Encounter

Encounter is bugged-out science fiction paranoia, stylish and sinewy, with an opening sequence that may have you bolting for the door, or at least the remote control.

It’s a surprisingly meaty work that works on several levels at once.

Riz Ahmed takes Encounter a long way. But he can't single-handedly carry a film that never quite figures out what it wants to be — stark sci-fi paranoia? Psychological family drama? Desert road-trip apocalypse?

As the film reveals its intentions around Ahmed’s character, too many scenes rely on superficial dialogue and contrived situations to push the plot along.

Encounter is a tense, and stylish thriller with some excellent performances, but it’s dragged down by a lack of focus and pointless tangents.

If Pearce weren’t so heavy-handed, if were just self-aware enough to know how to connect character with metaphor, then Encounter, a flawed sci-fi flick with a simple premise, could be a great adventure fit for the stars.

It all adds up to less than we hoped, though Pearce’s direction is never less than confident.

(Mauro Lanari) Once the initial long shifting of genres has been overcome, the film expresses well a couple of things not taken for granted about the intergenerational relationship: children can save their parents by learning from them to discern the good from the inner demons.

One of the keys to making a successful thriller is the ability to sustain the suspense long enough to hold viewer interest. That's especially true in a sci-fi context, where maintaining the level of mystery and intrigue can definitely create an engrossing edge-of-the-seat quality. However, this requires a delicate degree of balance; dragging on matters too long can try the audience's patience, while playing one's hand too soon can shortchange those who paid good money to see an engaging cinematic experience. Regrettably, director Michael Pearce's second feature succumbs to the latter, leading to a protracted (and sometimes over-the-top) end run in which much of the deliberate ambiguity that makes the picture's opening sequence interesting is prematurely dispelled. The film thus arrives at its big reveal at a point where a little more narrative tease is called for (and would have made for a much better picture). Riz Ahmed delivers yet another fine lead performance, backed by the fine supporting work of two young actors, Lucian-River Chauhan and Aditya Geddada, along with some excellent (though occasionally derivative) camera work. Unfortunately, that's not enough to save this vehicle from itself. Indeed, the temptation to shoot the works may be exhilarating, but sometimes (as here) a little restrained patience can go a long way to telling a better and much more compelling story.

The cinematography is phenomenal, acting great, sound design amazing, editing fabulous, but jeez, what was the point of half the movie? I understand what they're trying to convey but it was delivered horribly. It had so much potential to be something else, but wasted it. The ending was decent, though.

Totally liberal propaganda story telling disguised with mix of aliens/PTSD/mental health; where all white man are crazy and bad; black people are the only good and everyone else is a victim.

They should not have cast Riz Ahmed; he is way, way too good for this movie. The quality of his performance makes every other aspect of the movie look like genuine trash. The unambitious script, workmanlike editing, and failure to adequately direct or work around the child performers make for an overall very mediocre film. At least, the film would be mediocre if it had a mediocre star at its center. But it doesn't; it has Riz Ahmed. When the film fails to rise to the level of his performance, it fails to justify its own existence.