User reviews

This movie is nowhere near as bad as some reviews claim. At the bottom line you find a solid concept - the world stands at the edge of the apocalypse. A war in the Middle East threatens to boil over at any moment. But an artifact/lifeform from beyond Earth may be the answer humanity needs. Is it weapon or cure?

I will grant you that much of the story won't surprise you, but it's pretty well done in that comfortable storytelling zone. The acting is fair to good (sadly, the main character is the least gifted actor's role). This is pure average-guy-fighting-the-evil-government stuff. There are some dumb moments (an operation on a living person that uses a cast saw? Really?) but there's enough here to carry you to the end.

Great science fiction? No. Worth your time? Absolutely.

Terminus is not a bad movie. It just suffers from an illness that is common for many other low budget productions - it doesn't engage the viewer. The movie is more drama than a sci-fi. Unfortunately, the drama element is severely clichéd and the sci-fi element is undeveloped and feels incredibly artificial. The script is atrocious which leaves an imprint on the otherwise OK acting. Character development is non-existent and leaves you wondering what drives some of the characters to do the things they do. The effects are decent but scarce and boring. A real sci-fi flick has to have some thrilling moments but this movie has none of that. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this movie, it's a waste of time 4/10.

"You're like every other hick in this town. Full of opinions on things you know nothing about. Scared of losing what you think you have. And what's that? A future."

You feel like watching a Science Fiction that makes you think back to classics like "Cocoon" or "The invasion of the body snatchers"? Well, you need to give this Australian low-budget indie a chance. Just so you know it in advance, it's not particularly innovative and it's not filled with breathtaking special effects. Yet I found it an enjoyable film to watch in between. Unfortunately it was fairly predictable, certain performances weren't the best of the best and the concept was again post-apocalyptic.

The whole story revolves around the mechanic David (Jai Koutrae) and his daughter Annabelle (Kendra Appleton). Due to the loss of his wife, David has a serious drinking problem and a fairly desperate family situation. A conflict in the Middle East ensures that the economy is falling apart and the overall world peace is endangered. While driving through the night, David witnesses a crashing meteorite. He loses control over his steering wheel and ends up in the hospital. The next morning his injuries seem to be healed and in a miraculous way, a kidney he donated to save his wife grew back. After several visions, he takes it upon himself to build a capsule with the help of Zach (Todd Lasance), a disabled war veteran. It sounds a bit like when Noah was given the divine command to build an ark, in order to secure the survival of the human race.

Although this film takes place in the U.S., the majority of the actors are Australian and everything was filmed in Portland and Sydney. If I hadn't read it somewhere, I wouldn't have known it. In most films, aliens visiting our planet, don't have friendly intentions. In "Terminus" on the other hand, the alien phenomenon is anything but hostile. It's rather helpful and has healing powers. And again there's an agency (the National Science Agency) that tries anything to get hold of this meteorite. In that way they could produce unbeatable combat troops.

Obviously this film was made with a limited budget. But despite this limitation, the makers managed to deliver a sound film. The doomsday scenario is subtly mixed throughout the story with strategically placed newsflashes about the developments in the Middle East. Only the end was quite self-evident. In terms of performances only the NSA agents were weak and portrayed in an ordinary and pathetic way. It was the interaction between David and Zach that provided some highlights. A piece of advice won't harm : Lower your expectations before you watch this movie.

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Where to start with this mess? Slow, boring, dark, and I mean ridiculously dark. I've never seen so many scenes shot in near darkness. Besides this, the plot wandered, characters were barely developed and there was no effective direction. Fortunately, I did get some great sleep which started before this nightmare ended.

You need to be in the mood to watch this. The basis of the plot is revealed early on and from there it's all about what happens around that central point. It has to do a lot with how people think and feel and why they do what they do and how it affects the world entire. It is a slow story, gloomy, antiwar and anti rampant Americanism.

