Terminal

Loaded with Alice references and quotes - but the only similarities in common with the classic tale is the theme of madness, which in this case was taken and ran with. This movie is decibel lit more style than substance, and curiosity will keep you moving through it despite the badly drawn plot. Characters did their best with what they were given.. Style over substance. It was just my style, really, if only there was more, anything more, to go on.

I don't usually post reviews on IMDb - other people have already done it, and often better than I could - and most of the time, I find the ratings more or less on par with my own impressions of movies.

However, sometimes, I can't help but wonder "How in God's name has this movie gotten this rating?" Terminal is one of those movies.

The abysmally low rating, coupled with the very few (and most of them, poor) reviews, made me want to give my two cents and try to set the record straight. Or, at least, set it straight-er.

For me, Terminal was a thoroughly enjoyable movie - it has a great cast, witty and dark humor, interesting enough plot (not too cliche or too predictable) and, being around one and a half hours long, it does not overstay it's welcome. If you're into labeling things, you could call it neo-noir or something other, but the fact is that Terminal is very much its own thing, visually and plotwise. Personally, it reminded me of a theater play.

The ending could have been executed differently or better - the plot unraveling was overly (and unnecessary) convoluted and the ending itself was a little unimaginative and disappointing. But that's just my personal view.

Overall, Terminal is a good enough movie - and that is good enough for me. And even though it wouldn't make it to any of my "top 10 movie lists", it is still a pretty solid movie, that deserves at least a 7. Which is why I gave it an 8.

Despite some excellent acting performances this film didn't do much for me. I felt like it was trying too hard to be too many things. Using a mixture of various film makers styles it just didn't seem to provide anything fresh. The story telling method used too many twists to work successfully. If stylish visuals and multi layered stories are your main thing then give it a go. Otherwise you may find some of the negative comments and low scores this film has attracted to be justified.

My rating 5/10

I'll start with my usual writer/director moan although this isn't as bad as most, and Vaughn Stein almost pulls it off.

It's visually stunning, has some superb actors - Margot Robbie in particular - but the convoluted story-telling style and, indeed, the plot, make it less than it should have been. You'll have to keep your eyes and ears open and resist the temptation to walk out or switch off 20-30 mins into the movie. The stopy lines do come together, if slightly haphazardly.

There are some nice twists. One or two you'll probably have an inkling of. One you won't as there's no foreshadowing at all, and although it ties everything (mostly) together, you may well feel cheated as the writer(*/director) swaggers about thinking what a clever writer I am!

Still, immerse yourself in a comic/noir-ish nightmare and see what you think.

I thought it was an Excellent film. Noir style with a twist ending. Actors were excellent. Music was quality. Recommended