Review of The Terminal (2004) by Rosa K — 07 Jan 2011

It's funny how Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, 2 of Hollywood's most powerful men when it comes to film making, who could literally do any movie they want, end up making something like "The Terminal". Instead of reaching for new heights of film-making like including the latest in special effects, or new original ways of storytelling and editing, Spielberg goes back to a simpler form. That in itself is surprisingly refreshing. Filmmakers try so hard to be inventive and change the typical form of the classics, that when someone finally does go back to that Frank Capra or Billy Wilder fashion, it ends up seeming original. That's what this movie goes for. A movie about characters, not plot, also about emotion, and not CGI. It's a true heart-felt piece of work. It's funny, it's cute, and it always keeps you interested like me after it ended.

Tom Hanks leads an exceptional cast as Viktor Navorski, a man stranded in JFK airport, not welcome in the U.S. and having no country to come home to. Throughout the experience he makes friends, a love interest, and a rival. He changes all of their lives, of course. That's to be expected from a movie like this. Tom Hanks is totally believable, accent and all. His character is funny but his humor and sense is mostly one of the things that he survives and stays well in the terminal. Also in the film, we get to not just meet but also to know some of the airport characters like flight attendant, played by Catherine Zeta Jones; a customs officer, played by Stanley Tucci, an INS officer, played by Zoe Saldana; and the rest of the gang is just phenomenal and memorable.

I really really loved this film for many reasons, but one big reason is it's simplicity. And more importantly, because it is good at being simple. It doesn't contribute anything new to movies, it doesn't try to. It is what it is. A great, feel-good film. Something that is getting rarer and rarer these days. Sometimes you'll want to see a gritty, wrenching melodrama, but other times you'll want to see The Terminal. And Steven Spielberg is always as it is a better and a great director making movies with a lot of pure spirit and accuracy.