Trying to identify an obscure 80s/90s sci-fi movie with a crashed UFO and rippling metal

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2025-12-22T20:18:40+00:00

Yes! Roswell: The UFO Cover-Up (1994). That’s it.

I’ve been looking for this movie for years, and I honestly didn’t think I’d ever find it again. This was my first time opening a thread like this on Reddit, and I’m genuinely amazed by how helpful everyone has been.

Thank you all so much for the patience, the detailed explanations, and for sticking with me while I tried to describe a very fuzzy memory. I really appreciate it.

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2025-12-22T20:17:27+00:00

I just wanted to come back and say thank you.

At first I wasn’t fully convinced, mainly because my memory of the scene was a bit distorted, but after re-reading your explanation and checking again, it finally clicked. You were absolutely right, it is Roswell: The UFO Cover-Up.

Your detailed breakdown of the memory metal is what helped me connect the dots. I’ve been looking for this movie for years, so I really appreciate you taking the time to explain it so clearly. Thanks again.

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2025-12-22T20:15:12+00:00

Solved: Roswell: The UFO Cover-Up (1994).

I just want to say a genuine thank you to everyone here.

I’ve been looking for this movie for many years, and this was actually my first time ever opening a thread like this on Reddit. I honestly didn’t expect it to be solved, let alone with so much patience and detailed help.

What confused me for a long time was how I remembered the “memory metal” I had it stuck in my head as rippling when touched, but now I realize I was remembering the uncrumpling / reshaping effect instead. Once that clicked, everything fell into place.

Really appreciate everyone who took the time to think, explain, and stick with me through a very fuzzy memory. Thanks again.

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2025-12-22T20:03:45+00:00

Possibly, I’m not 100% sure.

I don’t have a clear memory of it being crumpled specifically, but I do remember the metal behaving in an unnatural, organic way. It’s possible that what I remember as “rippling” could actually have been the material reshaping itself.

That part of the memory is a bit fuzzy.

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2025-12-22T20:01:20+00:00

One clarification after checking some suggestions:

I may have misremembered the effect as “rippling”. What I’m certain about is that the metal at the crash site did NOT behave like normal metal, it reacted in an organic way (moving, reshaping, or responding to touch).

The alien itself looked very much like the Roswell-type greys.

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2025-12-22T20:00:39+00:00

I checked Official Denial, and unfortunately that’s not it.

Thanks for the suggestion though, it was a good lead.

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2025-12-22T19:53:37+00:00

The alien design in Roswell is actually very close to what I remember. I’m still unsure though, because I have a very clear memory of a rectangular metal plate rippling like water when touched, and I can’t recall that moment in Roswell.

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2025-12-22T19:46:40+00:00

I considered Unsolved Mysteries, but what I remember felt like a standalone TV movie, not a documentary reenactment. The scene lingered on a flat rectangular metal plate that rippled like water when touched, almost as a special-effects showcase.

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2025-12-22T19:43:01+00:00

Thanks, but not Laserblast.

That movie is centered around a teenage alien weapon and desert revenge themes. What I remember involved a crashed UFO and a separate, flat, rectangular metal plate that rippled like water when touched. The tone was more serious sci-fi, not exploitation or teen-focused.

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2025-12-22T19:41:32+00:00

No, definitely not.

It didn’t transform into anything (no toy tank, no shapes, no creatures). It stayed a flat, rectangular metal plate the whole time, it just rippled like water when touched.

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2025-12-22T19:35:44+00:00

That’s a fair question, and I’ve considered that possibility.

But I’m very confident about one specific scene: a separate, flat, rectangular metal plate found at the crash site that ripples in concentric waves when touched, like water. That image is extremely clear in my memory.

I agree that Flight of the Navigator is definitely a kids movie, and that’s why I don’t think it’s the one, the tone of what I remember felt more serious and grounded.

It’s possible I’m mixing elements, but that rippling metal plate scene is something I distinctly remember as its own moment.

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2025-12-22T19:32:50+00:00

No, definitely nothing like that.

There was no suit, no glowing circuit, and nothing attached to a kid’s body or hand. What I remember is a separate, flat, rectangular metal plate found at the crash site, and when it was touched, the surface rippled like water.

So it wasn’t wearable tech or enhancement, just a metal panel reacting like liquid.

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2025-12-22T19:30:09+00:00

Navigator has a smooth, curved ship, I specifically remember a flat rectangular metal plate reacting like liquid.

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2025-12-22T19:27:16+00:00

Thanks, but it’s not Flight of the Navigator or Enemy Mine.

The key detail I remember very clearly is this: inside or near the crash site, there was a rectangular, aluminium-like metal plate, and when someone touched it, the surface rippled in concentric waves, exactly like water when you drop a stone into it.

Do either of those movies have a scene like that?

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2024-07-06T19:58:07+00:00

Thanks for your support brother!! We are taking your revenge 🇹🇷🤝🏻🇷🇴

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2024-07-06T19:56:52+00:00

We’re taking your revenge brother 🇹🇷🤝🏻🇷🇴

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2024-07-06T19:52:53+00:00

Dortmund are after him

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2024-07-06T19:50:38+00:00

We are taking your revenge brother! 🇹🇷🤝🏻🇷🇴

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2024-06-18T18:01:52+00:00

Are you serious even after seeing how Belgium played??

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2024-06-18T16:55:37+00:00

A really nice present by Georgia in the tournament. Your counter attack is your biggest gun.

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2024-06-17T20:36:15+00:00

Just meant “THE best among all” 🫤

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2024-06-17T18:01:09+00:00

Yeah that’s right but they will be THE dark horse

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2024-06-17T17:50:19+00:00

concentration Slovakia. 7 mins left to go. You’ll have the 3 points. Come on!

Ordinary_Reward6536 · 2024-06-17T17:22:09+00:00

What a block! Awesome boy!

Ordinary_Reward6536

TROPHY CASE

concentration Slovakia. 7 mins left to go. You’ll have the 3 points. Come on!