La terminal

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.

Although I should not have been surprised, Spielberg and Hanks, had greatness written all over it. But I got suckered into a lot of the bad press around the film and suppose I judged it before I had watched it. Anyway, I have now watched it and I liked it.

I thought the first half of the film was absolutely fantastic, the humor, the acting, the character development - they were all good. I thought the second half of the film suffered a little from becoming a bit over emotional, the love story seemed out of sorts and the way the entire airport staff seemed to know every thing about everyone else was a bit far fetched, I worked in an airport for many years and knew virtually no-one from outside the people I worked with on a daily basis, but maybe that's just me! But I forgave the film these slight nuances and allowed myself to enjoy it. I don't think Hanks or Spielberg will win any more Oscars, but it was a very enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours on a Sunday night!!

I liked The Terminal. I liked all of the people and all of the situations.

Most people who saw this liked the minor characters especially Gupta who took particular delight in watching people slide on his wet floor.

That was fine, but not to be difficult I liked the courtship between the very shy but proper food delivery person and the immigration official better. Navorski was kind gentle and wise as acting as their Cyrano. He neither fell in love with nor did he take advantage of her.

The Terminal is a romance in the tradition of (say) Picnic. As a teenage, I watched with envy as William Holden easily courted a beautiful, vulnerable younger Kim Novac. What did it matter that he was old enough to be her father? The girls in movie houses still drooled over him and wished they were her.

So with this. Most male reviewers take exception to Zeta Jones in The Terminal. Much more sophisticated these days. Pity. She was actually quite good. She was like the little Mermaid: much of what she conveyed could not be done with her voice. The same thing with the Zeta Jones character: everything she said had to be done with her eyes and tears. She knows Navorski's value. She knows his character and how good he is. She wants him and is certain he wants and deserves her, but she knows that sooner or later she will betray him and that would devastate him. She knows herself so well that she feels unworthy of him. She cannot betray such a good and honorable man. What then does that make her? Is she any less honorable and worthy? Should she be any less desirable for the boys than William Holden for the girls?

This film is not Schindler's List. But it's not Beach Blanket Bingo either. It is a wonderful character study well worth seeing.

The film begins with a cool look (green and blue), because Spielberg doesn't think of Immigration as a warm place to be for the few minutes it takes to clear a passenger and get him on his way… So all the cool tones are evident until Viktor starts to settle into his new home… He is going to be stuck in New York's JFK airport for an unspecified amount of time… From this moment we see Viktor stuck, trapped, unable to enter United States and that's the fun of this film…

Tom Hanks is really so calm, so likable, so emotional, so funny and so real in what he does… Here, he's a very dignified person who is extremely trusting and always full of positive hope… You couldn't insult him if you try… It's very hard to hurt his feelings… He finds the bright side of every angle problem he faces and finds a way for him to live with the situation… He has the virtue of patience, and the testament to hard work, perseverance, and humility… He loves people, and he experiences the culture in an odd way…

Hanks plays a Krakozhian capable gentleman whose name is Viktor Navorski who finds himself without a passport and a visa once both are taken from him by the powers-that-be at the terminal, because his visa no longer counts, since his country is no longer in existence, and his passport is no longer valid…

Catherine Zeta-Jones brings vulnerability and insecurity to her unhappy character… She plays the gorgeous flight attendant Amalia Warren, a very sensible woman who's always looking for love, trying to find the person that will be her prince… She really wears her emotions on her sleeve and is lonely… She wants some strong relationship in her life… Viktor and Amelia have oceans of things in common and it ends up playing itself out and that's a nice thing to play…

The story leaves a lot for reflection, and in some ways, Viktor's stillness allows him to be a mirror for the people working in the airport to meditate on their own lives…

"The Terminal" is a charming film… It looks beautifully and elegantly, but realistically

'A good movie makes us forget that we are sitting inside a theatre'

Sometimes life corners you. You are to face every single move life coins in for you. It mostly presents you failures – but how well do you manage the situations? How well you vindicate the problems away?

Movie takes off with the busy scene of immigration officers starting their duties on a workday. Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci) is on the duty – and to his surprise he gets promoted to the Field Officer command. Viktor Novorski (Tom Hanks) arrives at JFK from his country Krakozhia that gets devastated due a country coop. His passport gets cancelled when he arrives at JFK closing all gates to the New York City. Dixon determines him 'Unacceptable' because he is now a citizen of nowhere. With no answers about his clearance to the city, he settles down at the Visitor Transit lounge temporarily. What happens to him? What problems he faces? Why visit NYC? These questions surround our mind as we go much deeper past the first quarter.

We come to know about Viktor coming down to NYC just to make his dad's dreams alive. How he wins it – is through his happy-go-lucky friends Joe, Cruz, Thurman and Gupta.

Steven Spielberg answers all the questions in your mind. He prefers to show you the answers in the form of Comedy, Humanity, Romance and Authority. The movie makes you sit on the edge of your chairs, and never lets you down – Never even on a single frame. Based on an real life event – the 17 year stay of Mehran Karimi Nasseri in T1 of Charles De Gulle International Airport, France, the story pays a tribute to the troubles he faced.

Viktor Novorski speaks with his actions. His comical scenes make you laugh your heart out. He charms creativity and kindness. He weaves magic and sometimes even tears from your eyes. Frank Dixon on the other hand is the commanding boss. He takes on Viktor with his strict rules, bends him and tests his patience. The romantic half of Viktor is by Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta Jones). She although appearing not so much in front of the camera – does justice to her role. Cruz (Diego Luna) helps Viktor by providing him food, while Viktor helps him to unite with an immigration officer Torres (Zoe Saldana). Viktor having no job at T1, having lost his food coupons decides to cut through his problems by not looking at the negative side, but the positive way. He works at the Terminal, eats there and sleeps there. He turns an uninhabited gate to his house. He finds innovative ways to earn – picking up loose trolleys, promoting shopping and carpentry. Finally he wins the hearts of everyone at the terminal and makes his dad's dream come true – stepping into NYC and getting the autograph from Benny Golson.

The film teaches us many things. Love, Friendship, Sacrifice, Patience, Problem Solving and Elasticity – are some of them. Released on June 18th 2004, the film runs for 128 minutes. Editing and Cinematography is crisp – and the art director amazes us with rebuilding a real life set of the Terminal.

Verdict – Make a trip to this 'Terminal'. You'll never regret!