May be not the best Spielberg, but indeed a "must-see" movie!

Rating: 8/10 (12 September 2004)

As I realized after reading some comments posted at IMDb, some people, and sadly, mostly the Americans, seem not to catch the subliminal message in this movie. Spielberg, as he tried in "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial", focus the plot on the way Americans deal with aliens, be them extra-terrestrial or humans. In Brazil, in a coincidence, "The Terminal" opened on the eve of September 11, in which we all remembered the terrible day for humanity in 2001, which triggered the return to the once well known paranoia with aliens that the Americans used to have (since Pearl Harbor?), what the same Spielberg tried to "exorcize" in the mentioned "E.T.". Such paranoia has been insistently and extensively used by the current U.S. President to enhance American patriotism, at the expenses, in most cases, in similar or different circumstances, of people like the "Krakhozian" Viktor Navorski, a reference for all aliens that daily have  for "business" or "pleasure"  to cross the gates of Immigration Offices in American airports. I wished the American "silent majority" that seems to support the current U.S. President - in his current efforts for a second term - could watch this movie and try to understand the beautiful humane message that Spielberg, with the support of a fantastic cast (Tom Hanks and Stanley Tucci are superb!) tried to transmit to all of us. Anyone who ever crossed - as an alien - the gates of Immigration Offices in the U.S. will catch immediately such message and be tremendously sympathetic to the poor Navorski I wouldn't say that this is the best of Spielberg. But  do doubts!  with such most contemporary message, this is a "must see" movie!