Terminus Blu Ray Review (MVD Rewind Collection)

Terminus is a 1987 science fiction action film directed by Pierre-William Glenn (Les Enragés, 23h58, Les Silences De Johnny, and Le Cheval De Fer). Glenn was mainly known for being a cinematographer, he shot such films as Camarades, One Way Ticket, State of Siege, Day for Night, Small Change, Death Watch, Clean Slate, The Clockmaker, and Extérieur, Nuit. It was written by Alain Gillot (The Man in the Golden Mask, Ben Rock, and Mr. Know-It-All). It was produced by Anne François (Nine Months, North Star, Reunion, and Operation Splitsville). In the year 2037, the future is in the hands of a genetically engineered boy Mati (played by: Gabriel Damon from RoboCop 2, Newsies, The Land Before Time, and Tequila Sunrise). He’s a child-genius with a brain programmed by a brilliant and evil doctor (played by: Jürgen Prochnow from Beverly Hills Cop II, Dune, Das Boot, The English Patient, The Keep, In the Mouth of Madness, The Replacement Killers, and Judge Dredd). Stump (played by: Johnny Hallyday from Man on the Train, The Pink Panther 2, Vengeance, The Iron Triangle, Diabolique, and Crimson Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse) and Princess (played by: Julie Glenn from Alias Betty, Les Z’invincibles, and L’effrontée) steal this mysterious ride. Mati controls this sadistic cross-country rally with a large prize , he manipulates “Monster” (voiced by: Howard Vernon from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne, Howl of the Devil, Angel of Death, The Awful Dr. Orlof, Zombie Lake, Faceless, The Diabolical Dr. Z,, She Killed in Ecstasy, and Delicatessen), a gigantic A.I. operated storm truck is being pursued by a squad of rebels determined to stop them before it reaches the “End of the Line”!!!! Terminus was heavily inspired by the popular Mad Max franchise and all of the other post apocalyptic films made during the same time. They kept pumping out similar productions in the 80’s and the French took advantage of it. Unfortunately, Terminus never really had any life in the united states during it’s release. It was forgotten and never pushed here. It’s directed by veteran cinematographer Pierre-William Glenn in one of his few directorial efforts. Terminus is very different in it’s longer European cut compared to it’s faster paced U.S. version that doesn’t waste any time. There’s so much character development and lots more material for the main roles in it. It has around 32 additional minutes. If you are fan of Terminus then this might end up being your favorite cut because it fills in some plot holes from the previous U.S. version. If you haven’t seen this post apocalypse feature before, I highly recommend that you check out the shorter cut first because honestly the director’s cut really drags with it’s added footage and the flow definitely has some issues. Sometimes, more is not better when it comes to cinema so I personally prefer the U.S. one because it goes straight to the point. It’s much tighter, it has a more natural pace to it. It highlights the action and chaos better without delay. I thought the U.S. dub had more of a fun vibe and atmosphere to it. The European cut felt more serious when compared. Character actor Jürgen Prochnow steals the show playing 3 different villains in Terminus. Each role feels completely like their own thing. He does a fantastic job separating them from each other. It’s one of his most underrated performances in his entire career since he had to so much in this independent production. Singer Johnny Hallyday is the mysterious driver Stump that kinda shows up at the wrong place at the wrong time. He’s just trying to survive like everyone else so he takes on this difficult scenario. Both children actors Gabriel Damon and Julie Glenn are way better than expected in this. They are very similar to each other, they are highly intelligent and their brains are their real superpowers. The rest of the cast includes Howard Vernon, Karen Allen (Indiana Jones franchise), Dieter Schidor (Cross of Iron), János Kulka (Control), Dominique Valera (Parole De Flic), Louise Vincent (Mister Frost), Mathieu Carrière (Malina), and David Jalil (Frantic). I do appreciate Terminus for trying other stuff in this besides your typical post apocalyptic journey. It has some interesting subplots and surprises. The production design, locations, and fx are really good for when it was made especially with barely having a budget. Terminus keeps itself very entertaining and it’s so much fun while these strangers are just trying to make out alive after going through hell. I do enjoy the fact that both versions feel like their own unique movie here so you get some variety with both cuts available. RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss these high definition presentations and special features from the MVD Rewind Collection! It has the 1080p (1.67:1) unrated transfer of the director’s cut (1:55:33) that appears to be newer restoration from StudioCanal. It has the 1080p (1.78:1) transfer for the U.S. version (1:23:44) that resembles an older restoration. Terminus is visually grabs your attention right away. It has top notch cinematography and production design that really stand out. It has some respectable visual and special fx for it’s time, they look better than ever in the newer European restoration. It’s never looked this good before on home video. There’s no debate when it comes to which version looks the best here. The U.S. cut adds to it’s nostalgia with it’s lower quality tho. Each one has it’s own unique audio. The French: LPCM 2.0 track definitely sounds better also on it’s European version. The U.S. cut includes an English: LPCM 2.0 track. Terminus has a good amount of action and crazy scenarios that amp up it’s high energy audio. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the tension is elevated, and the music has a huge boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has an almost 16 minute brand new exclusive “Interview” with villain Jürgen Prochnow. He chats about playing 3 different characters in this. He talks about dubbing some earlier films before he really got into acting. He goes into his career and what stuff that he’s recognized from. He brings up his experiences on Terminus and he tells some stories about it. He says that he still appreciates it after all these years especially how ambitious it was. It’s mainly in English but there’s some German with subtitles for a little bit. It has the brand new exclusive little over 49 minute documentary “We All Descend: The Making of Terminus” directed by Richard Schenkman (Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God… Be Back by Five, The Pompatus of Love, October 22, The Man from Earth franchise, I Spit on Your Grave: Vengeance Is Mine, and Angel 4: Undercover). It has plenty of archive interviews and footage with director Pierre-William Glenn. It has additional interviews with Vincent and Julia Glenn. Pierre-William Glenn explains what the film was to him. He describes it through his eyes. He says despite being more independent, Terminus still costed more than expected. His children share their thoughts on it and they chat about what they do these days. They both show appreciation for their father and his work in this. Julie shares her own experience on working on the post apocalyptic film as Princess. She goes over the cast for it. They chat about this project took a little bit to be developed. This is more of a tribute to.Pierre-William Glenn rather than Terminus but it still focuses on the 80’s science fiction feature a good amount here. It’s in French with English subtitles..It has a little over 3 minute “Photo Gallery”. It has the original “Theatrical Trailer”. It has a variety of additional MVD related “Trailers”. It comes with a cool looking retro slipcover, reversible artwork, and a mini poster. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!