Today’s quick review: Terminus. David Chamberlain (Jai Koutrae) is a mechanic struggling to support his daughter Annabelle (Kendra Appleton). His life changes forever when a meteorite lands near him, exposing him to an alien organism with healing properties. David begins to experience visions of his dead wife, who urges him to build a structure to house the organism. Helping him in the project is Zach Aronson (Todd Lasance), a crippled veteran.
Terminus is a budget science fiction movie with a dark tone, a mysterious plot, and a heavy dose of personal drama. The movie follows the lives of David, Zach, and Annabelle as they get drawn into the mystery surrounding the alien organism. The film’s true premise, once it tips its hand, does make for viable science fiction. But Terminus’s plodding plot, focus on mundane drama, and mediocre execution hamstring what potential it has.
Terminus is an unrelentingly bleak film grounded in a disturbingly plausible future. David and Annabelle are on the verge of collapse, with no money left and unhealed wounds from the death of David’s wife. Their entire town is in dire straits thanks to a ruinous US war in Iran. The one ray of hope is the alien organism, but it is too strange and foreboding to offer any comfort. The surfeit of drama makes the film hard to invest in and ultimately unrewarding.
Beyond its exceptionally heavy tone, Terminus is a competent but uninspired sci-fi flick. The performances are fine, but there are no real standouts. The script succeeds in creating drama but not in putting it to use. The plot takes nearly an hour to get rolling, and even then the conflict is not worht the wait. The film does do an admirable job of doling out clues about the organism, but it stunts its plot progression in the process.
Give Terminus a shot when you’re in the mood for a dark, serious film wrapped around a decent mystery. The film’s heavy tone and limited payoff make it a poor choice for most viewers, but there is just enough substance there to please the odd sci-fi fan. For a sci-fi thriller with similar elements, check out Knowing. For a slightly lighter personal drama about alien contact, check out Phenomenon.
5.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for credible but uninspiring sci-fi.