Terminal Error (2002) User Reviews

Drive-In Monsters of the New Millennium

[kapecki · 5/10 · 5 July 2003]

In the '50s the standard low budget movie monster was some innocent insect enlarged by radiation; today, it's a computer or similar technological device run amuck, often infected with a virus or some such. Neither premise was ever much grounded in science, but at least followed a series of familiar conventions, both with respect to the human and non-human protagonists. "Terminal Error" fits the genre, though, of course, made for the drive-in has succumbed to direct to video or (in this case)made for cable .

That said, this is an ominous enough little film that its ambitious, but ultimately cheesy special effects (thankfully limited to a small screen) and entirely predictable plot don't keep it from being entertaining in the same way those old drive-in films kept you watching.

In brief, a disgruntled employee uses the teenaged son of his ex-boss to infect the company's computers with a virus designed for revenge. Since these computers are widely used as control devices, the area's power grids, elevators, traffic signals, Army missiles are all put in the hands of our evil doer until the virus begins to mutate and turn on humankind in general.

The acting is competent enough, and there is even a bit of witty dialog between the boss and his Stephen Hawking-like associate.

If you don't expect much from this movie and need a monster fix, that's what you'll get, and you probably won't be too disappointed.

At least the title is accurate

[MartianOctocretr5 · 3/10 · 24 February 2006]

Marina Sirtis should fire her agent for getting her in this. Her talent is thoroughly wasted here.

Machines-gone-berserk story that builds upon a goofy premise. This time, a computer virus is downloaded into a sensitive program, in a manner beyond the sublimely ridiculous. The perpetrator of this nasty scheme is a psychotic guy who giggles like a baboon and sweats from his forehead a lot. He's an irate employee who got fired, and his unwitting accomplice is the teen-angst-ridden crybaby son of the guy that did the firing.

Once downloaded, the virus blows up things in Russia, takes over appliances, shoots rockets at cars, plays with traffic signals, talks too much, and does a pitiful impression of Hal 9000 from "2001."

The kid, the dad, the psycho, and Hal 9000 Jr., all get on your nerves pretty early on. There is one character, apparently based on Stephen Hawking, who had the potential to be interesting, but the film does not give him much screen time, nor does it develop the character enough. Marina (as teen-angst's mother) really tries, but she is given very little to do, other than scream or run in terror.

If you turn your brain off for 90 minutes, and just want a good laugh, the film is OK for that. However, if you're looking for a plausible story, this one is just a terminal error.

Terminally idiotic!

[uds3 · 3/10 · 4 May 2005]

Irredeemably amateurish as this is, it is more entertaining than many big-name flicks...maybe on account of its very trashiness.

Nouri, something less than an A-list actor even in his prime, plays Brad Weston, head of the crappiest looking software company you ever saw. After Busfield (employee reject of the year) throws a spaz and uses Weston's son to download a smart virus into the company computer (in a song no less)which manages among other things to blow a Ukraine nuclear facility to the hereafter - this has to be the WORST special effect ever foisted on to the viewing public at large - things just get dopier.

One must pay homage admittedly to the plastic plane sequences, not to mention the hand-drawn silo launching fx. Salaries aside (assuming anyone was PAID for this) the film obviously had a budget of less than $500....refreshments included! Defying plausibility from the word go, the conceptual brilliance of wiping out an entrenched super-virus, capable of speech and thought incidentally, with a hand-held "Game-Boy" is nothing short of awesome in its originality.

A classic of low-rent sci-fi.

Terminal Idiocy is more like it

[lottatitles · 27 July 2003]

We're supposed to believe a computer goofball gives a 'virus' to a kid in a song which gets on the kid's dad's computer and infects multiple city facilities...killing people and blowing up phone booths. Yeah, and the virus is a 'smart virus' which makes judgement calls. No thrills, no monsters to watch (unless you count Timothy Busfield (goofball); or Michael Nouri looking very old, and not even remotely giving a performance. Marina Sirtis is very ill-used here. I hope she smacked the screen writer and the director after she saw this drivel.

More like Terminal Stupidity

[JohnBeatty · 1/10 · 3 August 2002]

***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD***

I'm not sure which is more ridiculous, the idea that almost every piece of electronic equipment, whether or not it is hooked up to the internet, can be controlled by a malicious intelligent computer virus, or that the anti-virus was programmed on a Game Boy.

This is quite possibly the worst film I have ever seen. I knew it was going to be awful in the first five minutes when a virus inside an MP3 file caused a nuclear power plant in the Ukraine to explode. The explosion itself was brought to "life" by some of the worst computer graphics I have ever seen outside 1980s video games. I only watched the rest of the film out of morbid curiosity and hope of a bit of a laugh.

