Encounter
Directed by Michael Pearce5.954%68%6.3
A Marine Corps veteran suffering from PTSD takes his kids from California to Groom Lake, Nevada. He tells his children that alien parasites have landed on Earth to take over the planet. As their journey takes them in increasingly dangerous directions, the boys will need to leave their childhoods behind.
Where to Watch Encounter
- jackmeatAugust 21, 2025My quick rating - 5.9/10. I am not rating this on the fact that it is, unfortunately, mislabeled as a sci-fi movie. I know that is kind of a spoiler, but those elements are not the focus at all here. The story is a really well-crafted story of a soldier suffering from PTSD who believes the Earth is under attack from alien invaders. Completely paranoid in his beliefs, he decides to take his kids from their home in California to Nevada in hopes of keeping them safe. Basically, no one is on Malik's side (Riz Ahmed) except for his parole officer, who is the only other interesting character in this flick, played by Octavia Spencer. Through Malik's delusions and the police attempting to catch up with him, we are treated more to the drama of what transpires between the children and their father than any form of sci-fi action. I say that not complaining at all, since how the movie is crafted keeps your attention throughout and still keeps you wondering from start to finish how much of this is in his head or is actually happening. When the credits roll, even if you figured it out, there is still the indecisive possibility of it going one way or the other. I have to admit that one of my negatives here is the kids. I know not every child actor can be a star, but it wasn't necessarily the kid's fault, but more the script and characters they were written to be. As long as you go in knowing what the focus and genre is, I don't think you'll be disappointed with it.
Encounter Trivia
Encounter was released on December 10, 2021.
Encounter was directed by Michael Pearce.
Encounter has a runtime of 1h 48m.
Encounter was produced by Derrin Schlesinger, Piers Vellacott, Dimitri Doganis.
A Marine Corps veteran suffering from PTSD takes his kids from California to Groom Lake, Nevada. He tells his children that alien parasites have landed on Earth to take over the planet. As their journey takes them in increasingly dangerous directions, the boys will need to leave their childhoods behind.
The key characters in Encounter are Malik Khan (Riz Ahmed), Hattie Hayes (Octavia Spencer), Jay Khan (Lucian-River Chauhan).
Encounter is rated R.
Encounter is a Science Fiction, Thriller, Drama film.
Encounter has an audience rating of 6.8 out of 10.