Steve Pink’s genre mashup Terrestrial dabbles in horror, thriller, sci-fi and comedy leanings - unsurprising given his CV includes directing Hot Tub Time Machine and writing Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity - and, though it threatens to derail itself in the final acts, it manages to hold together impressively well. Whilst this is, obviously, in part due to a strong screenplay from Connor Diedrich and Samuel Johnson, the film owes a large debt to the performance of Jermaine Fowler, who is excellent throughout. Fowler has always flexed his comedic chops in whatever he has appeared in, from Sorry to Bother You to Coming 2 America (and more), but in Terrestrial, he is afforded the scope to show his wider range as he flits from confident and charming to anxiety-ridden and short-tempered. In the case of Allen, it’s easy for the audience to have concerns over just what is unravelling whilst also still supporting him to an extent, until it becomes apparent that Allen has messed up and then viewer allegiances shift quickly. For me, this is Fowler’s best performance to date, and it elevated my experience with this film.

 

Terrestrial explores the idea of success becoming or being your identity. For Allen, he is obsessed with the works of renowned sci-fi author SJ Purcell (Hunt), who, it turns out, is a bit of a curmudgeon, and strives to create a world similar to Purcell’s ‘The Neptune Cycle’. However, every effort he makes is rejected by publishers and those he craves to impress. It’s his obsession with success, but also the IP Purcell has created, that begins to blur the lines between reality and fantasy for Allen - and the audience - as he chases his elusive dream. This element of infusing the in-universe narrative with the sci-fi world that monopolises Allen’s every thought provides some interesting visuals and adds a level of quirkiness to the film, though these moments don’t add an awful lot to proceedings due to their underutilised nature. Additionally, there are also slight jabs at IP fandoms and their thoughts on reboots and remakes, i.e., the fan always knows what’s best…

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Whilst Fowler is strong in his enigmatic role that successfully added to the mystery, Terrestrial suffers from a lack of depth in other areas. Whilst the supporting cast delivers solid performances, I found Maddie, Ryan, and Vic didn’t quite convey the necessary confusion and emotion. Although events escalated to a point of no return in the final sequences, their reactions at other times felt somewhat pedestrian, especially given Allen's increasingly awkward and odd behaviour and the strange circumstances they faced. 

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Despite that, Terrestrial is extremely watchable due to the unwinding mystery that pays off from smaller moments teased throughout the film. We’re not dealing with Tenet levels of depth or layering here (thank the maker), but the film executes the fundamentals well, and some well-placed flourishes in the story help to keep things ticking along nicely right up until the final moments. A strong lead performance and a fun mystery make Terrestrial an all-round solid affair.