The Terminal
The Terminal
PG-13 | 17 June 2004 (USA)
The Terminal Trailers

Viktor Navorski is a man without a country; his plane took off just as a coup d'etat exploded in his homeland, leaving it in shambles, and now he's stranded at Kennedy Airport, where he's holding a passport that nobody recognizes. While quarantined in the transit lounge until authorities can figure out what to do with him, Viktor simply goes on living – and courts romance with a beautiful flight attendant.

Reviews
filippaberry84

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

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Gary

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

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Guillelmina

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

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Geraldine

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

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Devran ikiz

Directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones, "The Terminal" is a drama and a romantic-comedy. After reading the summary, you may get the feeling that this is another classic film of these genres, but it is not. There is a perfect balance among the genres of the film, as well as its characters and their feelings. "The Terminal" is the story of Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) who is coming to New York to fulfill his father's wish. While he was on the air, his country has fallen in a coup and his passport and visa are not recognized by the American Government. Therefore, he is not permitted to go back to his country or enter in United States. His only place to live is the terminal.Viktor Navorski evolves into a natural hero during the film. The more you watch him, the more you believe in him because he doesn't pretend to be someone else. He is natural and law-obeying person. He has a strong personality and a character. When he comes to USA he doesn't know any English, and, therefore, he fails to understand why he is not permitted in the country or why he can't go back. He is an ambitious guy who starts learning English day by day. Tom Hanks, as Victor Navorski, doesn't try to speak perfect English as the film progresses. He keeps talking with his accent until the end. This makes us believe in film's naturalness, and this little detail creates perfection for "The Terminal."The collaboration of Hanks and Spielberg in "Catch Me If You Can" and "Saving Private Ryan," brings experience to "The Terminal." You get the feeling that they really understand each other while watching the film. Steven Spielberg wants to introduce Navorski as a natural character, and Tom Hanks is there to do it. Confusion in his eyes and his accent are the key points of Tom Hank's performance as Navorski. "The Terminal" is a character based film. Its success and perception are strictly based on the performance of the leading actor. That's why their experience with each other is critical. In many scenes, you understand what is going on just by looking at the face of Victor Navorski. The other characters, even the main officer of the airport Frank Dixson (Stanley Tucci) who wants to get rid of him, is not a bad character. Everyone has some certain respect for each other. The film doesn't try to be funny, it just happens by itself. That's why Terminal is a self-flowing, natural film.The story is said to be inspired by 18-year stay of Mehran Karimi in Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, but still, "The Terminal" is an original story. It doesn't have a plot. It is just telling the story of an unlucky man and his determination. There is a huge difference between the first and the last scenes in the means of character development. He comes to the airport as an unknown stranger and turns out to be a hero with his strong state of mind and for being the middle man in the love story between Enrique (Diego Luna) who is responsible for the delivery of the food, and the visa officer Dolores (Zoe Saldana). He also helps a man who is not allowed to take medicine to his father in Russia. These incidents are there for the picking by Navorski on his way to being a hero.Its natural flow is the strongest point of the film. You feel like an ordinary passenger in an airport, watching everything with your own eyes. The only difference is the man who is stuck there. It is amazing to see the adaptation of human nature to even the most unrealistic circumstances. Even though it is not critically acclaimed, "The Terminal" is still a well-made film that is aware of its place. It takes its time for digesting everything. You feel the easiness of the scenes almost all the time. Even though the story takes place in an airport, it doesn't share its speed or agitation. Once I have stayed for 8 hours in an airport and I know what it means to be stuck in a place which has very limited services.The cinema is going towards a full digitalization. We get to see a lot of special effects and less talent each year. There is an opposite setup in "The Terminal." As I said, it is purely based on characters, also most of the film was shot in a set. That huge airport is a set constructed by Alex McDowell, Production Designer of the film. The camera has liberty of showing whatever it feels like, because everything in the set is part of the film. With a lot of wide angles, it shows the reality of an airport. This is very important for the credibility. Janusz Kaminski creates a real environment with his camera.

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josepainumkal

Some movies just fascinate us with its cuteness..and here comes "The Terminal". It tells the story of a foreigner who gets stuck in an Airport in the United States and the protagonist's efforts to adapt to this horrible situation forms the rest of the story. Tom Hanks at his very best in this comedy feel-good entertainer. The movie shows us love and innocence could still do wonders in this difficult world. I bet, you will watch this movie again and again.

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HotToastyRag

The preview of The Terminal is a pretty good representation of the film, which isn't always the case with modern trailers. Tom Hanks plays a man from Krakozhia, visiting the United States for the first time. He arrives in New York City, but before he gets through immigration he runs into a pretty major problem. Stanley Tucci, the customs director, informs him that his government is going through a crisis and he isn't allowed to enter the United States. He's also not allowed to be shipped home, so he's stuck in "the terminal" until his country stabilizes. He meets a host of airport workers who have a host of quirky traits, and he also becomes attracted to stewardess Catherine Zeta-Jones. And, as you can see from the preview, there are a few laughs, some good acting from an accented and utterly foreign Tom Hanks, some cute scenes, but it won't end up being your favorite movie in the world.My biggest problem with the film are the minor characters. Kumar Pallana, a janitor, is extremely irritating. His character is written to have a major attitude problem and to be intentionally mean, for no reason except to exact a frustrated chuckle from the audience. Diego Luna and Zoe Saldana have an awkward romance that isn't the most amusing part of the plot. Catherine Zeta-Jones, while written realistically, isn't a very nice person and reminds audiences of that one person in their circle of friends who makes endless mistakes but is tolerated because of her beauty.Basically, if you're a Tom Hanks fan, or a Steven Spielberg fan, or a John Williams fan, you'll probably want to see it. But it's not exactly the feel-good movie that you think it will be. There's a big mystery in the plot and once it's revealed, you might feel a bit let down. Having said that, I do own a copy, since there are some cute scenes. My favorite is Tom Hanks's preparation of asking Catherine Zeta-Jones out on a date, or as he says it, to "eat a bite". He's a cutie!

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yasiru1991

First of all i would say that is how you make a film without high tech gadgets , Special effects and stunts etc. It is just the beauty of acting and Story line.If you love acting and story line to make you entertain this is just one of the perfect movies to watch.I cannot forget the man who brings the extra ordinary masterpiece of acting to this film , MR.Tom Hanks. He is as always the best in the business. He shows to all the new actors who put more faith in stunts and Special Effects that it is not the real case of entertaining people. As an actor it is always ACTING which makes people felt the presence of an actor. Catherine Zeta Jones also did a wonderful support play to Tom Hanks and should be mentioned with a great respect for her justification to the character as well. Like every other movie Tom Hanks had touched this film is also not an outcast but again an inspiration to the movie loving fans.

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