Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherina Zeta-Jones and Stanley Tucci
‘A Captivating Classic’
Not many actors in Hollywood are as beloved as Tom Hanks. Ever since his rise to stardom during the 1980’s, Hanks has become one of the greatest actors in the film industry. With his charisma, larger-than-life presence and sense of humour, Hanks is a movie-star that has achieved a gigantic fan following. Hanks’ greatest strength as an actor has often been his ability to portray characters in various genres. In a league of his own, he has proven that he isn’t afraid to take steps out of his comfort zone. Through his abilities to play characters which are endlessly fascinating, Hanks has built an enduring legacy that’s lasting.
I’m a huge fan of Tom Hanks and adore all the movies he has made throughout his illustrious career. However, “The Terminal” stands out as his most underrated work. Released in 2004, Steven Spielberg’s movie found the actor in the comical role of a man stranded on an airport. Packed with stunning production, captivating storytelling and powerful performances, it’s a captivating classic about airports. At the centre of it all is a phenomenal performance from Tom Hanks, who embodies a man stranded on an airport far away from home. In one of his finest roles, Hanks showcases comic timing which audiences have scarcely seen from the actor before. Ultimately, the film delivers a strong message resonating with everyone that has faced struggles of airports at an early age. While it’s not perfect building to a sentimental conclusion, it’s definitely worth seeing. An underrated gem, it showcases a brilliant actor whose movies deserve to be celebrated.
Set in New York’s JFK airport, “The Terminal” tells the story of an immigrant stranded in an airport terminal. Tom Hanks embodies Viktor Narvoski, a European immigrant whose home has been destroyed by war tragedy. Without any place to go, the hopeless Narvoski has no choice but to spend his entire life in an airport. As he learns the unique ways of the airport, Narvoski develops precious friendships. Under the watchful eye of US Custom Agent Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), Viktor struggles to survive an airport causing adversity. Stuck in a dilemma, Narvoski questions whether he would ever find a way out of an airport in America.
Steven Spielberg is a newcomer to the stories of airports. Before making “The Terminal”, the filmmaker had never made a movie set within an airport before. Known for his blockbusters about sharks with sharp jaws, Spielberg had never made an airport movie. It was the filmmaker’s first attempt to capture the struggles faced by immigrants stranded in airports but he succeeded. Through stunning cinematography, Spielberg captures the journey of an immigrant to survive an airport far away from hsi home country. Spielberg effectively uses handheld camera to capture the tensions faced by a lonely man to survive in an desolate airport. Handheld camera elevates the home country scene. During this memorable scene, Viktor Narvoski has a nervous breakdown when he discovers his home country facing war tragedy on television broadcasts. Through handheld camera, Spielberg captures lvies of immigrants facing a dilemma. It gives the film a tense atmosphere, capturing burden immigrants bear. Through breathtaking visuals, Spielberg captures the hardships faced by immigrants in an airport without no way home.
Another admirable aspect of “The Terminal” which makes it successful is the production-design. Spielberg’s decisions to create a real-life airport set is risky but it works really well. Throughout the movie, the airport is a setting that plays a pivotal role in building tension. No matter how hard he tries, Viktor is simply unable to escape out of airports where he is stuck for life. For instance, airport settings elevate the camera footage scene. During this memorable scene, Viktor is constantly under the watchful eye of customs agents looking at him through a camera. One appreciates the airport setting capturing hardships faced by an immigrant. Moreover, the music is superb. John Williams’ music captures tensions faced by individuals stranded in tense airports. Through powerful production-design, Spielberg captures struggles faced by individuals in airports facing a decline.
Storytelling is one of the key reasons why “The Terminal” is a drama that’s captivating. The film is beautifully written, and expertly employs tragicomedy to capture the struggles faced by people stranded in airports. Spielberg’s finest screenwriting strength is capturing hardships of immigrants in airports through tragicomedy. At times, the film is funny especially in scenes where Viktor engages in fun activities to pass the time at an airport. However, the movie is also sad particularly in its depiction of an immigrant that’s separated from his home country. The two moods blend together effectively, creating a compelling tragicomedy about airports. Tragicomedy is a tricky tool to employ in movies. As Bradley Cooper’s “Silver Linings Playbook” suggested, tragicomedy is suited to dysfunctional family dramas. However, it works tremendously in this movie. Through a spectacular screenplay, Spieblerg captures the powerful way in which airports function today.
One appreciates astonishing performances.
Tom Hanks delivers one of his greatest career performances as Viktor Narvoski. Hanks first gained appreciation for portraying sleepless lovers in Seattle during the 1980’s. With “The Terminal”, however, he played his first immigrant role. It isn’t easy to embody the personality of an immigrant stranded on an airport far away from home countries but he succeeds. It’s a strong role allowing the actor to capitalize on his abilities to play characters with charisma. With riveting expressions, he captures the angst, fear and larger-than-life personality of an immigrant in an airport setting. It’s a phenomenal performance by one of the greatest movie-stars working in Hollywood today.
While the film is mainly a stunning showcase for Hanks, the supporting cast is also terrific and worthy of appreciation. Stanley Tucci is fantastic, bringing comic timing to a customs agent struggling to keep control over lives of individuals breaching airport security. Kumar Pallana is phenomenal, capturing charisma of a security guard from India facing a dilemma. Lastly, Catherine Zeta-Jones is amazing. As a woman in love, she brings heartfelt emotion to the movie.
Despite its strong performances, however, it’s a shame that “The Terminal” can’t quite capture struggles of individuals stranded on an airport. If there’s a minor drawback to the movie, it suffers from a sentimental conclusion. Spielberg has often been accused of ending his movies on a sentimental note, and “The Terminal” falls into that trap. It’s an unrealistic conclusion without resolution that seems intended merely for a sake of tugging on viewers’ heartstrings. Whereas this sentimental ending elevated “Saving Private Ryan”, it clashes with this movie. Therefore, not everyone would enjoy roaming around the terminals of “The Terminal”.
Nevertheless, fans of Tom Hanks will definitely appreciate “The Terminal” and so will movie-goers seeking meaningful entertainment. A captivating classic about airport terminals, it celebrates a legendary actor that has built a legacy that’s iconic.
Nearly 20 years following the release of a movie about individuals stranded on airport terminals with no way home facing a painful price to pay, it’s a captivating reminder of an actor that hasn’t lost his abilities to captivate audiences by his aptitudes to portray a wide range of characters in timeless movies that evoke emotions that has built a long-lasting legacy which definitely without a doubt deserves to be celebrated today.
4.5/5 stars
The Film Buff 