A deep space reconnaissance mission led by genetically perfected humans from an ailing planet Earth goes awry after they begin to exhibit less than perfect attributes in this glacially paced thriller.

The deep space mining vessel Atromitos has been adrift for two years. It is suspected that most of the crew had brutally killed each other for reasons unknown. A genetically modified crew of “superior” humans, led by Iris Duncan (Sunny Mabrey) and  Commander Linden (Lance Broadway) arrive on the scene to recover what they believe is the only survivor, Travis O’Neill (Weetus Cren). Fleshing out the rest of the aesthetically perfect crew are Chris Zimmer (T.J. Hoban) TJ Hoban and Doctor Orson (Mykel Shannon Jenkins) Upon arrival to the Atromitos the crew discovers Lulu AH-320 (Ursula Mills) an android with a cold, icy demeanor. Despite being engineered to a higher level of refinement, the crew succumbs to the stress of isolation in outer space and begins to exhibit unexpected character flaws. Cracks appear within the
group which threaten the success of the mission and their chances of getting home alive.

The film sets the pace from frame one, basking in the darkness of space and the planetary elements being orbited by futuristic spacecraft. At first this inspires a measure of awe as the effects are not only nicely designed, they are relatively convincing, giving us just enough to suspend disbelief and go along for the ride. The problem is that this pace is consistent throughout in a thriller that should carry a modicum of suspense.

As the story moves along the crew discovers the sole survivor, Travis, and we expect the pace to pick up. It doesn’t. As the film moves through the paces I found my self interested in the developments, but hardly committed to what was happening. Thankfully, when the story hit lulls, as it were, there is still plenty of eye candy to take in and we aren’t just talking about the effects. Each cast member was clearly cast as exemplary visual representations of perfect human specimens.

Teleios is not a bad film, it is, in fact a very intriguing one. It has a tremendous amount going for it and should be commended for its ambition alone. The production design is accomplished and convincing enough to pull us along through the adventure. The special effects, while a little less refined than your average studio pic, are ambitious and also interesting enough to keep us involved.

The biggest problem this film has is the pacing. Plot points are allowed to linger, to settle, even when the action should be picking up. The climax is not accompanied by a quickening of the storyline, the editing, or even the urgency conveyed by the characters, so we are given few real cues to know when to really sit up and pay attention. The plot thickens, the -ish hits the fan, but we are still allowed time to breathe and take in the seemingly endless turns in the final act of the film.

Teleios is a sci-fi thriller to be admired if for nothing else than it’s ambition and aesthetics. A glossy, eye-popping action adventurer with a stellar cast even if we remain light years ahead of the plot.