Started well...but tapered off...

Rating: Null/10 (20 June 2004)

'The Terminal', the latest Hanks/Spielberg collaboration is an interesting, and strangely original tale of a Russian stuck at a New York airport. Tom Hanks plays the role of said Russian rather well, even down to the way he walks. He doesn't look too Russian, but of course most people know it's Tom Hanks, so perhaps that's a moot point. What starts as an interesting and amusing jaunt dissipates into sentimental mush, for no apparent reason either. From the two airport workers getting married 'within minutes', to the overbearing 'romantic' music that seemed to envelop viewers close to the ending, - it's as if Spielberg didn't know how to complete this one. One may argue 'well how would YOU complete this movie?'. I would simply respond that 'I have no idea. Perhaps this kind of movie shouldn't have been made?'. And maybe that's the problem. There wasn't enough meat here for the movie to be completed in its entirety. The audience I was with laughed fairly continuously throughout the movie up till the last twenty-or-so minutes where it went eerily quiet. It's a real shame there wasn't enough continuity in the story.
(On a side-note, there was a lot of very iffy cinematography in this movie. For some reason, and it appeared intentional, there was a lot (and I mean a lot) of very soft-lighting. Stanley Tucci is literally enveloped in it when he walks into view during one scene in the airport, and the meeting of Hanks and Zeta Jones at the 'fountain' hurt the eyes. That's just two examples.. Very odd.)
Overall, a relatively enjoyable movie. It's a shame the ending left such a bitter taste in the mouth.