I have to say that the negative reaction of some of the other commenters is not warranted. It was an average movie, but one of those that has enough good things to offset some minor bad things, like some sluggishness of the script and some mediocre acting. I think the worst sin the producers of this film committed is that they made a very intriguing trailer that far outshined the movie itself. Almost all high end scenes are in the trailer, that is. Big Hollywood films do that, so why no them, eh? Because you get people upset, as many comments on this site show.

Bottom line: I wish the film would have been more worked on. As such, it is a gem that is still in the mud. I feel that with another edit of the material it could really shine.

I don't really write to many reviews for movies, People like what they like and the same goes for dislike. First off, The special effects were great.

They didn't try to over do it. The script could have been a little more developed in some areas but it is for all intensive purposes, a Sci- Fie / Drama. The Acting was pretty good For the most part. The Cinematography was Good, No shaky camera crap or blurred fight scene's.

I am not sure why but the Police and other authoritative actors weren't very good. Not convincing in anyway shape or form. I felt like someone p****d on my cornflakes while i was trying to enjoy the rest of my breakfast. A little more info about where the girl was for all those years or a few flash back scene's could have brought her character to life and actually made me care more about her. She wasn't a bad actor she just wasn't really given much to work with to round out her character. Still ' it was WAY better than some of the cheap C-B flick crap that the Sci-Fie channel was trying to cram down our throats a few years back. It is better than some of these movies that have been coming out lately.

I know it was a drama- Sc-Fie but a little more attention to detail on WHERE the dramatic crescendo's peeked would have helped. Some where overdone or a little premature at times. Still all in all it kept me interested and for all the Doomsday preppies? Used government cement trucks should go up in price at the local auction.

The daughter could not let go of her mother's death throughout the entire movie. That was annoying. 20 minutes of the movie was talking to the mother's tombstone, her clothes, and father/daughter arguing about something related to the dead wife/mom. The space rock keep me watching the movie, not the actors or plot....and especially not the daughter. The movie did not improve as I kept watching it and I thought it would finally catch my interest. Never did.

For me personally, the ONE thing that really puts me off with low budget films like this, is that many times the acting is SO atrocious that in 10-15 minutes I truly HAVE to turn it off because it is so bad. I just can't take it. And, there are a lot of them like that.

So, that's why I am rather surprised that quite a few people here have stated that they think that the acting was either pretty bad or maybe just fair. Being a person who is EXTREMELY sensitive to that very thing, I absolutely and vehemently disagree with this. I mean, we're not talking Oscar material here or anything, but I genuinely feel that overall, all the characters taken as a whole, that the acting was actually surprisingly solid. Believe me... THAT would have been the very first thing to take me right out of the movie if that were the case.

Also, FWIW, if you've grown up reading Science Fiction from a young age like I have, you know that there is a HUGE range in the Science Fiction Genre. You can have anything from flashy stories like 'STAR WARS' or 'TRANSFORMERS' all the way to quiet, little stories set in the future, or on other planets, or in space, that have very little action, but might be made up of elements that are primarily societal or philosophical in nature. Many of Ray Bradbury's stories are like that.

So, because of that, mainly with Science Fiction, there is absolutely NO way to have a 'one size fits all' type or level or sub-Genre that everyone likes, and that is IF they even like Science Fiction at all. So, in talking about a movie like this, it is really important I think to convey as closely as possible just exactly WHAT type of Science Fiction it is, so that others can get a more accurate idea as to whether they would like it or not.

With this one, in my lowly and wretched opinion, you have a solid Science Fiction story and concept that is very simple and fairly routine in nature, BUT that is put together and told in a pretty decent way. That would include, yes, the acting primarily, since the simplicity and obvious low budget nature of the film would have to lean heavily upon it. And, I honestly felt that all'n'all everyone did a pretty good job. One thing that I think that helped the story considerably, was that there were a variety of different characters who gave the story more substance and flavour. I really liked the one guy's friend who was a fellow vet; he did an exceptional job with what I would think would be a small, but difficult role. YES, in the more 'emotional' scenes, as is my nature, I kind of rolled my eyes and moved the speed along a little. But, that is just because that is me, not because they were done so horribly : )

What makes a simple Science Fiction story like this work well, is that you honestly do care about the characters. Also, contrary to what a couple of others here have said, the story line and writing were done just fine and kept the pace moving along with what I felt was a healthy degree of suspense and tension. One excellent example I thought, and without giving too much away of course, was the agent in charge. They could have very easily just portrayed him as an evil, shallow, 2 dimensional character. But, they took the time to have him come across as a more textured and rounded out person, which to me anyway, really helped make it much more believable.

