A Sweet, Gentle & Touching Tale Of American Dream, Innocence, Compassion & Love.

Rating: Null/10 (10 October 2013)

Marking the third collaboration between Steven Spielberg & Tom Hanks after Saving Private Ryan & Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal is an intimately crafted, light-hearted, feel-good romantic comedy that benefits from Spielberg's assured direction & Hanks' heartwarming performance to make a smooth take off, stable flight & safe landing over the course of its runtime.
Inspired from a real-life event, The Terminal tells the story of Viktor Navorski who arrives at JFK airport from a politically unstable country only to find himself trapped at the terminal for his passport is no longer valid & he can't be deported back because of the outbreak of war in his homeland. Stuck at airport for an unspecified time, he ends up making this new place his temporary home.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, The Terminal is a surprisingly low-key film from the director who's second to none when it comes to blockbuster filmmaking. Yet what makes this story such a heartfelt fun ride is the amount of charm, affection & love it radiates in every frame. Spielberg's direction is very relaxed, the writing is sensible & the whole production is quite sound on technical level.
Production Design team does a spectacular job in replicating the entire airport for its set, Cinematography makes fab use of camera to pull the viewers in, Editing finely paces the whole narrative, John Williams' score is incredibly touching at times, Tom Hanks delivers a performance that's fascinating, funny & delicately balanced and frankly, this film could've done without any love story angle.
On an overall scale, The Terminal is a sweet, gentle & genuinely affecting tale of American dream, innocence, compassion & love that's enjoyable, entertaining & satisfying in more ways than one. Sure it isn't without its shortcomings & the second half fails to do justice to the film's first hour, the magic spell cast by Spielberg & Hanks together ultimately manages to brush away most complaints. Delightfully recommended.