Encounter

Encounter-720P

Encounter-480P

source: Encounter

Nothing surprises me anymore. Another good movie that a lot of people hate. If this one isn't entertaining enough for some people I wonder what they find entertaining? Encounter keeps you guessing for a long time, what I found very cleverly done. Maybe the haters are not pleased with the outcome, because they were expecting something else, but it doesn't really matter. If you like a slightly mysterious story, with some good acting you can't really go wrong with Encounter. Riz Ahmed, playing the main character, was very convincing in his role, and the two kids also looked very natural in their roles. It's not easy to find good child actors but these two did a good job. I thought the story was pleasant to follow so I really don't get why this movie gets so many negative reviews. I wouldn't pay too much attention to the low scores and give it a shot, you might like it like a lot of other people did.

It starts out as a creepy alien invasion thriller concerning microscopic insects taking over the Earth. Malik (Ahmed) is a marine who has not seen his kids for several years. He tells them that he has been on a top secret mission regarding an alien threat. Malik has taken his two kids Jay and Bobby away from their mother and new stepfather. They embark on a road trip but Malik is not used to his kids after such a long time away. He is also skittish. When a policeman stops him late at night, he becomes unpredictably violent as the cop seems to have glimmering eyes. Only when Malik realises that his ex wife might be pregnant with a new child. He decides to ring Hattie (Octavia Spencer) his parole officer. It turns out that Malik was discharged from the army for violence and then imprisoned. He suffers from a stress related mental condition making him paranoid and giving him dark visions. The film works best as a Pakistani heritage man arousing distrust and paranoia. Like the cop who questions Malik just because the kids wanted a pee break. It soon becomes less like the Invasion of the Bodysnatchers and more it is all in Malik's mind. Once Hattie enters the scene, it is a case of how long then can evade the police. The final segments were badly written. A shootout with two survivalists in a town with no other people. Then none of the kids would stay where they are supposed to be, leading to a cumbersome ending.

Not as advertised, it's certainly not sci-fi, more psychological. Acting was good, except usual problem with some child actors which is they come across as purely annoying. It became clear after 20 or so minutes that the father was mentally disturbed then it just got worse plot wise after that. Not worth the effort unfortunately.

It's a good movie, but because of the milseading tags it begs for bad reviews from those who went to watch expecting a sci-fi movie. I'm one of those. If I were looking for a PTSD, drama movie, I would definetly have liked it more, but instead I felt.deceived and disappointed.

I didn't read any reviews for this movie before watching, and I'm glad I didn't. Although it might not be your classic si-fi, I believe it was marketed like this for a reason to keep you guessing. The acting was brilliant by the boys. Their performances are genuinely one of the most realistic for children I have seen. It clearly isn't for people who are after a shoot-em-up alien flick (see the 1 star reviews), but much more a commentary on mental health, treatment of ex-soldiers, and the lack of empathy from the general system. This movie is not a no-brainer.

Riz Ahmed is one of those actors who rarely makes a bad movie . At the moment he is on a hot streak of really good films and Encounter is no different although I'd argue that Riz probably isn't the star of this film , it's the two actors who play his sons . The two lads play brothers who embark on a journey with their father, who is trying to protect them from an alien threat and at first it feels like a run of the mill alien/Sci Fi movie but you soon realise it's much , much , more than that. It's a film about desperation , survival and mental Heath but most of all it's a film about family . I love the interaction between the father and his sons . Forget what's going on around them , these boys desperately love their dad and visa versa and being a father of two boys myself , this resonated with me . A special mention has to go to Lucian-River Chauhan and Aditya Geddada. Both are fantastic. Lucian is brilliant and I predict big things for him and Aditya is so funny . Listen out for some unusual use of some Phil Collins music . A strange choice but it worked perfectly. Encounter is much better than I could have hoped for and might surprise quite a few people who are probably expecting a completely different type of film .

I never understand movies that tease one premise but deliver another. Didnt Amazon just do this with the Owen Wilson film? Is wrapping mental illness in a trojan horse costume supposed to enlighten us somehow? You order a cheeseburger and get an orange. Well maybe you should just target orange lovers instead rather tricking the cheeseburger customers. Its not clever, its not enlightening and its not engaging.