Teleios

The acting is about what you'd expect from a low budget film, the two main issues that really drag it down are the pacing and directing: you could easily remove 30 minutes of the film where the characters are just aimlessly existing on the space station. The time wasn't used to develop the characters - there are none - they just keep restating their mission, I almost turned it off during that time because it didn't seem to be going anywhere.

The directing is something else entirely, 90% of the movie the camera just keeps swining side to side, like you're tilting your head left and right constantly, it started making me nauseous and it didn't seem to have a purpose to it either - they had artificial gravity the whole time - it was purely a stylistic choice and it sucked.

I was lured in by the movie poster and the hope that this was actually going to be a good sci-fi movie, and the fact that the synopsis of the movie seemed interesting also caught my attention.

Then 39 minutes into the movie, I just gave up. This movie was sheer and utter boredom presented in a shiny and glowing sci-fi wrapping. There was just nothing compelling about this mundane and boring storyline that the writers had mustered to put together.

And it didn't help that everything just screamed low budget presented in a mediocre wrapping. Granted, I have seen worse productions of sci-fi movies, but there just was that spark of low budget to "Teleios" such as in the weapons, the sets, and the so-called human-like robot beings. I mean, the way that they were moving was just so 1950's and laughable.

I didn't get captured by the storyline, despite the fact that the storyline had potential to make a great movie. It was just the lack of pace and Progress to the movie that killed it off. I could live with the sense of pseudo-low budget, sure, but the inactivity of the storyline and the irrelevant characters was an anchor around the movie.

"Teleios" didn't bring anything new, memorable or innovating to the sci-fi genre, and it is hardly a movie that will make a lasting impression, even with those in the audience that manages to sit through to the very end. And it is hardly a movie that will stand out as being a milestone in the sci-fi genre.

The acting in the movie was adequate, although I can't really claim to be familiar with those cast for the various roles. Some did better jobs than others, of course, as it always go. But no one in the movie were really outstanding or memorable.

Not outstanding and not memorable seems to be keywords to this movie.

If you enjoy sci-fi, then there are far, far better movies available. And personally I find it hard to see why anyone would actually sit through the entire length of "Teleios", because it was a drag of a movie.

In many ways this movie reminded me about the original Star Trek series. The costumes, the props, the effects, the clichés, the play, and even the way it tries to explore social norms and problems.

It's definitely a low budget film, so don't expect amazing visuals. It's not an action movie that would hold you on the edge of your seat, either. It's a drama and if you could overlook 1 hour of SciFi clichés, you might come to enjoy it. I certainly did.

Be warned, the plot does involve 3 different themes, one of which comes out as surprise twist out of nowhere, yet it strangely rhymes with the events on the station. It's not hard to imagine that both are result of the same logic, even though they are completely separate events. In retrospect this twist is probably the reason why I liked this movie and why I would recommend you to watch it.

This movie examines some big ethical and moral issues. Any film that quotes Tolstoy and Moliere is for thinkers. It may be sci-fi, acuity is not the best, but really quite good. Questions about eugenics, intellectual property rights, the morality behind life and death decisions, and the emotional weaknesses of humankind make it intellectually interesting. Reviewers who have focused on the costumes are missing the point widely.

"Teleios" is a new sci-fi film from Ian Truitner and what makes it worth seeing is its budget. Until recently, independent filmmakers would rarely touch sci-fi as the films were quite expensive to make… mostly due to the special effects. However, recent advances with software have allowed gorgeous cinematic quality CGI at a relatively small cost. This would explain why a film with only a million dollar budget would look this good! For that reason alone, the movie is well worth seeing.

The film is set in the mid-21st century. Genetically modified humans are proliferating on the planet and they are stronger, smarter and more capable in many ways compares to 'normals'. A space ship, the Teleios, with five of these super humans is about to make contact with a vessel that's been stranded in space for some time…and no one is sure whether anyone is left alive on this stricken ship. The crew's orders are, first and foremost, to recover the cargo from the ship. But there mission is soon complicated by many things. The crew of the stricken vessel has all been killed…with only one remaining as well as a robot and neither seem willing or able to explain what happened. The other problem is that these super men and women are beginning to show signs of weakness…weaknesses they supposedly have overcome. Their emotions are running amok and soon they begin preying on each other. Why and what's to become of their mission?

The best things about the film are the CGI, costumes and music. All of these look very professional and caught my attention. As for the story, it's only fair and is, at times, a tad confusing. Because of this, it's a movie that might just improve with repeated viewing. Overall, a mixed bag but a lesson on economical and effective filmmaking…and a decent sci-fi flick as well.