Like everyone else, I LOVE the flashier Sci Fi films too (can you say 'ROBOCOP' anyone? {the original please}) and also the deeper ones (can you say 'BLADE RUNNER'?) But, I guess what I liked about this one is that I felt that they did a very good job with what they had to work with, and crafted a suspenseful and entertaining (and I might add somewhat heart-wrenching) film that I felt came across as strongly above average for a movie like this.

So, I hope that this gives you at least some idea as to what kind of Science Fiction film this is... Especially, if you've grown up reading many different kinds of Science Fiction like I have, you might enjoy this simple but effective little movie.

A cut price Australian made combo of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Knowing, Terminus aims to tell a big ambitious (derivative) story, but cuts way too many production corners getting there to make it all that interesting.

It's one of these annoyingly darkly -lit, washed-out colour films, shot with hand-held cameras and over-indulging itself with close-up camera angles and quick edits to the extent, that in the few scenes of action we are delivered, you are totally unsure of exactly what is going on.

The acting won't live in my memory either. Jai Koutrae in the ostensible central role of David was particularly wooden, though I thought his screen daughter Annabelle, played by Kendra Appleton, acquitted herself quite well.

It's always kind of fun watching Aussie films and actors pretend they are all things American. The accents are pretty good and the above mentioned close-ups I think are designed to avoid giving away too many visual clues as to actual filming locations. But in the very few external panoramas shown, it's quite easy to tell the sound and look of the Australian bush if you are half-way familiar with it.

By my reckoning at least 90% of the film is shot at night or in dim, murky surroundings. I felt like celebrating every (occasional) time we were gifted a scene filmed during the day. I guess this is director/co-writer Marc Furmie's idea of creating an atmosphere of foreboding bordering on paranoia. I personally found it a complete road block to enjoying an imitative, but aspiring, apocalyptic tale.

Terminus is a movie about loss and relationships. It takes place in a not too distant future where a huge war/intervention in the East is draining American lives and the economy. This epic is well documented and reflected throughout the movie by numerous background television reports and moving scenes of struggle, and is something brilliantly done. It puts a small Mid-Western town on edge, full of macho guys and recently returned veterans with terrible injuries. It's refreshing to see an approaching apocalypse movie devoting serious attention to external forces. Too often in such movies the background end of days is only attended to in the beginning or sparsely thereafter, which stifles the sense of threat and forces the viewer to watch events unfold as if such gravity was a much lesser part of unfolding drama. Having said that, Terminus is still more about characters with their own problems themselves rather than characters reacting to something bigger than themselves. There are three streams of tension here, each building momentum. This is thus almost a thriller more than a sci-fi film. It seems to have the attention to detail of a big budget production that you'd expect in regard to the actors, all of whom deliver feisty and emotional performances, and yet the sci-fi aspect is conspiratorial, somewhat rushed and far less impressive. I'm not complaining of its scale in the sense of cgi, but I thought it required more expression, each stage could have been given just a tad more impact. I have to admit that it's hard to criticise such an aspect when the entire thrust of the story depends on it. To my mind what's produced is very good, but perhaps could have been better. So often these days I get the feeling that low budget sci-fi movies have not been given enough time to really iron out all the wrinkles and really develop full potential prior to being produced. The sci-fi itself is a very usual juxtaposition, and thus the tension and heightened interest. There are numerous edge of your seat moments here, rolling all the way to an explosive climax, and in the end that's what counts.

