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.

Although Riz Ahmed gives it his all, Michael Pearce’s Encounter can’t seem to get a hold of itself&#59; it goes through a genre identity crisis and never settles down.



Encounter is a paranoid tragedy masquerading as a science fiction thriller, featuring fine work from Riz Ahmed and a deeply human current running through its centre.

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.