The basic plot is an old partner of a computer automation mogul wants revenge, and also to destroy technology, so he creates a virus to bring the company down. But the virus is intelligent and decides to kill all life on the planet. Somehow, the virus manages to get access to all electronics and tries to hunt down the head of the company, Brad. The virus manages to track Brad all through the city on security cameras and webcams, which are everywhere. Or rather two different security cameras, shots of which are shown repeatedly. Every computer in the film has a webcam, so the virus can see anyone using it. In fact, every computer in the film looks exactly the same.

Not only that, but through some kind of hidden speakers and microphones, the virus is able to talk and listen to people. It is also able to move things which are not motorized. It is also able to spike power in exactly the place it wishes to cause sparks and fires. It controlled a gas pump to make it dump gasoline on the ground, then blew up a sign and shot sparks right into the gas puddle. Good aim, virus!

This would be perfect fodder for MST3K were it still on the air. I'm sure all of Marina Sirtis' fellow Star Trek cast members laugh at her behind her back for ever agreeing to be in this travesty.

Motion Picture Error

[F1ame · 3/10 · 20 October 2002]

The art of tension is creating high stakes, and then dancing on the edge of disaster until the climax.

When the audience is cringing at the plethora of ridiculous scenarios spewed onto the screen in front of them, tension is not achieved.

The basic premiss is not too bad. We've seen these virus films before, and the potential is there for a couple of programmer spods to do effective battle with a virus. But you have to truly research the subject, and you might realize computers can't fire guns, sign cheques, take showers... any of which would have not seemed out of place in this dross.

There is little grace in the action. They pull over to have domestic conversations. Insert irregular and obtrusive dialogue. We might as well put a colour coded bar on to denote main and subplots.

All that said, if you are the kind of person who doesn't know how to wind up your sundial, then you'll probably love this film.

please capt. beam me out of this movie

[haleylovemom · 2/10 · 22 January 2006]

OK. I like Marina too . I wanted to give this more, but my brain hurt from the assault on my intelligence. Maybe it hurt so much cause I work in computers and know how impossible this all is.it's like a bad gas station puts gas in cars and makes them jump and fly into a mountain at 200 miles an hour. But hey Marina is still cute and I hope she gets better work then this, I gave an extra point for her.glad she got into "Crash" this was axially a good movie. although this was made in 2002 I thought it would be in the late 1980's. before a lot was known about computers by the general public. computers cannot adjust your power circuits in your house or make your TV fry. "Tron" was a movie in the late 80's which was almost as corny and stupid. but I would give it a 5 for entertainment and forgiveness from the time it was written. but this movie do sen't warranty the ten lines they wanted me to write so I had to include other movies. That is all.

Where stupidity reaches its ultimate!!!

[movie_obsessed_dude · 2/10 · 7 March 2004]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS INCLUDED!

How could a group of people deal with this ultimate poor plot? Though it had little poorly exiting shots which undoubtedly make you yawn!

The lack of reality and even consistency in the plot could be easily observed with poor acting conducted by three main people. The fake relationship going between main people was damn simple and idiot enough to let you go through with it completely.

The worst part of this movie could be addressed to where Brad found the server infected by that stupid virus and was trying to stop it by pushing two buttons on a GAMEBOY!!!

Has little funny stupid elements to waste your time on!!!

Habib's Assessment: 2 / 10!

It Had Potential But Ruined It

[Theo Robertson · 4/10 · 10 January 2010]

There's a massive amount of criticism with this movie . The CGI is terrible ? Yes it is especially the opening scene in the Ukraine . The plot is stupid ? yes it is . Very stupid . It's full of scientific nonsense ? Indeed it is . You'll fall out of seat how ludicrous everything plays out . However none of this would mattered if the film had realised its potential

The problem with the potential is there's a lot of scope for cruel things to happen . Certainly an idea of a super intelligent self aware virus is a good premise which could have ended up as a cross between PULSE and TERMINATOR 2:JUDGEMENT DAY . Unfortunately we once again endure TVM style kitchen sink dramas when we should have been watching lots of people suffering a grisly fate like the occupants of a lift , so the potential is sadly wasted

The most awful film I have ever seen

[imdb-10625 · 1/10 · 23 November 2005]

This has been the most awful film I have ever seen. These kind of films most often have special effects which are breath taking. For what I have seen, even King Kong (the 1933 version) has better special effects (and that without the use of a computer!). Picture the special effect at a thunderbirds level and this is what you receive. The storyline is stupid. For instance we are talking here about a world threatening virus. This virus will destroy everything on the surface of the earth. And only the mare the city is spoken to. If this guy should be some sort of bill gates .. He is driving a car belonging to a beer bellied salesman or some sort of construction worker (not to offend these type of professions). And then the plot, it is soooooooo predictable.

Alright, this DVD costed me only one euro but even that was wayyyyyy to much. At least it helps in building a large DVD collection )looks nice in the cupboard'!!!