Yeah, you can find a lot of problems with this film, from some of the characters being too cliché to the (I can't believe I'm saying this) lack of special effects, in a few scenes, that would have added weight to the movie. Still, it isn't bad at all and, most important, it delivers more than you expect. It has a good plot twist, it keeps you guessing and makes you think you got it - but you'll find out you didn't. I think it's the best a small budget, unknown actors (but they are actors, not Richard Grieco...), and aspiring writers and director can get. It may not be of Spielberg value, but it's on an honest path towards it.

Yes this can and probably does stand for different things (or pun intended as some would say). The basic idea and the way the movie works and moves on is not a bad one. Especially if you like your B-movies to try to be a bit unique. This does all that and has some interesting colorful characters.

It's not all peachy and great of course and that does not only concern the well-being of our main characters, but also the script. Acting wise it has some issues too, but overall it's more than a decent effort into Science Fiction foray. It did what it said on the box and was entertaining enough to pass the time - if you watch a lot of movies. If not you'd probably do best to stay away

I recently watched Terminus and was pleasantly surprised. It's a solid 7 out of 10 for me, which means it's a great film that I might not rewatch but would definitely recommend. In fact, if I were to watch it again, I'd probably bump it up to an 8.

One reason I checked out this film was because Shane Abbess, an executive producer whose work on Gabriel I greatly admire, was involved. Terminus is beautifully shot and directed, with a compelling story and strong performances from a cast of unfamiliar faces. The villain is truly despicable, and the backdrop of a looming war adds a thought-provoking layer to the narrative.

Overall, Terminus is a well-crafted film that exceeded my expectations. It's a refreshing change from the often mediocre mainstream fare.

What would you expect from a B movie, but it looks like a mainstream film for the Australians. Yep, it is an Aussie sci-fi-drama, but sets in the United States. The world is at war, so people everywhere struggling with their jobs. But in a small town, a mysterious object from the sky falls and soon it was claimed by a single father after he was healed by its touch when he met a car crash near the site. The government people too after it, but how these two groups confront each other while the country is falling was told with a small twist at the end.

The poster looks like 'Intersteller' or 'Tron', but the film was different. Kind of a simple version of 'Evolution' and a mix of others as well. I felt it was well written, but not convincingly made. Keeping a simple story, revolving around a mysterious object, it had the strength to come out strong, but doesn't wanted to be the high octane action film and the budget was the issue. So in its limited cost, it impacted managed to become a decent film, but I think the direction should have been a bit cautious. There were lots of sci- fi-dramas succeeded because of the good directions.

I call it a wasted opportunity, but if you keep your anticipation low knowing unfamiliar cast and crew, then it might satisfy you a little. Totally an Australian cast, but in the American accent. Decent performances, and technically it looked okay, since it did not require heavy graphics. It's not for everyone, I would have liked it if the narration was neat regarding its production value.

4/10

Was in the mood for an epic film, and browsing movies available for free on Youtube, I settled on "Terminus." I didn't have high or low expectations either way, not having watched the trailer, and casually watched the movie while playing mobile games. Making these qualifications, here is my review:

I like how my expectations were played to and subverted regarding the two agents we see in the first scene of the film, Agent Stipe (Bren Foster) and Agent Lubinski (William Emmons). One is broadfaced, charismatic and trustworthy looking, while the other is spindly, narrow and hangs in the shadows. I liked the role reversal going on, and with a theme like "don't trust the government," you can guess what that implies.

While I did appreciate the broader arc with the agents, I still felt there was a lack of middle steps getting Agent Lubinski in particular from acting as an accessory to Agent Stipe's crimes in the line of duty to preventing him from performing them. There was enough motivation shown, perhaps, but not enough background to either Agent Lubinski's character or to overall story in general to get the viewer 100% on the ride. It could be I just missed it.

"Terminus" is a B movie, with characters that are just a bit too generic or who don't sell their roles completely, and with a plot that kind of adds up but also feels a bit thin while also feeling drawn out. I did check the length of the movie on two occasions. At some points, "Terminus" has more of the pacing of a TV show episode than a feature length movie, although for me it did pick up again.

