
One of the leads, Jan Polgar, is a TV journalist who wants to get his show back in business. He wants to show that Kunik’s alien story is true. But the harder he digs, the messier everything gets. His affair, envious competitors and government interference all conspired to make things go haywire for him. At one point, I even had some sympathy for him, but by the end he did not appear to be the hero, just a pawn in a bigger game.
Then there is Zbigniew Sokolik, the ufologist who believes aliens come from lakes and oceans rather than outer space. It’s personal for him — the mysterious disappearance of his brother has fuelled his obsession. His story, I actually found a bit more emotional and believable. But the show never really provided clear answers, either. Was he onto something? Or perhaps drowning in their own mind? That’s a thing we never actually learn.
Another complex character was the police officer Julia. She is losing her eyesight and balancing her responsibilities with caring for her daughter, Sara. There were times I admired her strength, both as a single mom and someone trying to do what’s best for her child. But I found some of her decisions puzzling. Arresting Sokolik, Sara’s father, just for a promotion? It felt a bit too harsh, even if her reasons were understandable.
And don’t even get me started on how it ended. I was just stunned that the government uses Kunik’s story to justify putting the country under martial law. It felt absurd. I understand that the show was attempting to say something more profound about politics, the media and how the people in power manipulate information, but the alien aspect of it just felt more like a distraction than a core concept.
To be fair, I believe this Polish series Project UFO, wanted to be making a significant argument: in some cases, the truth is nowhere near as exciting as the lies people prefer to hold in their hearts. The show appears to take aim at the media for pursuing juicy stories without verifying their facts, and it lays bare how governments use fear and confusion to subordinate their citizens. I respect that message. But the delivery was all over the map. It attempted too much at once — sci-fi, history, love triangles, ethics of journalism — and became messy.
On a visual level, the show is attractive. The chilly, shadowy environment of 1980s Poland is a huge bonus as well. The costumes, locations and old-school tech add to its authenticity. The acting is also solid. The actors take their parts seriously, even if their characters are written confusedly. I thought the scenes between Julia and her daughter were particularly striking; they seemed very raw and real.
But if you’re tuning in to this show for extraterrestrials or fun sci-fi stuff, you’re likely to be unhappy. The majority of the so-called “alien” stuff is just people talking or arguing or holding up drawings. There’s no action, no real discovery and, ultimately, no aliens. Just politics. It’s more of a drama about journalists and government shenanigans than a show about alien life.
Summing Up
I thought the Project UFO series had potential, but it didn’t live up to it. The concept was interesting, and there were individual moments with some substance, particularly when it broached the subject of personal pain and ambition, and how people lie to themselves and others. But the narrative was too elaborate, and the payoff was not gratifying. It left me feeling more confused than curious, and I’m still not certain if the aliens were ever real or just a big metaphor.
Project UFO 2025 is now streaming on Netflix.
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