Terminus (2015)

Summary :
Following a near-fatal accident, David Chamberlain makes an unprecedented discovery that will not only determine the fate of his family, but of mankind.

Genre : SF
Country : Australia

Cast :
Jai Koutrae : David Chamberlain
Kendra Appleton : Annabelle Chamberlain
Todd Lasance : Zach

Director : Marc Furmie

My Opinion

“You're like every other hick in this town.
Full of opinions on things you know nothing about.
Scared shitless 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.