An ex-veteran tries to rescue his sons from an apparent alien threat in this complicated cross between sci-fi thriller and family drama.

Following an oft-represented trope of an alien-invasion thriller to tell an extra intricate tale, Pearce and his co-writer, Joe Barton, make somewhat of a patchy attempt at movie making. For a while, it’s more than enough to watch Malik (a brilliant Riz Ahmed), a stressed-out former Marine, relate with his two young sons (Aditya Geddada and Lucian-River Chauhan) as they drive from Oregon to Nevada via California.

Malik thinks that he is saving the boys from an extraterrestrial threat by kidnapping them from the home of his ex-wife and her new partner. His destination is a bunker where he explains to his children, scientists are secretly working to deter the alien aggressors. To the boys, what feels like a pleasant adventure; turns fearsome when Malik’s behavior becomes more volatile and unnerving.

IN THE KNOW

Pearce (whose 2018 feature debut, “Beast,” was good) tries to make a line between the narrative of science fiction and the story of psychological trauma. Benjamin Kracun’s visuals are haunting as the narrative moves from across the Californian deserts.

Ahmed’s performance is extremely convincing and the child actors Lucian-River Chauhan and Aditya Geddada, who play Jay and Bobby, are brilliant child actors. Rory Cochrane is splendidly brusque as a cynical fed, and Octavia Spencer has enthusiasm towards Malik’s condition. But the movie has patches of disastrous storytelling.

When the scene where the MAGA man’s MAGA son gets out their automatic weapons and hunt for Malik, the narrative dilutes itself. Ahmed’s character becomes so strained with the hostage drama of its character arc of a PTSD ex-vet with a mental illness condition. 

WHAT WE LOVED

Riz

The Kids

WHAT WE MISSED

Linear storytelling