Encounter

If Pearce weren't so heavy-handed... then Encounter, a flawed sci-fi flick with a simple premise, could be a great adventure fit for the stars.

Exactly half of a good movie.

In an era of, frankly, incredulous credulity where shared delusions are leaping from the screen to your aunt's Facebook page, and gullibility is literally infectious, Encounter insists that skepticism is a virtue.

A drama that walks the fine line between science-fiction alien-invasion terror, a portrait in war-induced paranoia and a story of a broken family, "Encounter" is a prime showcase for (Riz) Ahmed's wiry electricity.

An affecting meld of inner and outer worlds in which family stresses and extraterrestrial spectres collide.

It's dishonest, showy filmmaking.

While Encounter does suffer from its genre shifts in the second half and some underwritten characters, as a Riz Ahmed showcase this is another illustration of why he is one of the most sought after and acclaimed actors working today,

Riz Ahmed tries his best to carry Michael Pearce's work to safe harbor, but the unsurprising, generic narrative lacks compelling character development to help the viewers reach the final act still interested about how everything's going to end.

Part Sci-Fi and part family drama, Encounter is impressive in its bravery and its performances, though the script lacks the originality and flair to make it reach true greatness.

Ahmed is magnetic on screen. His physicality and energy telegraph a man tightly coiled like a spring, ready to snap at any moment, threatening a spark that could ignite a powder keg of violence