The Terminal

Release Date: June 18, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief language and drug references
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, Chi McBride, Diego Luna, Barry "Shabaka" Henley, Kumar Pallana, Zoe Saldana, Eddie Jones, Jude Ciccolella, Kevin Weisman

Plot:
An immigrant (Hanks) fleeing the war that ravages his tiny Eastern European homeland finds himself stuck in the terminal of one of New York City's airports when the time of his landing coincides precisely with the point at which the war causes his nation of origin to no longer exist, meaning that his passport and paperwork are no longer valid. As a man without a home, he takes up residence in the terminal itself, befriending the staff of the airport, and falling in love with an airline flight attendant (Zeta-Jones).

Review:
Quietly, The Terminal smooths its way into theatres and it has two names making it stand out. The first of course is Director Steven Spielberg who is known for Jaws, Indiana Jones, Schindler's List, among others. The other name is the lead actor of the film, Tom Hanks who plays Viktor Navorski in the film. Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan includes some of his filmography.

Clearly this is a well established cast and crew. It is not the first time these two celebrities have work together either. For Spielberg, 2002 was a very strong year for him. He directed both the surprise science fiction hit Minority Report, and the smooth and slick Catch Me If You Can. The Terminal fails to meet the quality of those two films.

The Terminal certainly isn't Spielberg's strongest effort and the main problem is that the film is a mixed bag. The plot for the film alone is one that is simple, but yet has to be ran for two hours with the different situations that Navorski encounters. It seems like a difficult task, but this is one thing that Spielberg knows how to do rather well and he is still a good storyteller, whether the screenplay is exciting or stale.

In this case, the script is stale and that's simply because of what the main goal for the film was from its opening scene. The situations are interesting, especially when the intensity happens in an airport. The dialogue is always intriguing and fun to see what an immigrant has to say. The script sticks with its characters throughout the film and each has a big duty in it, that is something that comes out as one of the biggest positives from it.

The Terminal has scenes that are rushed and some that are not believable. With that said, it still has a friendly mood while doing it. Even when results seem to have been rushed in the film, overall, The Terminal actually takes its time to develop friendships for Tom's character. With that, this film always has something new to offer in every part of it and that's something special.

The Terminal is without a doubt a film that is packed with product placement. Specifically, Burger King negotiated great sums of money for hunger scenes with Navorski. Product Placement does distract, but there is enjoyment in watching a hungry man gobble down a burger and a lot of its effective comedy happens in that area of the film.

Much of what fails in The Terminal is its route to lead everything as a comedy. The comedy is not always strong and there are misfires. There is no denying though that it brings a couple of chuckles, but also a couple of nods of wrongdoings. In reality, the entire deal with Navorski living in an airport could actually occur, but for months is questionable.

Spielberg is not out of it just yet. His direction in The Terminal is its strongest point along with Tom Hanks performance. The cinematography was always interesting and there were shots can be easily called beautiful. Spielberg's touch is there and that makes this film more intriguing. Spielberg brings out the originality in every scene with a sense of patience and he lets Navorski win the audience over.

The film also stars Catherine Zeta-Jones who plays Amelia Warren and she has a small role which was unexpected. Her character was needed in a sense to extract the romance, innocent and likeable character in Navorski. However, she is under-used and only appears when the romance between herself and Navorski is transcending.

This film has scenes to indulge on though, where it catches the audiences emotional side unexpectedly. If labeled, this would be a romantic comedy which is something Spielberg hasn't done as of late. For the Director this is a good film that could have improved on its self with more effective comedy. Of course, like every comedy is, its not going to work for everyone, but The Terminal has more than comedy and that's why it manages to prove that it indeed has enough life in it.

The Terminal is a film that falls under a lot of cliches and problems, but it also has its relatively well done moments. The film felt like ping-pong as it was bouncing back and forth with its flaws and its strengths. At the end of it, though, The Terminal just has this essence and this lasting feeling that its worth the ride, if somewhat, and for at least just one time.