Barnes & Noble

Producer-director Steven Spielberg and actor Tom Hanks always collaborate superbly, and in The Terminal they pull off the amazing feat of turning a busy New York airport into a magical kingdom. Based on a true story (but rather fancifully elaborated to achieve the desired narrative effect), the film stars Hanks as Viktor Navorski, a native of the tiny eastern European nation Krakozhia. Just as his plane is landing at JFK, Viktor’s government is overthrown by rebels, rendering his passport useless. Forbidden by the airport’s security chief (Stanley Tucci) from entering the United States, the befuddled but resourceful Krakozhian takes up residence in the terminal itself, running errands to earn food money and sleeping in darkened areas closed for renovation. Eventually he becomes smitten with lovelorn flight attendant Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a hopeless romantic who realizes no good can come from her current affair with a married man. The story is crammed with improbabilities; yet, Spielberg’s skill and Hanks’s earnest performance make it remarkably convincing. Thanks to their efforts, it is relatively easy to suspend disbelief and get caught up in the film’s life-affirming exuberance. As the camera glides through the bustling terminal, you’ll get the feeling that you’re right there alongside Viktor, whose fervent self-reliance and generous spirit have a transformative effect on everyone he encounters. It’s a wonderful role for Hanks, who’s never better than when he is playing an Everyman buffeted by the winds of change. But even he couldn’t have sustained this illusion on his own; the supporting players are terrific as well, especially Chi McBride and Diego Luna as initially suspicious airport staffers who eventually embrace Viktor as part of the “family.” Tucci has a special gift for playing tightly wound authoritarians, and he makes a wonderful “heavy” as the ambitious bureaucrat whose impending promotion depends on his handling of the Krakozhian matter. The Terminal wastes no time in weaving its magical spell, and we guarantee you’ll be swept up almost immediately. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Shot almost entirely on a two-and-a-half-story recreation of a full-size operating airport terminal, this romantic comedy from director Steven Spielberg revolves around an Eastern European man by the name of Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks), whose plans of immigrating to New York were hastened by a violent coup in his home country. Unfortunately, Viktor finds himself on the wrong end of a nasty technicality while en route to America: His passport was issued from a country, which, during its upheaval, ceased to exist in an official capacity. Unauthorized to leave Kennedy Airport upon his arrival and unable to return home, Viktor finds himself exiled inside the terminal's international transit lounge. Though airport official Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci) views Viktor as an annoying bureaucratic glitch, other airport employees -- including a beautiful flight attendant by the name of Amelia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) -- come to see him as a welcome, if unofficial, addition to their numbers. As the days stretch on into months, the terminal transforms from an intimidating atmosphere of forced assimilation into a country within itself, complete with culture, ambition, status, complex diversity, and the need for love. The supporting cast includes Diego Luna, Chi McBride, Kumar Pallana, Zoe Saldana, Eddie Jones, and Jude Ciccolella. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Product Details

• UPC: 678149316629
• Source: DREAMWORKS VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound, Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Special Edition, Subtitled, Dubbed, Mixed Media Set, Bonus CD, Digi-Pak
• Time: 2:09:00
• Sales Rank: 51,877

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