Watch The Encounter on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Joe Barton and Michael Pearce (written by)
Directed by: Michael Pearce
Starring: Riz Ahmed, Octavia Spencer, Rory Cochrane
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Two brothers embark on a journey with their decorated Marine father, who is trying to protect them from an alien threat.
Verdict
This movie does a great job of putting you right in the middle of the plot and making you figure out which way is up. This is certainly depressing, as it seems there's only one way this can end, and it doesn't seem good. This starts off like an action horror movie, and while there is plenty of action the emotion builds to the end as this becomes more of a drama. Ahmed does a great job as always and the ending is intense.
Watch It.
Review
This opens with an almost typical introduction of something extraterrestrial landing on Earth. It seems like the lead to the beginning of an infection, but then we see Malik (Riz Ahmed) and it seems like we're in the middle of what's happening. Malik has plans and gear. With his mission I felt like I had missed something. Why does it seem like everyone else is unaware of the infection?
What's really going on? Malik takes his children, and it certainly seems like kidnapping. We begin to realize that this movie is kind of tricky. Real isn't always what it seems. This is a much different movie than I expected. This is a journey with a father and his sons, but the older son, Jay, is beginning to question Malik. Jay is the audience surrogate. He's seeing things that just don't' add up. The kids see a great dad taking them on a fun road trip, but the people that are pursuing Malik see that much differently.
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| Riz Ahmed plays Malik |
Malik is on the run, and I wondered where this would go. I just couldn't see a happy ending. What will Malik do to maintain control? I wondered if this movie was going to pull the rug out from under us with a twist ending as unlikely as it seems, but this doesn't resort to cheap tricks.
I felt sympathy for Malik, though the script doesn't do him any favors for background. While Malik is in trouble now, his checkered past seems to be his fault. Maybe it's intentional, and the movie doesn't want to provide too many reasons for us to feel sympathy towards him. Then again, that's in conflict with the fact that he's a decorate former Marine. His background characterization is my only complaint with this film.
The stakes rise drastically towards the end. It's a depressing story that seemed poised to only get darker. This movie is a ride.
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