Movie Review: The Terminal

Stars (Out of 10): 8

One Word Summary: Talented

Movie Details: Terminal, The Romance | Drama MPAA RATING PG-13 for brief language and drug references 128 minutes | Color USA WRITTEN BY Sacha Gervasi (also story) Jeff Nathanson Andrew Niccol (story)   DIRECTED BY Steven Spielberg THEATRICAL RELEASE Jun 18, 2004   Relevant Sites: IMDB Official Movie Website Watch The Movie Trailers Shopping: Shop Amazon for items related to this movie. Shop for movie posters at AllPosters

"The Terminal" Review:

            In The Terminal, Viktor Navorski is a man deemed unacceptable after arriving at JFK because his tiny Eastern European nation was overthrown in a revolution while he was in the air. Since he no longer has a homeland, and the new government is not yet recognized by the United States State Department, Frank Dixon explains to the Englishly challenged Navorski, he will have to live in the international terminal of JFK airport until the problem is solved. Navorski wanders through the terminal, making friends with the staff, returning luggage carriers for the quarter so he can buy food, falling for a flight attendant, and just waiting.

            Above anything else, Spielberg and The Terminal require that you turn off your common sense as soon as the coming attractions end. We're presented with reasons that this story isn't a complete fabrication of brilliant Hollywood minds, but the fact is you'd have to be either stupid or willing to believe that this is realistic. I was willing.

            At first glance, The Terminal doesn't seem like the usual Spielberg movie, but it deals with some of his favorite themes. From E.T. to Saving Private Ryan, Spielberg loves stories about 'home' and 'the journey.' At its heart, that's what The Terminal is; you'll have to understand what's in that jar of Planters peanuts before you understand the themes, but this is just a more emotional and calm Spielberg film.

            I was so impressed by the scale of this movie; if you haven't already heard, the entire set was built inside an airport hanger specifically for filming this movie. The set looks amazing, the different stores give the film an authentic look, and the custom built set allows the camera to move around flawlessly making the cinematography beautiful.

            Tom Hanks makes up for the failure (both at the box office and on-screen) of The Ladykillers with a wonderful performance in The Terminal. Hanks masters another accent in this return to comedy, and carries the film with his talent from beginning to end. Tom Hanks, (recently) Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, and (debatably) Jim Carrey are the few actors who can seamlessly go from drama to comedy without selling out or giving up what made us love them in the first place. Hanks' performance is both inspired and emotional; he makes us laugh and makes us feel for his character who is simply stuck in a bureaucratic limbo.

            The rest of the cast, especially Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Stanley Tucci, support Hanks with brilliant performances. Zeta-Jones is lovely and empathetic while Tucci plays the bad guy so well that I can't help but hate him too.

The Bottom Line is that The Terminal is a beautifully directed and acted film. Whether it's science fiction or a simple story of love and family, Steven Spielberg is the best story teller there is. Tom Hanks and cast deliver brilliant performances in a movie that's funny without trying too hard. The Terminal is a story of waiting, and if you're waiting for a more creative and original summer movie (that isn't loaded with special effects or super heroes), take a seat next to Viktor!