This new Netflix documentary explores what happened when a meme about area 51 went too far

A bar that says "Earthlings welcome, little aleinn" with two alien figures stood outside

(Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix's new documentary Storm Area 51 is released on July 29
It follows what happened when a viral joke went too far and people showed up at the Nevada airbase
This is the latest installment in Netflix's Trainwreck documentary series

I've been so invested in Trainwreck recently. From the unhinged story of Balloon Boy to the upsetting Astroworld tragedy, this series has taken us on a wild ride.

It's about to get even wilder, too, as we explore one of the biggest viral incidents of the past decade. Storm Area 51 is all about a meme that spiraled out of control, resulting in people responding to an online joke invite and then actually showing up at the base.

The base, of course, is highly classified, so the whole affair was very much a trainwreck as the series' name suggests. Take a look at the Netflix trailer below to see what to expect.

Trainwreck: Storm Area 51 | Official Teaser | Netflix - YouTube

Watch On

Why I'm excited for Storm Area 51

A sign that reads "alien rave this way" with an arrow pointing to the right — (Image credit: Netflix)

What isn't there to love about this story? It's as whacky as they come, and I'm excited to get sucked into another incident that shocked the world.

When millions of people responded to the Facebook event invite called "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us", the event's creator, Matty Roberts, had just assumed it would be a meme and nothing more.

Joke events happen all the time, whether it's attending a Prime Minister's "leaving drinks" or other topical references, we've all seen our fair share of events on social media that are quite clearly not meant to be taken seriously.

Unfortunately, Roberts didn't expect people would actually show up at the base, but around 150 people did. Thankfully, it wasn't the millions that responded to the event, but it was enough for it to become newsworthy.

Outside of this, people arranged two music festivals called Alienstock and Storm Area 51 Basecamp, building attractions and encouraging people to attend. The entire situation lasted around 96 hours, and there were seven arrests made.

As someone who spends a lot of time online, I'm keen to understand how the situation spiraled so rapidly, and hopefully get some more insight into how things went down from the people who were there.

Trainwreck has been a great documentary series so far, and I do recommend checking out the other titles on Netflix.

Lucy is a long-time movie and television lover who is an approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. She has written several reviews in her time, starting with a small self-ran blog called Lucy Goes to Hollywood before moving onto bigger websites such as What's on TV and What to Watch, with TechRadar being her most recent venture. Her interests primarily lie within horror and thriller, loving nothing more than a chilling story that keeps her thinking moments after the credits have rolled. Many of these creepy tales can be found on the streaming services she covers regularly.

When she’s not scaring herself half to death with the various shows and movies she watches, she likes to unwind by playing video games on Easy Mode and has no shame in admitting she’s terrible at them. She also quotes The Simpsons religiously and has a Blinky the Fish tattoo, solidifying her position as a complete nerd.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

This new Netflix documentary explores what happened when an internet meme went too far – and people actually showed up at Area 51

Why I'm excited for Storm Area 51

You might also like