There is something about 80s movies and there is something about European movies that makes me enjoy them. Luckily this film has both, as a French-German coproduction featuring (mostly) actors from all over the world. I mean, you have Karen Allen, which we know from Raiders of the Lost Ark, is dubbed in French and appears to be the main character. Until she doesn't. Then we have Johnny Hallyday, the man who brought rock and roll to France, who's character arc is fascinating because he is a tragic hero for no reason whatsoever. There is Julie Glenn, playing Princess, because why not? Her father wrote the movie. And Gabriel Gabon, who one would recognize from the STNG episode The Bonding more than from anything recent he's done. Finally, Jürgen Prochnow. He's a big, known actor, so we'll give him three roles! And every one of these people are acting, only in different films. There is absolutely no consistency. I half thought that they tried to do three movies, all having Jürgen Prochnow in them, failed, then stitched this together and dubbed it in French for continuity.
Now, the story. There is none. There is a truck that must reach a mysterious destination as part of a sport that no one seems to be aware of. There are high stakes (5 million francs! - pinkie finger to mouth) but also hidden high stakes. They are so large and so hidden, that we never find out what they are. The sport apparently consists of a red truck that has to be stopped by grey trucks from reaching a destination (one that was never designed with a truck parking). Only the grey trucks are so small that I can't understand how they were supposed to stop the big red one without self destructing. There is a whole quarter of the story dedicated to a backward militaristic region that has no relevance to the major plot of the film (or maybe has the only relevance). Everything from cars, trucks to wooden shacks seems to smash into something and explode. Then there are doctors, clones, laboratories and mysterious "press and authorities" that are so mysterious (yeah, you guessed it) that we never see them. Nor any world order that would permit such things.
Bottom line: I miss the craziness of the films back then, the risk taking, the possibility for something like this to exist. It's a bad film, but it feels wild, inspiring, almost magical, because in this day and age you cannot find stuff like that anymore even in the lowest budget tiers. Everything is curated, standardized and put in little boxes that all look the same. Terminus is a wild ride in the head of a random guy who thought of a vague story, got together a bunch of people and acted on it.
Now, the story. There is none. There is a truck that must reach a mysterious destination as part of a sport that no one seems to be aware of. There are high stakes (5 million francs! - pinkie finger to mouth) but also hidden high stakes. They are so large and so hidden, that we never find out what they are. The sport apparently consists of a red truck that has to be stopped by grey trucks from reaching a destination (one that was never designed with a truck parking). Only the grey trucks are so small that I can't understand how they were supposed to stop the big red one without self destructing. There is a whole quarter of the story dedicated to a backward militaristic region that has no relevance to the major plot of the film (or maybe has the only relevance). Everything from cars, trucks to wooden shacks seems to smash into something and explode. Then there are doctors, clones, laboratories and mysterious "press and authorities" that are so mysterious (yeah, you guessed it) that we never see them. Nor any world order that would permit such things.
Bottom line: I miss the craziness of the films back then, the risk taking, the possibility for something like this to exist. It's a bad film, but it feels wild, inspiring, almost magical, because in this day and age you cannot find stuff like that anymore even in the lowest budget tiers. Everything is curated, standardized and put in little boxes that all look the same. Terminus is a wild ride in the head of a random guy who thought of a vague story, got together a bunch of people and acted on it.