The Encounter doesn't hit Earth until June 2nd, but we've seen it. Here's our review.
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| The Movie Sleuth: Now with more boobs. |
Found footage is as common in horror and sci-fi films these
days as it is divisive. When used
effectively, it can bring the viewer into the story the way traditional
narratives can't do as well. Other
times, when it doesn't serve the story, it can be a bit distracting or even
jarring, used to mask shaky camera work or bad acting. It can even simply be the result of budgetary
limitations, since now an aspiring filmmaker need only spend a few hundred
dollars on a GoPro rig or even their cell phone and use simple editing software
to make a movie. And somewhere in the
middle of all of this falls The
Encounter.
The Encounter uses
found footage to tell the story of three groups of people spending a night in
the woods in northern Arizona: two young couples out camping, a pair of
hunters, and a park ranger tasked with investigating something mysterious. What the ranger finds and how
it affects her sets the events of the story into motion, as each group has their
own unique, and equally bizarre, encounter over the course of a night.
Like many found footage films, The Encounter is a bit slow to warm up, taking its time while
introducing us to each group as they head off into the woods to start their
evening. As events start to unfold the
story becomes more intriguing and even a bit tense. However, the reveals end up leaving quite a
bit to be desired, and ends up giving the film a disappointingly amateur look
and feel after a promising start.
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| "Is that ship a rhinoceros?" |
The
attempt was obviously a Jaws or Blair Witch-style "less is
more" approach, but ultimately fails on account being not only not all
that scary almost laughable. The film is
rather odd, even downright gross at times, but it never quite achieves the
level of scariness it was aiming for. Fans of found footage films will find a lot of intriguing
ideas in The Encounter but a rather
disappointing payoff. It is interesting
at times, confusing or even dull at others.
Ultimately, the good in The
Encounter is outweighed by the meh.
-Mike Stec