Terminus

If you love the semi-post-apocalyptic car warrior movies then this one isn't off the mark. It's got a bit of cheesiness to it but the main plotline is on the mark, and the surrounding story and action fit the theme just fine.

On the other hand if you love Rifftrax/MST3K then this is a film that is basically written just for that genre.

Either way it's campy and fantastically so. No - it's not "good" in any normal sense of the word, but it is definitely in the so-bad-it's-good camp of campy movies.

The set work and costumes are probably the most professional part of this work. They were right on target for this theme... except maybe for the main bad-guy who seemed to have no connection to the actual plot but had very strong transvestite Ronald Macdonal vibes, and the talking truck... not really spoilers - just watch the thing and see for yourself.

There are definitely things to criticize: The supporting actors all appear to have recieved their lines only the morning of their shoot, and the writing for the main characters and their character names were apparently penciled in the day before. However, the main actors forge on and do their best, although the editing cuts the scenes together in such an discordinate way that even their amazing acting powers dcannot save the film.

Yes, this film could have been a six or seven, but the plot of this thing is so incomprehensible at times that it seems like a film they just started filming without a script. I got the basic gist, but so much stuff happens that goes nowhere or seems a bit out of place and man those lips! Absolutely horrifying! Then there is the fact they got a known actress to be in this and she is so obviously sleep walking through this thing for a paycheck and you have Terminus!

The plot is something along the lines of some sort of game being played. A woman, named Gus and play by Karen Allen from Raiders fame, must drive what looks like part of the vehicle from Damnation Alley to a location without getting caught and if she accomplishes this, she gets her weight in gold. Add a bizarre kid that seemingly is doing something, another kid who hitches a ride, a dude with red hair and who looks messed up, but you do not find out what he is doing, a truck driven by a crazy guy full of what looks like creatures from the film The Dark Crystal and the real hero of the piece a dude with a robotic arm and you have your film! Like I said, I get the gist of the game, but not why they play it or what is up with anything else.

The acting coming from Karen Allen is so obviously just for a paycheck. Everyone else hams it up to the point a bad guy who I thought would be important is killed in rather quick fashion. The lead guy is okay, I guess, playing the part of a Mad Max type lead as he drives this wreck through what is sort of a wasteland, but at the same time nothing like a wasteland. Not sure what is going on in this place as you have medieveil villages complete with castles, rave bars and various other places one normally does not associate with the apocalypse.

So, the film had interesting elements, perhaps had they tried to explain what was going on better or what this world was it may have worked. Had they dedicated more time to the strange guy driving the truck that became invisible or the weird guy with the red hair it could have been a rather cool futuristic film. As it is, you just kind of wonder what the heck is going on.

Unlike Mad Max, we do not much about any apocalyptic event occurred before the time of the story which takes place in a near future. A strong government is ruling, rogue-military and police are keeping peace, borders are close and secured, and above all, no game is allowed. "Game leads to thinking, and thinking to rebellion". On the other side, an underground mad scientist called "Sir" (Jurgen Prochnow, excellent as usual)is trying to perform cloning experimentations and cybernetic enhancement of the human brain, by helping his own clone (called "Doctor") to create two children whose brain has been upgraded and own will annihilated. The boy "Mati" is the last product of the "Doctor". In order to test him, "Sir" has organized a forbidden game which consists of a truck race across forbidden areas and borders, to reach the "Terminus", i.e the hidden base of the "Doctor". In fact, "Sir"'s purpose is to create an army of young devoted and intelligent fellows in order to take power over the government. Leading the truck race, Mati has created a new era of a computer, "Monster", integrated to a truck driven by Gus, a female truck driver. Somehow, "Monster" experiments failures which do not appear to be purposeless.

Relationships between the two drivers and "Monster", Mati, an orphan girl met in a prison camp, are the heart of the story, and their hope and faith in freethinking, love and protection of the most defenseless ones, is considered to be the main danger for both the government and "Sir".

This movie is dealing with a chase, a race, manipulations and strange hope.

The cinematography is very unusual, the Grey/green/red colors remind the visual universe of sci/fi comics. You need to enter this very personal environment to be delighted in watching this movie.

I remember I was astonished as a teenager, seeing this movie in theaters, long ago.

Karen Allen, Johnny Halyday and Jurgen Prochnow, as well as "Monster" performed this unusual movie as if they were part of Glenn's universe and bad dreams.

Doomily set within a dismal, undisclosed totalitarian future, a fancy schmancy, AI-powered Monster Truck navigates this increasingly hostile terrain, part of a secretive, underground anti-establishment game. The participant's dangerous travails are masterminded by a playful, preternaturally precocious, genetically modified boy genius, Mati. Jürgen Prochnow as a trio of tweaked Tuetons, a Tank Girlish Karen Allen, and grizzled, steel-fisted hero Johnny Hallyday are perfectly cast in this dazzling roustabout cyberpunk actioner!!! This consistently entertaining Franco/ German production benefits hugely from its excellently charismatic actors, a catchy score, beautifully designed sets, futurist vehicles, and the snazzy Sci-future costuming. There's plenty of zest to stylishly neon-hued dystopian actioner 'Terminus', plus there's a despotic Comic Book evil scientist to B-Movie boost the explosive vehicular action!!! Glenn's locomotive Cyberpunk classic is an appealing admixture of Mad Max, Damnation Alley, Knight Rider, attractively garlanded with a uniquely European savour.

Do not be fooled be the PG rating. Within the first 8 minutes F-bombs were dropped twice plus other expletives. There were harsh comments about war and ethnicity. I stopped watching.