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IMDbPro

Invasion

Original title: Encounter
  • 2021
  • 16
  • 1h 48m
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
11K
YOUR RATING
Octavia Spencer and Riz Ahmed in Invasion (2021)
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.
Play trailer2:31
5 Videos
18 Photos
Alien InvasionDramaSci-FiThriller

Two brothers embark on a journey with their father, who is trying to protect them from an alien threat.Two brothers embark on a journey with their father, who is trying to protect them from an alien threat.Two brothers embark on a journey with their father, who is trying to protect them from an alien threat.

  • Director
    • Michael Pearce
  • Writers
    • Joe Barton
    • Michael Pearce
  • Stars
    • Riz Ahmed
    • Octavia Spencer
    • Lucian-River Chauhan
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.9/10
    11K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Michael Pearce
    • Writers
      • Joe Barton
      • Michael Pearce
    • Stars
      • Riz Ahmed
      • Octavia Spencer
      • Lucian-River Chauhan
    • 355User reviews
    • 94Critic reviews
    • 57Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 nominations total

    Videos5

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:31
    Official Trailer
    Watch the Trailer
    Trailer 2:25
    Watch the Trailer
    Watch the Trailer
    Trailer 2:25
    Watch the Trailer
    Teaser Trailer
    Trailer 1:00
    Teaser Trailer
    Encounter
    Trailer 2:31
    Encounter
    Encounter
    Trailer 0:58
    Encounter

    Photos17

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    + 12
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    Top cast34

    Edit
    Riz Ahmed
    Riz Ahmed
    • Malik Khan
    Octavia Spencer
    Octavia Spencer
    • Hattie Hayes
    Lucian-River Chauhan
    Lucian-River Chauhan
    • Jay Khan
    Aditya Geddada
    Aditya Geddada
    • Bobby Khan
    Rory Cochrane
    Rory Cochrane
    • Shepard West
    Shane McRae
    Shane McRae
    • Lance Dunn
    Janina Gavankar
    Janina Gavankar
    • Piya
    Misha Collins
    Misha Collins
    • Dylan
    Stefan Sims
    Stefan Sims
    • Ernie
    • (as Stefan S. Sims)
    Brennan Keel Cook
    Brennan Keel Cook
    • Dwight McKinley
    Bill Dawes
    Bill Dawes
    • Kurt McKinley
    Keith Szarabajka
    Keith Szarabajka
    • Grant
    Antonio Jaramillo
    Antonio Jaramillo
    • Raul
    Melissa Jo Bailey
    Melissa Jo Bailey
    • Cashier
    • (as Melissa Bailey)
    Joanna Strapp
    Joanna Strapp
    • Frenzied Woman
    Kennedy Chrisette
    • Zoe
    Robert Morgan
    Robert Morgan
    • Dexter
    Sherry McFarland
    Sherry McFarland
    • Middle-Aged Lady
    • Director
      • Michael Pearce
    • Writers
      • Joe Barton
      • Michael Pearce
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews355

    5.911.3K
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'Encounter' receives mixed reception due to misleading sci-fi marketing, disappointing those expecting alien themes. Praised for strong performances by Riz Ahmed and child actors, and its exploration of PTSD and mental health, it faces criticism for inconsistent writing and an anticlimactic ending. Some appreciate its dramatic, psychological shift, while others feel deceived by the marketing. Cinematography and direction are lauded, but the plot and pacing are contentious.
    AI-generated from the text of user reviews

    Featured reviews

    4and_shove_it_up_your_butt

    Left me frustrated

    A ton of sizzle but no steak. The ending left me feeling disappointed and let down. I did enjoy the performances of the three main characters (Riz, Lucian-River and Aditya) however, as compelling as they were they couldn't save this movie.
    7Dragonwarrior24

    really good

    Its not what people expected and thats why everyone is hating on it. Its a mental health movie - and something we dont get a lot of. Riz is an amazing actor, and the kids were fantastic too. Well worth your time - but dont go into it expecting an all out action film. Its a family drama through and through.
    8aarpcats

    Transcendent

    Army brat here. Military kids are only allowed to cry on two occasions - the day Daddy leaves to go to war and the day the two soldiers show up to tell you he isn't coming home. If Daddy comes home crazy (or Mom goes crazy while he's gone), the kids take the beatings for it. But they don't cry.

    Meanwhile, it's life as usual and the kids hope the beatings don't become "family annihilation." Then some one they know (in our case, it was the Army psychologist down the street) comes home and kills everyone because, in the way war has taught him to think, killing his wife and kids is a kindness. He's just protecting them from the psychic pain he feels every minute of every day.

    No, this isn't "Cowboys and Aliens." (And it isn't "woke" Hollywood. The American military is multi colored and so are the people who work as parole officers). Give the whining a rest. Embrace the reality of how we leave our heroes after Halliburton gets the oil contract.

    This is about what happens when a man is used up by war, and the same people who wanted him to die for his country want to kill him. To be fragile and lost is to be dangerous. It's easier to throw him away than fix him.

    PTSD - it kills people every day.

    Do you know the feeling you have after you have been in a car wreck? Every stop at a light feels like you will be rear ended. Every car looks a little too close. Driving too fast becomes terrifying.

    Now imagine that feeling building every day for ten trips to war. Imagine that anxiety building every day until it becomes more normal to you than a trip to the store.

    Malik wants his boys back. He goes to get them. He takes them to the American desert, but his mind is still in the desert of war. And now his boys are with him.

    We do this to soldiers every day. We do this to the children of soldiers every day.

    The thing is that the children of soldiers know that PTSD isn't Daddy. It's what the war did to Daddy.

    It's the real horror here, not the alien invasion. And it hurts my heart that most of the viewers can't see it,

    But, guess what? Love wins.
    Perdoado

    Misleading tags

    It's a good movie, but because of the milseading tags it begs for bad reviews from those who went to watch expecting a sci-fi movie. I'm one of those. If I were looking for a PTSD, drama movie, I would definetly have liked it more, but instead I felt.deceived and disappointed.
    7allankaaber

    Solid drama!

    Only reason this movie gets sich low ratings is because people expected it to be a sci-fi thriller and not a drama. This movie is a solid drama with some thrills at the end.

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Riz Ahmed has actively throughout his career sought color-blind casting in his roles so one of the attractive features about this film for him is that the characters' ethnicity doesn't matter with regards to the story.
    • Goofs
      At approx 94 the minutes mark, during the car chase scene across the desert with Malik and Jay. Jay yanks the Emergency/Parking Brake lever between the front seats. Ram pickup trucks don't have an Emergency Brake lever.
    • Quotes

      State Trooper: What's going on here

      Malik Khan: A road trip with my boys. Little man needed to stop for a toilet break

      State Trooper: Didn't think to put your hazards on?

      Malik Khan: There was nobody on the road

      State Trooper: I was on the road

    • Connections
      Referenced in Amanda the Jedi Show: Faster than your First Time Reviews 2 - Best and Worst of TIFF 2021 (2021)
    • Soundtracks
      Waitin' Around to Die
      (c) 1983

      Written by Townes van Zandt

      Performed by Townes van Zandt

      Courtesy of Fat Possum Records

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    FAQ15

    • How long is Encounter?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 10, 2021 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Encounter
    • Filming locations
      • Lone Pine, California, USA(early desert town street scenes)
    • Production companies
      • Amazon Studios
      • Automatik Entertainment
      • Big Indie Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 48 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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    Octavia Spencer and Riz Ahmed in Invasion (2021)
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