Grossly Underrated

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 2008)

There is something about this movie that draws me to watching it again and again.
In the 2000s era of American movies, we are flooded with cheap teenage exploitation horror films, and the God-awful calamity of recent Adam Sandler "comedies."
But among them emerges this relatively low budget (for its time period) movie that exudes a feel-good aura, relying on the top quality of its writing, and the performances of Hanks and Zeta-Jones.
The defining aspect of this film is Hanks' acting. His versatility as an actor is extraordinary. In "The Terminal" as he assumes the role of a tourist from the fictional East-European nation of Krakozhia with effortless mastery, down to the accent and mannerisms. As the film progresses, we see the characters develop in ways that are often overlooked in today's cinema. The depth of the acting and writing explores such themes as isolation, anxiety, and hope. Even the performances from the supporting cast are top of the line.
You are doing yourself a disservice by not seeing this movie, one that I feel has been buried among the mess of crap-films that we are forced to endure.