If you have ever been delayed for a flight or had to spend the night inside an airport you know it isn’t exactly the home away from home you would like it to be, but when you were there I am sure you had a chance to take a look around you and notice just what kind of life the airport has. Filled with people going here and there, of all races and nationalities, but the one thing you, most likely, have never done is take the time to get to know any of them, which leads me to The Terminal.
This is a film that not only shows what it just may be like if you ended up stuck in an airport terminal for 9+ months, but it also sheds an excellent light on the array of people that occupy an airport on a daily basis with a concentration on the folks behind the scenes.
Viktor Navorski (Hanks), is visiting New York from his home town in Eastern Europe and has his vacation suddenly come to a crashing halt as war breaks out at home while he was in the air en route to America. He now finds himself stranded in JFK Airport with little to no English speaking skills and not a friend in the world to keep him company. So what must he do? Make friends for starters as he sets out to find a way to make the most out of living in the terminal’s international transit lounge until the war at home is over.
The Terminal is a fabulously funny film and Tom Hanks is excellent as Viktor Navorski, giving every bit of credibility to the character as an actor could. The film is directed by Steven Spielberg and despite his new found love of brilliantly bright white light, he guides the cast through the film at a superb pace, keeping the story continuously fresh as it is an idea that could quickly become just as boring as it actually is when you are waiting at the airport.
Viktor runs you through a gauntlet of emotions as you finally learn the purpose of his visit, and by the end of the film you will be just as touched by him as the rest of the characters in the film were.
You will have a hard time finding flaws in this film as I did, except for the inclusion of a young flight attendant named Amelia (Zeta-Jones), whose story has obviously been included to add one more piece to the puzzle and to distract you from the fact that you are watching 2+ hours of a man stuck in an airport. Her role is necessary, and Catherine plays it well, I was just unsatisfied with the end result.
Overall, The Terminal is a film you can go to trusting that you will be entertained. It pretty much goes without saying with names such as Spielberg and Hanks involved, but I am here just for reassurance, enjoy!
