The 'gizmo'

I always figured the beginning scene with the crashed alien space ship was based on the Roswell incident, and the military facility they were at was Area 51. I'm guessing the "engine" they pulled from the vessel, or the "gizmo" as it was later called, was what enabled the aliens to travel great distances across space. The craft would create a time-space warp, or loop-hole to get to wherever they wanted to go in a short amount of time, or even instantaneously. The general physics of how the gizmo created and absorbed energy in order for the ship to move around was the "advanced alien technology" Bob was referring to. What does everyone else think? Am I on the same page here with this movie?