Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Encounter’

Written by Scott Edwards

Like most people, I am fascinated with the thought that there could be aliens flying above the planet that might be looking for their next person to abduct. I am still waiting for someone to find a way to prove that aliens do not exist so I can give up thinking about this, but I don’t think it will ever happen. Even though I have never seen a flying saucer or been abducted, there are way too many reported encounters to say that such accounts don't matter.  It might be a normal occurrence for some people to see these ships in flying above their homes and whatnot, but as I said, I have never seen such things and would like to at some point before we are invaded for our mineral deposits or whatever these creatures want.

Trying to get her vlog done before her shift starts, park ranger Alice has heard a report of a meteor hitting in her park and wants to check it out. Making sure that everyone knows of the location, she makes her way up into the forest and sees some smoke which worries her since it is in the middle of the dry season and a fire would shut everything down. Having to leave her vehicle to check it out, Alice stumbles across what appears to be a spaceship that has crashed in an opening and she tries to give it a little camera time. But before she is able to get too close, she feels a prick on her shoulder that causes her to freak out and flee the scene before finding out if there are any survivors. Not being able to get anyone on the radio since it seems to be scrambled, Alice must stick to her training and get help before something worse happens to her.

Trevor is primed and ready to go on his yearly hunting trip with Duncan and there is nothing that will stop the tandem from bringing back an elk this year. Armed with all of his cameras to document the experience, Trevor is ready to get the first kill and show up his old friend. But the woods seem to be a little different today and after finding a buck that has been eaten by an animal they have never seen before; the two men decide to call it day. Starting back down the hill, Duncan knows that there is something wrong as there are no sounds in the forest and goes out on his own to find out what is scaring everything away. Hearing gun shots, Trevor is able to find his old friend, and is stunned to see that Duncan's sternum is sliced open. Needing to get help, Trevor tries the radio, but the signal is blocked and when he returns to give Duncan an update, the old man jumps back on his feet and runs into the forest. Needing to make sure Duncan is alright, Trevor tries to track him, but quickly discovers that there is something out of this world trekking around in the woods as well.

With plans for a great camping trip, Collin, his girlfriend Kim, Alice and Ryan are looking to have an out of this world time. With all of the essentials, including weed, they have found the perfect camping spot and are making the best of their time together. When Alice gets ahold of the camera and tries to make up a scary story, she finds that there is something strange moving in the woods. As Collin has seen this as well, he tries to get everyone packed up and out of there before something bad happens. Getting into the car and seeing something take a piece out of Ryan, Collin and the girls make their way down the mountain but crash when trying to avoid hitting a stranger on the road. Seeing that the person they hit is infected with something, the three know that they have to find a place to calm down, but everywhere they look has some unworldly item around it and Collin is able to get a firsthand encounter of what is really happening.

Three different stories, all told on camera with a bloody end. I liked how the stories were all told in the same timeframe, so you can see how the situation deteriorates and how quickly the unworldly menace is able to move about the forest. One of the things that concerned me though, is that nobody says alien in the movie, and I don’t understand why. Alice should have been out of her mind when she found the crashed ship, but kept her cool, and I guess that is just fine since something bit her, but I would have been freaking out and frightened if that happened to me. Besides that, little piece, I really enjoyed the movie, it had plenty of suspense while everyone is looking for some sort of answer as to what is happening in the hills and they sure don't like what they find. And I must admit that the infected people are pretty freaky looking, and I would love to know more about them since they seem to be a big part of how the alien virus works on our planet. You can even point to a government cover-up in this film, which is always great when it comes to aliens, nice or violent in this genre, where nobody can know that there is life out there looking to make contact with humans, no matter the cost. Stay Scared.

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