The Stoopidist Movie

[shaver_dave · 1/10 · 2 March 2006]

This movie presents a scenario where a virus not just creates havoc on a computer and transmission from that computer via an infected file. (which I am sure most computer owners have experienced.) it also presents ridiculous scenarios that could never work out in the real world. I am a fan of sci-fi, but when the sci-fi is so stoopid, I could not recommend the work of such stoopitidy.

The movie insults some people with an idea that a virus can electrocute a person sitting in a mobile electric chair - the person is insulated from all metallic points of the chair and the chair is in no way wired to high voltage that would be able to cross simple insulation.

Then the virus activates a Halon system. Halon systems are similar to fire sprinkler systems, but it emits a halon gas, which is non combustible. The way it works is, it disperses oxygen. As the Halon is dispensed, fire consumers oxygen and the Halon actually blankets the fire so new oxygen can be introduced into the fire. Only problem with the movie scenario is, like sprinkler systems, halon systems can only be triggered from heat sensors at their nozzles.

The main actor is guilty of bad acting when halon is introduced into the room and after a few minutes, he "acts" like he has breathed halon gas. In the real world, nobody would have such a reaction to inhaling halon gas. A person who is in a room that is being flooded by halon gas would simply get sleepy, lay down and fall asleep.

Terminal Error in Judgement (spoiler)

[jbeatty89 · 3 August 2002]

Terminal Error might possibly be the worst film I have seen, EVER! Although I must admit I knew what I was getting into while watching the first three minutes on PAX TV. The special effects were what first drew me in. They were as realistic as gameboy graphics. Speaking of gameboy, until tonight I was unaware it could be plugged into a mainframe and used to write a computer virus. This is an example of how plausible the entire plot is. The film is riddled with impossible capabilities of a home computer. Not to mention how a computer controls the myriad electronic devices which aren't even connected to the net. This film lacks truly lacks suspense. I suppose if you went to the store to get more beer you might have missed something.(but I didn't miss much) Even though I found this film dreadful I would watch it again. I would would even recommend it to others, but only if they were in a large group consuming mind altering substances. I look forward to seeing other films by director John Murlowski. I can only imagine Santa with Muscles is equally as entertaining.

AI = Artificial Idiocy

[guyzradio · 3/10 · 10 January 2024]

As Terminal Error unraveled, I couldn't help compare it to 2001: A Space Odyssey (IMDb score 8.3), Colossus: The Forbin Project (IMDb score 7.1), and many others that successfully broach the subject of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Also couldn't help but marvel at how badly Terminal mangled the concept despite having three decades during which the most rudimentary knowledge of internet and computers became common.

For example, given that the highest voltage in computer gear (aside from 120Vac going into the power supply) is usually 12Vdc, exploding rack panels and monitors are ridiculous. There would be no source of the voltage needed to produce the fireworks. The keyboard layouts look like something the props department cooked up, when they could have easily gone to a computer store for real computer keyboards and bought a scrap of believability. By 2000, the idea of one large computer controlling every item in a home or business (let alone, most of a city) had gone out the window. If a door lock needed to be intelligent, it probably had its own microprocessor. Cruise missiles launching vertically from silos on US soil is rubbish. Add cheesy special effects, and a variety of voices the virus employs. There's ample other evidence that those responsible for this movie had been living under a rock, technologically speaking.

We also get an OD of the bratty son who makes us understand why some species eat their young. Michael Nouri's character is totally one-dimensional, while Marina Sirtis just seems she never shed the aura of Counselor Troy from Star Trek TNG.

We ultimately must conclude that, for Terminal Error, "AI" has to mean "Artificial Idiocy." Something this bad doesn't happen naturally.

TERMINAL BRAINROT ...

[phantasmpanther · 2/10 · 22 October 2023]

... that's what this movie will give you. I gave it 2 stars because 1 star = 0%. It's actually better than a lot of drek out there.

What you need are specific examples why you do not want to waste your time on it:

1 the kid is such a low-level hacker he can't even hack into the school computer and cover his tracks, so they instantly know it's him;

2 he's in a building where the computer is going completely haywire and never thinks "looks like a virus or a hacker";

3 what happens to the Ukraine nuclear power plant in the beginning ... doesn't happen to nuclear plants. They MELT DOWN - that's not a meltdown that they show, it's brainless fantasy;

4 the virus acts like AI or at least borderline AI, but he downloaded it from his MP3 in less than 10 seconds! At that size, it couldn't make a computer hiccup, even considering that this is from 2002.

Other reviewers have mentioned that the good cast is wasted. Absolutely!

And that's only some of it's Terminal Errors!!!!!!

If you've got time to waste, go ahead, it could be worse. But don't believe any of the content. Whoever wrote this script doesn't have the knowledge and experience of a Junior High kid.