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Encounter

Play trailer 2:28 Poster for Encounter R 2021 1h 48m Sci-Fi Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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54% Tomatometer 125 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A decorated Marine goes on a rescue mission to save his two young sons from an unhuman threat. As their journey takes them in increasingly dangerous directions, the boys will need to leave their childhoods behind.
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Encounter

Critics Reviews

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Robert Daniels Polygon 12/13/2021
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. Go to Full Review
Jeannette Catsoulis New York Times 12/09/2021
Exactly half of a good movie. Go to Full Review
Amy Nicholson IndieWire 12/06/2021
B
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. Go to Full Review
Louis Skye (Ronita Roy Mohan) Women Write About Comics Aug 21
Encounter used a bunch of tools from its toolbox to construct a wobbly house. The story is solid — it’s unexpected, there are twists, the suspense is off the charts, and heartfelt moments are designed to move you. But the optics are all wrong. Go to Full Review
Hector A. Gonzalez The Movie Buff 09/08/2024
D
Although Riz Ahmed gives it his all, Michael Pearce’s Encounter can’t seem to get a hold of itself; it goes through a genre identity crisis and never settles down. Go to Full Review
William Stottor Loud and Clear Reviews 07/18/2024
3.5/5
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. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Rob M 12/06/2021 Love Riz hes very good, there wasnt much to to work with here, not bad. Also, Octavia great job, again not s lot here to see. See more Ana Q @Anne999 Mar 7 Love it! Can't be better! The characters showcase the emotions really well. The kids, the actors, the plot. I like each scenes. You'll like it if you want to watch slow emotional scenes with enough bits of curiosity, thriller, cinematic scene, father and sons, siblings scenes, identity and psychological movies. It's more a suspense and a drama than a sci-fi. It made me watch it because it's tagged sci-fi but it's actually not sci-fi. I finished it because I like the movie scenes and these types of dark movies too. If you're into 90% sci-fi it's not for you. Its not boring at all. The sci-fi movie tag attracted the wrong audiences. But it's indeed a great movie for those who love this kind of genres. Deep movie. Highly emotional. And it's good if you're a person who doesn't like brutal movies killing each other with a lot of blood, swearing, but you like to feel the warmth, the confusion, and if your curious about how kids think about adults, and how adults treat kids as "kids." See more Khadija K @Katgotyourtung Dec 31 Thoroughly enjoyed! Riz Ahmed always delivers on performance, one of the greatest actors of our time. Also the boys were fabulous. I’m not sure why there are negative reviews but I definitely believe this is worth a watch. The genre is psychological thriller/drama certainly not Sci-Fi this may have led to why the ratings were so low. Acting was flawless, perfectly paced, shots were great, this really explored the impact of mental health, psychosis, family dynamics and the poor trauma care soldiers face, this is reality unfortunately See more Ricardo d @RT43154676 Dec 27 Comecei o filme achando que era sobre alienígenas, mas fui traído quando o roteiro definiu o verdadeiro terror psicológico de um pai com saudades dos filhos e que viveu os terrores das guerras. Vou contra as críticas, pois para mim o trio principal segura muito bem o filme com muito entrosamento e delicadeza. Octavia ajuda a amarrar a trama com seu carinho ao trabalho. Quem pode dizer que leva o trabalho para casa ao ponto de viajar para tentar evitar o pior? O fim é bem visual que termina exatamente como o início. Belo trabalho de produção. Recomendo. See more Amen S @RT10865414 Jun 1 My god Riz Ahmed is a wonderful actor, and he really manages to pull empathy out from a character that I really did not think I could get attached to. Same goes for the two kids playing his character Malik's sons. He makes for a compelling protagonist in a film which, while having a sci-fi premise, is a psychological drama with some western thriller bits here and there. What makes it psychological, raises a point for the need for better mental health initiatives, especially in the military, Riz's character draws a lot of empathy for the same, but everything else in the film is sorely lacking in that department. It's well done with a lot of clear human touches and interactions, just not very robustly tied into any clear themes or narratives. While it's not a direct focus, it does work as a critique of American gun culture with a grounded and clear portrayal of gun-positive attitudes, racial profiling, and romanticising the military in a subtle way. The cinematography and lighting was consistently fantastic! Many interior shots in the dark utilise lighting and blocking masterfully. And there's a lot of daytime shots that really make full use of the harsh Nevada climate to create a stylish, striking and memorable look. Great entertainment, with fantastic filmmaking and craftsmanship all around. Just wish it had a tighter thematic throughline. See more Carsten Bo H @RT95553451 03/08/2025 Not bad at all. Good acting . Riz Ahmed always does a good job. Enjoyed it. See more Read all reviews
Encounter

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Movie Info

Synopsis A decorated Marine goes on a rescue mission to save his two young sons from an unhuman threat. As their journey takes them in increasingly dangerous directions, the boys will need to leave their childhoods behind.
Director
Michael Pearce
Producer
Dimitri Doganis, Derrin Schlesinger, Piers Vellacott
Screenwriter
Joe Barton, Michael Pearce
Distributor
Amazon Studios
Production Co
Automatik Entertainment, Amazon Studios, Film4, Big Indie Pictures, Raw
Rating
R
Genre
Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 3, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 10, 2021
Runtime
1h 48m
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