For many of us who got to see an exclusive one-minute teaser at the reveal
of TERMINUS at GhMovieCon2020, it has never left our minds. We just have been
waiting patiently for its official release. Finally, it is here and seems to be enjoying some
attention.
The film starts up with the tone of a decent crime thriller that is sure to be action-packed and
enough to spark healthy conversation about big pharma and its ills. Any film in our space hasn’t
tackled this subject matter. And that’s how daring TERMINUS is even on the surface.
However, when you dive deeper into it as the film progresses, the attention is shifted from the
main plot and focuses more on certain characters. Even with its underlying premise at the back
of your mind, you feel at some points that the film is about something else and not what its
initials sets out to be about.
As per the synopsis, the chemist, Robert (played by Kobina Amissah-Sam), appears to be
the lead and the centre of the story, but the screenplay best positions and
favours Sakande (played by Joseph Otsiman) as that lead we should follow.
Robert is clearly in danger, having made some discoveries about Quino Q, an off-thecounter drug-taking life. Some unknown persons behind the drug are after him and his
findings, which put his life and his wife and daughter at risk.
Sakende, on the other hand, is a journalist whose video speaking against pharmaceutical
companies and their illegalities go viral. He seems to have sparked a public uproar and caused
many problems for the film. He, too, appears to be in danger from the pharmaceutical company.
He is somewhat positioned as the centre of the story throughout the film, even long
after Robert off much earlier.
And there is Aduku (played by Manaf Yussif), our questionable anti-hero. He is initially
introduced to us as a saviour, and then interestingly, a quick plot twist reveals him as the villain
in the film even before halfway through its runtime. More interestingly, his motivations are never
explained. We don’t understand his connection with the story beyond the fact that he might be
working for the pharmaceutical company ROMACEUTICAL. Aduku is made out to be
possibly the ‘worst’ and deadliest villain we have seen so far in Ghanaian cinema. So much so
that an elite team of soldiers is spun up to take him down. The thought of this alone makes you
anticipate the head to head action that is likely to happen between Aduku and this elite team
trying to take him down.
One thing is for sure; however, TERMINUS is daring. It dares not only to talk about a
complex subject matter like speaking up against big pharma, and it is even daring in its
executions.
Production-wise, the film is as clean as can be. The unsettling tone and intensity that an
action crime thriller deserves are set well with the shaky camera work and the smooth,
fast cuts used in the editing. There are several attempts at using CGI and VFX to tell
some parts of the story. The execution might not be the best, but it passes for an honest
effort. Using shaky camera technique also seems to hinder the smooth tracking of some
of the visual effects and green screen work. You could easily spot the shortfalls if you are
paying close enough attention.
The colour-grading used doesn’t help much either. For several external scenes even, you
can’t tell what time of day it is. And it’s not always established in the dialogue what time
of day those scenes are set, making it somewhat challenging to follow some of those
scenes. Not that it matters so much, but being able to follow through the story and quickly tell
the days and locations apart goes a long way to make things more transparent.
The film plot seems more significant than it lets off. It makes you wonder if this first part was
enough at all or how many more sequels would be needed to paint a picture clear enough.
Besides its premise, there is a subplot of a drug cartel teased but not explored well enough. We
also get to see the government interferences whilst being fed the idea of some shady government
officials behind some of the happenings, but that too is not fully explored. We know the
country’s President Leila Nkrumah (played by Helen Lois) is making frantic efforts to
control the situation. But it’s unclear what she is up to and which side she is on.
One other thing that works for TERMINUS is the choice of cast. There are a plethora of
talents in the line-up. Every Ghanaian who sees the film is bound to have at least one
favourite in there. The overall delivery of the skills is excellent. But this prequel doesn’t
allow several of these talents to shine just yet. Perhaps, we might get to see more of them
in the intended sequel.
The film ends almost abruptly just when the intensity is picking up and when it seems the
story might be getting back on track. It then teases us with some scenes from what we
believe is the second part. However, some of the scenes gave out some huge plot reveals
disappointingly. It would have better sufficed if they had been saved for the actual sequel.
But we can only anticipate that writer and director Abu Iddris has a lot more in
store. The sequel already promises to be more action-packed than what we got to see so far, with
more stunts and fight scenes.
Without a doubt, TERMINUS is a breath of fresh air. It proves that Ghanaian filmmakers can
attempt other genres, not the regular romance-themed dramas or comedies. But it also proves that
nothing should ever be compromised in filmmaking, especially the story.
I would rate this film 7.5/10. It sets up a good premise and succeeds at leaving you wanting
more with many yet to be answered questions. Hopefully, the sequel provides the answers
needed to complete the story. Nonetheless is a daring feat that the makers should be proud of.
If you are a fan of action films or a sceptic of Ghanaian movies that packs decent doses of action
whilst still keeping you at the edge of your seat, you should certainly see this
film. TERMINUS is still showing at the Silver bird cinemas.