REVIEW: ‘Calling All Earthlings’
The Integratron dome in Landers, California, from Calling All Earthlings, a feature documentary about the Integratron, 2018. Photo courtesy of Calling All Earthlings press kit / Provided by Big Time PR with permission.
Calling All Earthlings, the new documentary from director Jonathan Berman, explores the life, legacy and influence of George Van Tassel, a man who claimed to have created an electromagnetic time machine in the middle of the 20th century. There was also talk of UFO visits, Nikola Tesla, Howard Hughes and raising one’s consciousness.
Van Tassel eventually founded what has been described as a UFO cult, for enthusiasts and believers in his controversial ideas. His lasting impression in the world is a white-domed structure known as the Integratron, which actually still stands in Landers, California, near the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park.
No doubt the Integratron is a hotspot for conspiracy theorists and fans of roadside attractions, but unfortunately the details of the building itself are muddled in the documentary. There are many anecdotes about the man and his building, but the impetus and mission for this alternative community remain cloaked in mystery and confusion, even after spending 80 minutes listening to many local residents.
Most of the film features interviews with folks who have been influenced by Van Tassel. There is a group of sisters who run the Integratron as a retreat house with sound-bath performances. There is the son-in-law and grandson of Van Tassel, plus a variety of local healers, followers and historians. And, for some reason, Eric Burdon, lead singer of the Animals, pops up to offer a few quotes about his own attraction to the Southern California community surrounding the Integratron (he doesn’t talk about Van Tassel or the cult, so there doesn’t seem to be a connection).
Everyone’s quotes are pulled together into a quilt of talking heads, and taken together, they simply don’t add up to much. There’s never a clear and understandable monologue about Van Tassel and his life. As soon as historical background is offered, a subject begins meandering into other thoughts.
These meanders are interesting — maybe for the first 20 minutes — but after talks of drugs, men in black, military testing, poison, FBI reports, Tesla, alchemy and UFO conventions, the many theories and beliefs get jumbled and difficult to decipher.
Berman presents the subjects with no subtext or satire. He is not after humiliation or acceptance; his film is one of true documentation. That is laudable in some ways, although some of the theories deserve some pushing back with evidence or investigation. For example, it would be fairly easy to ask some questions about the nearby military base and their testing of bombs throughout the years. Without any official word on what goes on, the only remaining quotes are one-sided and from these few local residents who have their own spin on science and reality.
Calling All Earthlings follows several documentaries in recent years that look at alternative communities and cults, but this one doesn’t dig deep enough. Most of what is revealed could be easily ascertained from, say, Wikipedia or the official Integratron website.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Calling All Earthlings (2018), directed by Jonathan Berman, is currently available on VOD. Running time: 77 minutes. Rating: 
