agmtw logo
search

Raël: The Alien Prophet

Raël: The Alien Prophet

7.0

Extraterrestrial intelligent design becomes ludicrous cult movement fodder in this French docuseries

TV Show

France
French
Documentary
2024

TLDR

Basically, take the standard cult story, and just add aliens and human cloning to the mix.

What it's about

After an alleged encounter with an extraterrestrial race called the Elohim, former sports journalist Claude Vorilhon becomes Raël, leader of the UFO cult known for dabbling in human cloning, amongst other controversies.

The take

Stories about cults have fascinated viewers because of how absurd their ideas can get… And how easy these ideas can lure in lost and broken people. Plenty of these cults tend to stick with ideas that sound similar with the world’s major religions, but not many claim to be able to clone humans. Raël: The Alien Prophet plays out like the regular cult playbook, with a regular man suddenly amassing riches, power, and fame through charisma, and abusing his followers to obtain more, but the show keeps the viewers’ interest by primarily focusing on what sets the movement apart: the aliens and the human cloning.

What stands out

Raël doesn’t stand out from plenty of other cult leaders, aside from two things– One, his authority doesn’t come from God, but rather, from extraterrestrial beings; Two, with aliens being misinterpreted as divine beings, it’s easy for him to adapt his scams as he bounces (or is chased out of) country to country. Cults are scary enough, but Raël seems especially menacing because of how global his ideas can spread.

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

One Hundred Years of Solitude

An ambitious mini-series that succeeds in adapting the classic magic realist novel

8.0

Say Nothing

A powerful take on the Northern Ireland conflict that smartly shows all sides

8.5

Pretend it’s a City

A wildly entertaining series of interviews with a New York legend

9.2

Unorthodox

A well-acted fact-based thriller about untangling the grip of a close-knit community

8.5

Escape at Dannemora

Based on a true prison escape story, this slow-burn suspense thriller features once-in-a-lifetime performances by a star-studded cast

9.3

Wild Wild Country

Almost too outrageous to be true – this captivating true crime docuseries tells the unlikely story of an Indian cult in America

9.8

The Sticky

Margo Martindale stands out in this true-story-based Canadian maple syrup heist

7.1

The Looming Tower

A well-written thriller miniseries about the rivalry between the CIA and the FBI and how they failed to prevent 9/11.

8.1

Unbelievable

Critics lauded the angle and feminist edge of this grim true crime miniseries.

8.8

Patriot

This unique anti-spy drama is one of Amazon Prime's hidden gems

9.0

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.