For me personally, the ONE thing that really puts me off with low budget films like this, is that many times the acting is SO atrocious that in 10-15 minutes I truly HAVE to turn it off because it is so bad. I just can't take it. And, there are a lot of them like that.So, that's why I am rather surprised that quite a few people here have stated that they think that the acting was either pretty bad or maybe just fair. Being a person who is EXTREMELY sensitive to that very thing, I absolutely and vehemently disagree with this. I mean, we're not talking Oscar material here or anything, but I genuinely feel that overall, all the characters taken as a whole, that the acting was actually surprisingly solid. Believe me... THAT would have been the very first thing to take me right out of the movie if that were the case.Also, FWIW, if you've grown up reading Science Fiction from a young age like I have, you know that there is a HUGE range in the Science Fiction Genre. You can have anything from flashy stories like 'STAR WARS' or 'TRANSFORMERS' all the way to quiet, little stories set in the future, or on other planets, or in space, that have very little action, but might be made up of elements that are primarily societal or philosophical in nature. Many of Ray Bradbury's stories are like that.So, because of that, mainly with Science Fiction, there is absolutely NO way to have a 'one size fits all' type or level or sub-Genre that everyone likes, and that is IF they even like Science Fiction at all. So, in talking about a movie like this, it is really important I think to convey as closely as possible just exactly WHAT type of Science Fiction it is, so that others can get a more accurate idea as to whether they would like it or not.With this one, in my lowly and wretched opinion, you have a solid Science Fiction story and concept that is very simple and fairly routine in nature, BUT that is put together and told in a pretty decent way. That would include, yes, the acting primarily, since the simplicity and obvious low budget nature of the film would have to lean heavily upon it. And, I honestly felt that all'n'all everyone did a pretty good job. One thing that I think that helped the story considerably, was that there were a variety of different characters who gave the story more substance and flavour. I really liked the one guy's friend who was a fellow vet; he did an exceptional job with what I would think would be a small, but difficult role. YES, in the more 'emotional' scenes, as is my nature, I kind of rolled my eyes and moved the speed along a little. But, that is just because that is me, not because they were done so horribly : )What makes a simple Science Fiction story like this work well, is that you honestly do care about the characters. Also, contrary to what a couple of others here have said, the story line and writing were done just fine and kept the pace moving along with what I felt was a healthy degree of suspense and tension. One excellent example I thought, and without giving too much away of course, was the agent in charge. They could have very easily just portrayed him as an evil, shallow, 2 dimensional character. But, they took the time to have him come across as a more textured and rounded out person, which to me anyway, really helped make it much more believable.Like everyone else, I LOVE the flashier Sci Fi films too (can you say 'ROBOCOP' anyone? {the original please}) and also the deeper ones (can you say 'BLADE RUNNER'?) But, I guess what I liked about this one is that I felt that they did a very good job with what they had to work with, and crafted a suspenseful and entertaining (and I might add somewhat heart-wrenching) film that I felt came across as strongly above average for a movie like this.So, I hope that this gives you at least some idea as to what kind of Science Fiction film this is... Especially, if you've grown up reading many different kinds of Science Fiction like I have, you might enjoy this simple but effective little movie.

I just watched this movie with some friends and was blown away by how good it was! It is quite literally one of the best movies that I've seen.I loved the cinematography and the foreboding sound effects. Those two elements along with the compelling story line, well thought out characters, acting and script, make this movie really great.This movie is a slow burn, and it simmers to make a tense and dramatic and action- packed thriller. It's like a soup that takes a while to cook but ends up tasting better because it cooks at a low simmer.I want to say "Awesome job to everyone involved with this film." This movie is a lot better than some of the 100-million-dollar and higher movies that I've seen that use the same A-list actors but have terrible plots and don't give us a reason to care about the characters.In this movie, I was given a reason to care about all the characters.Excellent movie all the way around. Highly recommend.

