One of the most genuinely annoying films I've seen all year

Rating: 3/10 (5 September 2005)

I guess it's not fair for me to judge the film. I was a bit biased. I had read about the true story of Merhan Nasseri, an Iranian refugee who landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris in 1988 after being denied entry into England because his passport and United Nations refugee certificate had been stolen. Due to the technicalities he stayed in Terminal 1 and finally, years later, was granted permission to either enter France or return to his own country. The irony is that he has chosen to remain living in the airport.
So, the potential for the film was quite interesting. It's an amazing story and given the right cast I was sure it could be told well. When I heard Spielberg was on board, I was excited, because it implied (to me, anyway) that an experienced director was at the helm who would respect the original story without turning it into some MTV-generation romantic comedy.
Little did I know Spielberg was yet again adding his "magic touch" to a true story, and thereby destroying it. This is worse than any MTV movie - it's Spielberg Shlock.
Don't get me wrong, Spielberg's a great director... when someone's got a leash on him. But sometimes he's given too much freedom. His ego tends to get the best of him; he needs to get rid of the yes-men. Something tells me there were a lot of yes-men on the set this time around.
And having Tom Hanks play Viktor was about the worst choice. Hanks' performance is simply awful. Something tells me he had too many yes-men handing him praise, as well.
The plot is very, very, VERY loosely based on the true story of Nasseri, and I'm sure whenever he gets to see the film as it plays on the free TV in Terminal 1, he'll be quite disappointed.
His story was already made into a French film in 1993 named "Tombés du ciel." I haven't seen the original but from the plot description on IMDb it sounds far more factually accurate.
Okay, so, you want to know my real problems with the Spielberg remake? Okay, first things first. If you're making a movie about an eastern immigrant, DO NOT name his native country "Krakhozia." That's about the WORST fake country name I've ever heard in any movie, and that's including Narnia and Toyland.
Secondly, the movie's smug, self-conscious, "happy" attitude is awful. It's like a continuation of "Forrest Gump" only Hanks is even more annoying.
Thirdly, all the stuff Viktor does in this movie is totally fake and I never for a second bought that he was any eastern immigrant. His accent was terrible and he's stupider than Tara Reid, yet a week after being in the airport he's learned English (with the help of a terminal worker, who, as we all know, have jobs transporting baggage because they're so smart and well-educated). Suddenly Viktor is a well-knowledged, experienced American immigrant who "knows the ropes" - he even gets a job as a painter in the terminal.
And then there's the Mandatory Romantic Interest Subplot. It's totally unnecessary and gives the movie a fake, bogged-down feel. Catherine Zeta-Jones is completely annoying (almost as much as Hanks) and her character is a shallow, trite, convenient addition to the plot. Neither character is given much depth and their "romance" comes across as being entirely heavy-handed and unbelievable.
On top of the schmaltz and plot contrivances, the continual marketing tie-ins are sickening - I can't say how many times I had Burger King crammed down my throat while watching this movie. After I left, I felt like going to the nearest Burger King and throwing stones at everyone inside. That's how mad it made me. When I pay $16 to see a movie (yes, I paid in pounds, which in dollars is doubled to around $15 or $16) I don't want to have Burger King, Nokia, Gatorade, Coke, Pepsi, etc., thrown into my face. I get enough of that on TV. It was truly embarrassing (and I felt ashamed for Spielberg) when he spends ten minutes following Viktor's adventure to buy a hamburger from Burger King.
The message is nice - if you're an illegal immigrant and can't afford anything, just get jobs no one else wants like cleaning toilets or collecting luggage carts and earn minimum wage so you can buy a greasy hamburger from some pock-marked self-absorbed teenager who probably spat in your food.
I hate to sound really bitter and all (I'm truly not this bitter in real life - usually) but there's something about this movie that just struck me as too nice. It's like Martin Short in the movie "Clifford" -- it's so sweet you know there's got to be a hidden agenda somewhere.