After several amazing Spielberg/Hanks movies, most notably, Saving Private Ryan and Catch Me If You Can, we are given The Terminal; a touching but not quite as captivating motion picture, about an Eastern European visitor (Tom Hanks) whose country breaks out in war while he is flying to America for a trip to New York. A new regime takes control as chaos breaks out in his home land, which invalidates his passport and visa to America. Stranded in the New York airport terminal’s International Lounge with no idea what is going on, very little grasp of the English language, and a few meal tickets (provided by the airport), he must fend for himself until he is either arrested for breaking a law or until the war in his country is resolved.
I was very hesitant to watch it (and didn’t see it for a good year or two after it came out because, honestly, how interesting can a movie set completely in an airport really be? I really hate airports). But, it turned out a lot better than I thought. The entire movie revolves around his interactions and relationships with people who work in the airport. It was touching, and impressive, to see him learn English on his own; frustrating to see the airport chief of security foil his attempts to make money and try conning him into breaking the rules; and it was very cool to see how the workers grew to love him and support him in whatever means possible.
However, the movie did seem to go longer than my attention wanted to hold. A little over halfway through, I thought it was wrapping up, and with a quick turn in the plot, it proved to still have a good hour left in it. Seems like Spielberg hasn’t learned from A-I … sometimes you have to skip parts of the story, which have no relevance to the main plot, to keep it interesting. No matter. Tom Hanks did a good job with the part, and those working beside him also did a great job of seeming like real, everyday people, with normal (and abnormal) problems (which has to be hard after getting so much money just for being in the movie).
I know that I’m not the only one who made the connection between Castaway and The Terminal. I mean, Hanks in two movies about being stranded. How many more times will we see him abandoned someplace? But at least this one has other people and involves them in the storyline with Hanks. Basically, if you love Tom Hanks, airports, and movies with very little plot, then The Terminal is for you. If you care for none of the above, and don’t have 2 hours of patience built up, then don’t bother.