Benutzerrezensionen

This is what you get when the writer of the story is the editor of the story and the director and the producer. There's no one to tell him, "hey, this is not good. You need to fix that."

All around the movie is surprisingly good. The acting was believable, the characters and characterizations are good, the sets are good, the continuity was accurate, the music was extremely good, and the special effects were adequate to the job. Many bits and pieces are lifted from movies like Close Encounters and Signs, but that's ok too.

The first 3/4s of the movie are edge of the seat chills and thrills, but then the story shifts in a totally unexpected direction. This is considered "the unique twist." The 'twist' is something that modern scriptwriters seem desperate to pull off and almost none of them actually do it. The Sixth Sense may be the last movie where it really worked. In this particular movie, the writer/editor/director/producer throws in the monkey wrench without the slightest attempt to justify it except to offer a lame, "I don't know. We don't understand it. We may never understand it." It's Aliens, so sure, how could we understand it? But that's just not good enough. The motivation fails. Why the Aliens do what they do makes no sense unless you just accept "well, they are aliens, so their motivation is alien." That may be fine for people who shut off their brain to "enjoy the movie," but for people who enjoy the movie by thinking about it, it doesn't work.

The plot twist does not ruin the movie but it leaves an unsatisfied feeling that a good storyteller would not leave. If you don't mind being let down by the ending and being left scratching your head trying to make the nonsensical reasoning, it's worth a watch. There are a lot worse movies out there.

The production values of this film are 10 stars. But the story is utterly horrific. Average? 5 stars. The cinematography is great, the staging is great, the costume and set design are great, the makeup is great, the music is great, the story....... SERIOUSLY AWFUL. I could point out holes in it all day. It really is such.a shame... it looks to me like a film that was funded well, had a great team who did their absolute best but were let down by the person who mattered most.... what a shame....

Ok, this starts as your basic alien abduction close encounters rip-off, but ends up an Interstellar rip-off. It is well acted, cinematography is good and the score is definitely the best part of this film. We never know and I believe the point is not to know if the alien involvement actually happens, or if it is a figment of someone's imagination. It's decent entertainment if you're up late with nothing else on. The writer/director definitely "borrowed" from other projects, even saw a little Mothman Prophecy in this as well. It's subtle plagiarism, would be the best phrase to describe this movie.

This is a well acted, scripted and directed film. The SFX are good as is the cinematography. I cannot see where the criticism has come from, especially with the unique twist at the end. Yes it may seem a bit odd that all the cast are British and therefore why set in the US etc, but I cannot imagine people are that pedantic or petty. Agreed this isn't Alien, The Thing etc but it does not deserve the level of negativity.

It's incredibly hard to imagine that four adults ... ... and a dog! ... four adults and a dog simply vanished in the course of an hour.

I saw "G-Loc" a while ago. And my first thought now was: "Why not try another SF?". Not only because it's one of my favorite genres. But because "G-Loc" was horrible and a disappointment in every way. And I wanted to forget this ordeal as soon as possible by watching an SF of better quality. And luckily "Dark Encounter" was of a completely different quality than the latter. Even though that wasn't really difficult to achieve. But in retrospect, I did wonder whether it was indeed an SF in the strict sense of the word.

The opening scene shows mother and father Anderson coming home from a night out after which they discover that their daughter Maisie has mysteriously disappeared. However, there's no trace or indication of a violent kidnapping. She simply vanished into thin air. In the next scene, we witness a family gathering. A family dinner where it's abundantly clear that the pain of losing their child is still there, resulting in snappy conversations in a tense atmosphere. Until suddenly strange light phenomena are seen by Ray (Mel Raido) and he and the other present men suggest investigating the seeings. When they arrive in the forest and witness more spheres flying around and one of them disappears without a trace, they realize there's more to it than some inexplicable weather phenomenon or local rascals playing with fireworks.

I have to admit that Carl Strathie knows how to mix different genres in an ingenious way. In general, you think that for the umpteenth time, alien green creatures are randomly abducting people to use them as guinea pigs for their experiments. Or maybe Martians who just dropped by to get acquainted. However, don't expect impressive images of colossal intergalactic spacecraft. It's limited to bright shining lights during a foggy night. Even though there are similarities with for example "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", you won't be awed by an immense spaceship with lighting like the dance floor in "Saturday Night Fever". Next, you get the feeling that you are watching a scary horror where household objects defy the laws of gravity and where lights start to flicker. And as a basis, you have a family drama about missing a loved one and the accompanying grieving process.

And if these aren't enough film genres, there's the very surprising denouement, after which the whole is suddenly approached from a completely different perspective. The sci-fi aspect fades into the background and a crime mystery demands attention. The denouement is overwhelming and most will react in a similar way as I did. "Ah, that's what's going on" as I thought at that moment. All I wondered is the origin of the entities that provide the clarification. Aliens? Or spiritual manifestations? Not that this matters. The end result is what counts. And thanks to this highly original twist, this film effortlessly rises above average.

"Dark Encounter" is a low-budget film with an original approach. Despite the fact they diligently borrowed from other well-known films, "Dark Encounter" pleasantly surprised me. And not just because of the originality of the story. But also because of the acting by the almost unknown cast (especially Laura Fraser). Plus the excellent soundtrack and sound effects. And the nostalgic feeling it gave me. It reminded me several times of similar films from the 80s. And the overall mood they managed to create. There's something else that surprised me after reading about it. It seems as if it all takes place in the U.S. during that period. And yet this movie was entirely filmed in the UK with English actors. Amazing. In short, this SF is highly recommended.

More reviews here: movie-freak.be

I like other reviewers kept watching in hopes it would get better. Why would an intelligent life form from across the Universe travel here to waste time on Hill-Billies. Not much to learn. People giving this 9's and 10's need to have their heads examined.

