Bullet Points: Terminus (1987)
The boom of post-apocalyptic movies following the success of the Mad Max films knew no boundaries. I was well aware of several post-apocalyptic movies produced in Italy in the 1980s, but I was completely unaware of the joint French/German production that was 1987’s Terminus…
- Let the Game Begin: Terminus takes place in a post-apocalyptic 2037. The apocalypse has made way for a new sport…. a cross-country competition that challenges the driver of a high-tech truck to make their way from a random starting point to a designated end point (or terminus for those in the know). If the driver can make it to the end point, they will win their weight in gold. Now it should be pointed out that it is not as simple as getting from point A to point B… there are plenty of obstacles along the way, most notably the military and their fleet of post-apocalyptic vehicles known as “The Greys”… Unlike the sports that we are accustomed to, there really seems to be no way to follow these events, unless you are one of the people responsible for creating the event, like the group of scientists in the underground bunker who monitor the progress of the latest competitor, Gus (Karen Allen, Raiders of the Lost Ark) and the truck she has been assigned known as Monster. Monster was designed and programmed by a boy genius named Mati. Mati was played by Gabriel Damon, who will always by Hob from RoboCop 2 to me.
- Monster Mash: Monster resembles a locomotive engine and thanks to AI, Monster can talk to the driver (with an actual set of lips on the dashboard) providing navigation assistance, threat assessments and even snacks! Monster can also smash through roadblocks, buildings and even chicken coops! After a slight malfunction and Gus ignoring a posted detour, Gus finds herself in a zone that was not designated for the game and soon finds herself locked up in a military jail.. Gus shares her cell with another prisoner named Stump (Johnny Hallyday). Stump found himself in the clink after standing up to some soldiers who were torturing peasants… not only did it buy him time behind bars, but also a metal hand (and likely the name Stump)! Stump and Gus start feeling some kind of way about one another, but there time is interrupted when the guards come to escort Gus to speak to the Major and release Stump… So Stump goes to the local watering hole and starts arm wrestling dudes, while Gus is being interrogated about her involvement in a plot to overthrow the government with a race of robots… something she knows nothing about, but unfortunately the Major doesn’t believe her so she has her tortured and left to die… but before she dies, Gus has a young slave girl named Princess deliver a message to Stump… he needs to replace her in the game and she even gave him the password to access Monster! And just like that no more Karen Allen in the movie.
- Ready Player Two: Who is Stump to turn down a woman he was about to bone? So he finds himself in the driver’s seat of Monster and making a break for it, before engaging in a human vs. AI rivalry with Monster. Stump also finds out that they have a stowaway on board… Princess! The trio have to deal with the usual obstacles in the game (like Major sending his forces after them) and Stump’s mistrust of Monster… but worst of all, they also have to deal with an evil truck diver (one of the three roles played by Jürgen Prochnow in the movie) who has a truck of his own with cloaking ability. When this wrinkle was introduced, I started picturing a huge high-tech truck battle and I could not wait to see it… unfortunately, I am still waiting. The truck battle and the battle between Stump and the evil truck driver are almost over before they start.
- Burying the Lead: I mentioned that Jürgen Prochnow played three different roles, including the evil truck driver, but he also plays Mati’s mentor the Doctor and the bizarre boss of this government hating scientific community simply known as Sir. I mentioned the mistrust between Stump and Monster, but that pales in comparison to what is going on with the big brains… Doctor and Sir aren’t seeing eye to eye, everyone is leery of Mati and it turns out it is for good reason, because the whole game and the whole Monster program was a cover for what Mati was really after!
Terminus was an interesting movie to say the least and made for a unique viewing experience. I do have to wonder if the movie had been more focused if it would have been a more enjoyable viewing experience. The movie tried to jam a lot of story elements into 83 minutes making it tough to digest at times and impossible to pay everything off.
Let me jam in a few Bonus Bullet Points…
- Totally 80s: While the movie is set in 2037, Monster saying “gag me with a spoon” was as 80s as it gets.
- The Name Game: Not to be confused with the Australian produced Terminus that was released in 2015.
- If You Ever: …wanted raspberry flavored popcorn, take a ride in Monster.
- Booker T Quote: When a checkpoint guard asks the evil truck driver what he is hauling the evil truck driver responds with “Just meat”.