I think, though, as a B movie, "Terminus" is very sufficient. As others noted Kendra Appleton who plays the daughter has an empathetic performance (though again, lacking background), and Jai Koutrae who plays her dad is convincing, and also Agent Stipe is a piece of work in a compelling way.

I also did enjoy the themes of the movie, like Kendra Appleton's character says, "What is bad never lasts." "Terminus" is an interesting blend of grim, apocalyptic, and optimistic. For once, the aliens are the good guys.

Overall I think "Terminus" is a quality film, and an original one, although it has a variety of occasional setbacks. 7.5/10.

P.S.. I will also note that I didn't questions that the movie was set in America, because of how there was a Spanish speaking person, and I think the actors did a standard American accent well. I didn't guess the movie was set in Australia. However I am not sure the movie had to be set in America, and if it did, I don't think the setting was exploited much. For me, not really a plus or a minus.

I can't believe some reviewers language - inventive, original. More appropriate language is redundant and boring. To each his own I guess. I think it's trying to be a war flick with some alien junk mixed in. This movie is NOT Cowboys and Aliens. Maybe it's a haunting drama about bad characters in futile pursuits. Acrotomaphilia-for Christ sakes

I read others reviews I agree with harsh one Low engagement with public at time Few episodes tossed there and not fully developed

It keeps intrigued until the end That lots of blockbuster movies fail sometimes

It makes you think and reflect and the way we are

I can see some references to Cocoon but the plot develop differently

I scored a cautious six

Terminus (2016) is a mediocre low-budget sci-fi film. When judging a film, I will always take the budget into consideration. I will also consider how difficult it is to make a movie with an extremely low- budget. Now taking that into consideration, 'Terminus' still isn't that good of a movie. The plot was fine, but it was very jumbled at times. The ending was very abrupt and it felt like it could have been built up more. The acting was bad, and the lead actress was absolutely horrendous. The direction wasn't poor, and there were many great looking shots. What I liked the most was the practical effects. While they did not look realistic, I absolutely love it when filmmakers choose to use practical effects over digital effects. There were some CGI shots in the film, and they looked jarringly fake. While it was refreshing to see the practical effects, the CGI stood out like a sore thumb. 'Terminus' isn't a good movie, but it isn't the worst sci-fi film of the year.

Frankly, Terminus is smarter than those leaving the exaggerated negative reviews here. That might explain the "booooring" reactions to this very nicely turned, intelligent plot line that places character development at the center of an interesting take on how an alien intelligence is responsible for a hinted at 21st century version of Adam and Eve.

Jai Koutrae, Kendra Appleton, and Todd Lasance turn out terrific, understated performances; the script is compelling and held my interest from the opening moments. The Brian Cachia score is first rate and sustained the almost nourish mood throughout. (It's sometimes forgotten how important the music is to driving the plot line). To echo another reviewer's comment, Mark Furmie's direction is indeed, "motivated and inspired."

If you're expecting the typical dumbed-down, mind-numbing tripe that passes for sci-fi née fantasy these days (think auto-bots and Marvel comics), you'll be disappointed. But if, for example, Ex Machina and Under the Skin appealed to you, and you're looking for low-key, intelligent, well performed and directed story-telling, you'll enjoy Terminus.

Kinda okay but the girl's name is Annabelle or Annie ... and towards the end the dad and guy keep reassuring her It's okay, Annie Um - didn't they know? 🤣🤣🤣🤣

After reading some positive reviews I had high hopes for this movie. And because I do like a good sci-fi movie every now and then it seemed like a promising night. The start of the movie was also promising with the intriguing object falling out of the sky. So far so good but after an hour into the movie you realize it's getting boring. The script is going downhill from there on. It's too bad though because they could have done something much better with those ingredients. The cast is okay without being great. It's just the story that isn't good enough to make it a good sci-fi. The filming was okay for the budget they had, it could have used a bit more spectacular things to make it more interesting. All in all it's a disappointment.

A B movie with a clumsy attempt to be important. The premise was tired and lazy, the acting was nondescript and the plot was predictable. It was all a bit of a yawn. I give this film a 4 (poor) out of 10. {SciFi Adventure?}