Terminus Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Terminus Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 17, 2025

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse made it startlingly clear how filmmaking is not for the weak, either physically or perhaps just as importantly mentally. Chances are many coming to this review have probably never even heard of Terminus, but that very lack of general renown may hint at a traumatic production experience suffered not just by director Pierre-William Glenn, but, as evidenced by some kind of devastating interviews with his children included in a supplement on this disc, his entire family as well. Terminus was evidently supposed to be the first big budget French science fiction film, one that obviously was made in the wake of Mad Max , but frankly far enough after that iconic film that the "wake" had largely dissipated. Terminus is a very odd film, as even the main supplement on this disc gets into, and as such it may be of more interest as a curio than anything else. MVD is offering two cuts of the film, a longer Director's Cut in French, and the shorter U.S. release.

What is Terminus about? Good question, actually, though in that regard the longer Director's Cut offered on this disc certainly helps to fill in some pretty glaring plot deficiencies in the U.S. version, if also kind of weirdly shunting perceived marquee attraction Karen Allen off into the sidelines as a result. Basically, it's the near future and a genetically altered tyke has devised both a game and a hi tech truck that is part of it, a vehicle initially driven by Gus (Karen Allen). The "game" is described as being supposedly a combo platter of cross country racing and football, though the former sport is certainly the more prevalent. Suffice it to say the game also features various obstacles drivers have to overcome to reach their objective (that would be the terminus, for you uninitiated types). Various tribulations ensue, with the upshot being another driver (Johnny Hallyday) becomes the focal character. Through it all Jürgen Prochnow gets to portray three characters, all of whom may be genetically related, and two of whom are on the decidedly outré side. The two versions of the film are completely different viewing experiences, for those patient enough to get through both.

It may be salient to note, as is mentioned repeatedly in the main supplement on this disc, that Pierre-William Glenn is probably better remembered as a cinematographer than as a director, and Terminus may simply have been too ambitious a project for Glenn to have ever completely succeeded with. Still, the ripples of the undeniable failure of this film when it was released seem to be echoing to this very day, at least for Glenn's two children.

Terminus Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots 1 through 5 are from the Director's Cut. Screenshots 6 through 9 are from the U.S. Cut.

Terminus is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Visual's MVD Rewind Collection imprint with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in 1.67:1 (Director's Cut) and 1.78:1 (U.S. Cut). It's probably salient to note that only the Director's Cut bears the opening imprimatur of StudioCanal, which to me suggests a newer restoration, and just a cursory comparison of screenshots uploaded to this review should clearly demonstrate how much better the longer cut looks than the American version. There are still some passing variances in the Director's Cut in any number of things we typically address in reviews, including palette suffusion, clarity, fine detail levels and grain structure, but on the whole the Director's Cut regularly gets up and probably surpasses 4.0 levels in terms of my personal approach toward scoring, while the U.S. cut, which is frequently very "dupey" looking, along with being pretty brown and faded, can get down to 2.5 territory at least.

Terminus Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Director's Cut of Terminus features LPCM 2.0 audio in the original French, while the U.S. Cut features LPCM 2.0 audio in English. As with the cuts themselves, the soundtracks of these two versions are distinctly different, and not just with regard to dialogue. Because the edits are so vastly different, everything from sound effects to scoring choices can vary at different moments. That said, both tracks offer completely capable support of dialogue, sometimes pretty goofy sound effects and an enjoyable if dated score. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly in both versions. Optional English subtitles are available.

Terminus Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• European Director's Cut (1:55:33) and the U.S. Version (1:23:44) are accessible under the Play Menu.


• Interview with Jurgen Prochnow (HD; 15:55) is a lot of fun and gets into some great background biographical and filmography information.


• We All Descend: The Making of Terminus (HD; 49:29) is an absolutely fascinating if also kind of undeniably heartbreaking exploration of the background of the production of the film. This includes interviews with Pierre-William Glenn (archivally), along with his son and daughter. Subtitled in English.


• Photo Gallery (HD; 3:03)


• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:13)

Packaging features a reversible sleeve and slipcover.

Terminus Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For those interested in "meta" elements, or at least the personal stories of filmmakers and their families, We All Descend may be worth the price of admission alone for this disc. The film itself in either of its versions can be incomprehensible at times, but the longer Director's Cut is probably inarguably superior in both narrative clarity and especially video quality. Supplements are great, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.