A shoddy, stale-looking, dull sci-fi that manages to make alien contact as mundane as ordering French Fries. To make things worse, the "auteur" of this low-IQ piffle focused much more on politics than on sci-fi, filling up the movie with tons of extremely stupid fake-CNN news-flash exposition, which shows the U.S. invading Iran and eventually causing the outbreak of WW3. (The notion that a liberal-lead U.S. would even contemplate such a move is truly hilarious. What, Obama or Hellary invading Iran to save Israel? Bolivian mushrooms must be very cheap these days.)So no, I am not joking in the slightest when I tell you that this garbage is a cross between "Born on the 4th of Scientology"… Sorry, got confused there… A cross between "Born on the 4th of July" and "2010". Is it as dumb as it sounds? Much worse. Because dumb can be occasionally entertaining, but this idiocy is just excruciatingly boring. The premise of an alien being restoring human limbs is not bad, but it's handled with such incompetence by the writer and the actors (especially that sociopathic secret agent: over-actor extraordinaire) that it makes no difference what potential there was or wasn't in it. Certainly there was zip potential in combining left-wing propaganda with alien contact. I'm pretty sure some pompous mongrel had already done that anyway.To give you a hint just how much muddy pee-worthy incompetence the film swims in, the director can't even make up his mind whether the story takes place in the States or Australia, because there are clear indications of both.

"Terminus": Starring Jai Koutrae ("Death's Requiem", "Benjamin Troubles"), Kendra Appleton ("In Your Dreams", "Blue World Order"), and Todd Lasance ("Vampire Diaries", "Spartacus: War Of The Damned"), "Terminus" is tautly directed by Marc Furmie ("Death's Requiem", "Airlock").What can I say about "Terminus"? The logline reads (and I quote IMDb here): "Following a near-fatal accident, David Chamberlain makes an unprecedented discovery that will not only determine the fate of his family, but of mankind." Well, that's your typical movie sound-bite that makes Hollywood film producers wet their pants by telling the Attention-Deficit-Disorder public everything and nothing in one sentence. So let me fatten that up a bit and clarify (not really any spoilers here, so do not fret). After the so called "near-fatal accident" Jai Koutrae drags himself from his overturned vehicle, in effort to follow the lead of some mystery figure (person?) who may or may not be a mere hallucination brought on by a major concussion. Rebuffing the likely delusions perpetrated by brain injury, Koutrae manages to find himself a life-giving "pod". This "pod"––obvious to any Sci-Fi geek or anyone not suffering brain trauma––has to be from outer-space. OK, now that's all I'm willing to reveal about the story. Go find "Terminus" and watch it, if you want to know more. It's worth the search. On that note...Marc Furmie's directing is motivated and inspired, which is somewhat belied by the cerebral quality of the film––my latter point meaning, Mr. Furmie places a greater emphasis on the drama and the characters driving the story, than the trappings of the typical Sci-Fi CG effects heavy, alien monsters laden, blah-blah-uhggg, movie. Thank you, sir, for your impassioned focus. Which brings me to Jai Koutrae.Koutrae has again pulled off an intense performance; one that often appears as placid as a cold lake, but flares with explosive poignancy revealing just how much pain his character is suffering right below the waterline. His portrayal of David Chamberlain, an out-of-work, small town, backwoodsie, middle-American tough-guy-with-a-broken-heart, is realistic to a T. And although Koutrae is an Aussie from Downunder, his American accent is flawless.The next outstanding performance comes from actress Kendra Appleton, who plays David's (Koutrae's) equally heartbroken and nearly estranged daughter. Her character, Annabelle Chamberlain, is truly the pivot (the heart) around which "Terminus" arcs. Appleton exudes great depth of sentiment, but not cheap sentimentality. She's young, beautiful, and full of hope and compassion for her father, but is also haunted by her equally tormented soul. And when it comes down to the wire, like her father, she can be pretty damn tough and merciless in fight, too.Our third lead in "Terminus" is actor Todd Lasance. His performance of the itinerant––potential danger and baddie––Zach, is solid as a rock. At first an angry loser coming from nowhere, and on his way to some other nowhere, he quickly reveals his deeper pain and compassion, as well as his hard-boiled anger at the world. The human destruction he has witnessed, and been participant in, has scarred him emotionally, very nearly to the point of no return.In "Terminus" the planet is on the brink of global nuclear war. This is only a backdrop at first, but eventually floats to the forefront as a very real possibility. Overall, "Terminus" is populated with dark characters trying to make there way through an even bleaker world; each fighting for hope and life in their own way. Even the FBI agents threaded throughout the film, are doing their damnedest to perpetuate hope and life, although their poor decisions and near radicalism constantly made me wonder if they weren't the true evil in the story. Possibly they were Marc Furmie's way of holding up a simple mirror to reflect back the infinitely complex nihilism and savagery that has plagued humanity since the beginning of time.I highly recommend "Terminus" for its grim, yet inspired view. Its morbidity and its sometimes-violent passions and compassion. The film is not unlike a single flower that somehow blooms in the middle of a deep, dark death-valley.