Possibly the worst film I have ever managed to sit through.

The ratings for Dark Encounter are a bit harsh in my opinion. This movie deserves a higher rating than it actually got. It was entertaining, maybe not with the outcome anybody had expected but is that a bad thing? When I watch a movie in the mystery genre I like to be surprised and that was totally the case with Dark Encounter. The sci-fi in the movie builds a tension, a slow paced suspense building, but suspense nonetheless. Just don't expect high budget CGI's because you'll be disappointed, just enjoy the story, the directing and the acting because those were all good. Good job from writer/director Carl Strathie. For the people that reviewed this with the lowest score possible I suggest you watch more movies so you could recognize the difference between a stinker (there are thousands of those) and a movie with a refreshing and entertaining story.

While the movie starts off as would any other tale of abduction, with the same old tropes, the build up to what can only be described as a rollercoaster of emotions in the third act makes it all worthwhile. If you're reading this, give this movie a chance.

7/10 might not sound incredible but my expectations were very low. This film was much much more than I first thought it would be. Not your typical abduction tale. Very well made without feeling too obnoxious.

I guess the Hallmark channel are making sci-fi movies. I half expected a religious sermon at the end.

For a film with a modest budget, it doesn't look it. The production value is excellent all around and nails the early 80's aesthetic without trying to be trendy. It has the look of Close Encounters but with more of a Fire In The Sky feel crossed with Shyamalan's Signs considering it's twisty and character driven plot that comes forth as the events move along. Highly recommend for fans of the films I mentioned above, or of The X-Files, though this film does bring something slightly new and different as a whole when it reaches its third act. Don't go in expecting a blockbuster, but an intimate, at times creepy, wholly entertaining film about a family and a dark encounter that almost tears them all apart. Worth your time in my books.

This movie is a slow burner for sure. That's not the reason why I didn't like it though. It's one of the most boring and dumb sci fi movies I've ever seen. I could barely stand to even watch the whole movie. I paused it several times to go do other things around the house because I couldn't stand to watch it all at once. I kept hoping it would get better because of the good reviews I've read about it on here. Many of the characters were annoying, and that made it impossible for me to feel any kind of connection or empathy for them. The father was an especially annoying ahole and throughout the whole movie I was hoping someone would kick the out of him. As others have pointed out, why would some alien race come down to Earth just to harass some random family all night long before showing them what happened to their daughter? What kind of parents leave their 8 year home alone anyway?

I was firstly feel it's a ufo documentary kinda story, probably based on a true story or encounter in 1980s somewhere in a town. It's kinda boring for all the ufo appearance as it's what we knew about ufo. But things turn around and reveal the fact of missing girl cuz of ..... not the way you think suppose to be. Unusual theme.

While I seldom rate down any movie, this horridly pretentious stab at the genre absolutely deserves it. No fault of the cast, their work is quite nice, but the story, the myriad "but why" unanswered plotlines, the snail paced ending after the "twist" is revealed, all leave a very stale impression in one's mouth. Sorry.

Dark Encounter Alien abduction film with a twist. Eight year old Maisie disappears from her home without trace,.A year later, a memorial meeting is held at her school. Afterwards an acrimonious extended family gathering takes place. Strange lights appear in the sky and some of the family go to investigate. In the woods other lights appear and have strange effects on people and birds, their truck loses power. Another member of the family vanishes.They return to the house where electric toys start working , ights, radio go on and off, lights shine through windows. The house is literally under siege, Tension and paranoia build as the narrative unfolds in this dark Close Encounter Of The Third Kind. The different shades and intensities of light are used to good effect, some just illuminating/dazzling,others imposing mind control on people as a mysterious mist also enters the house. There are time slips of the mental variety which allow secrets to be uncovered. An interesting plot twist sends one aspect of the plot off in an unexpected direction. An important lesson is imparted though: if you flee a house to get away from ETs then remember to drop your axe if you want passing cars to stop and help you. Written and directed by Carl Straithie. On All 4. 7/10.

This possibly one of the most pointless Films I have ever seen, A 5 minute story dragged out for over an hour, time I will never get back.

I enjoyed it as it was suspense and moving. Mainly because we need to see visitor at another angle. I recommend it.

Don't waste your time, just awful, terrible acting, repetitive repetitive repetitive shots, faces totally devoid of any emotion, terrible direction, just bad

What a terrible plot! What a terrible script! The script is so bad that even though it doesn't make sense it is completely predictable. It is very clear that this director wanted to make a movie like "The Lovely Bones" and another like "Interstellar", but in the end decided to mix the tow. And he used "The X-Files" to glue everything together. The result is not pretty. Clearly, the budget allowed for average cinematography and editing, which is why it takes 20 to 30 minutes to figure out this is a ton of crap. a really good cinematographer would have told the director that red/blue lighting in the face of the leading actress is not only uncalled for but lame... as the rest of the movie, actually. One third of the movie is a more or less believable setup, giving a glimpse into who are the main characters. The second third of the movie is mostly these characters running away from strange lights in the forest and then running away from strange lights inside a house. This sequence should have been suspenseful but it is just boring. Maybe it's because all the clichés are there: weird lights shinning through venetian blinds, running water changing course against the laws of physics, knives flying across the kitchen and stinging on the wall barely missing some clueless characters, and mechanical and electric apparatus moving by themselves - including the ominous cymbal-playing mechanical monkey toy, TV sets, radios, coo-coo clocks, and the car's klaxon and headlights. The last third is mostly slow-motion camera with classical music for soundtrack. Seriously. Don't waste your precious time watching this crap.