Terminus

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.

While you definitely won't rush out and buy the bluray version and will probably not want to watch it again, this B+ movie is certainly a worthwhile one time watch for fans of hard SciFi.

When I say SciFi I dont mean the Independence Day, MIB, Star Wars type Science Fantasy movies but the more cerebral, drama driven flicks that rely more on the slow paced buildup against set against a scifi background. If you're looking for space battles, explosions and English speaking aliens you will probably be better off watching a screen saver instead.

Overall a solid.

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.

I specially write this review hope it will help in some ways in promoting this film. I almost did not want to waste time to watch this movie due to some negative comments of few critics who says its boring etc... Well.. Luckily i did not believe them totally.. I just try out to watch it without expecting much. When i finished this movie.. I find it meaningful and i enjoyed it.. I don't see there is any problem with this movie and certainly its not boring to me.. I hope there are people out there who are willing to give a shot watching this movie and enjoyed it like i did. Thanks to all the people involve making this film. Good job.

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.