Well, the writing's been on the wall for some time now; after several less-than-stellar efforts, Steven Spielberg's finally emerged with a mediocre film. While this isn't to say that The Terminal is bad, it's impossible to shake the feeling that it belongs on the small screen. And coming from a director as visionary as Spielberg, that's certainly not a good thing.
The plotless film follows a foreigner named Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks), whose homeland of Krakozhia undergoes a violent revolution while he's in the air, leaving him without a country when he lands. The airport's head of security, Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), is unable to let Viktor either leave the terminal or fly home - forcing the confused and befuddled man to live within the confines of the airport.
The film is comprised mostly of comedic vignettes that aren't all that funny - though the way some audience members were bellowing with laughter, you'd think this was one of the most hilarious movies ever made (now I know how Nick Nolte felt in Cape Fear). The screenplay, by Sacha Gervasi and Jeff Nathanson, revels in sitcom clichés and stock characterizations - giving the film a distinctly sentimental feel. Now, it'd be easy to say that this is Spielberg's attempt at a Capra-esque fantasy, but even Capra didn't play things quite so obviously. This is a movie that not only has a completely superfluous villain, but he's an over-the-top villain to boot.
The convenient manner in which the various storylines are resolved is exacerbated by the fact that the majority of these characters are just too cute to be believable. There's nothing wrong with a stereotype here and there, but the movie is overrun by quirky figures - which undermines the occasional glimpses of genuine emotion. Hanks' Viktor should have been absolutely compelling - he still is to a certain extent, thanks primarily to Hanks' expectedly wonderful performance - but the screenplay forces him to interact with these well-cast but ultimately implausible characters.
While there's no denying that the set in which The Terminal's been filmed is impressive, Spielberg - along with cinematographer Janusz Kaminski - never really takes advantage of its grandeur, except when blatently lingering on some painfully obvious product placement. The film's look is surprisingly bland, in fact; the only real indication that this is a Spielberg film are the many instances of lens flare, a trick the director has inexplicably become obsessed with as of late.
About the best thing one can say about The Terminal is that it's cute and inoffensive - not exactly high praise when talking about a movie directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks.
**out of*****
The plotless film follows a foreigner named Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks), whose homeland of Krakozhia undergoes a violent revolution while he's in the air, leaving him without a country when he lands. The airport's head of security, Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), is unable to let Viktor either leave the terminal or fly home - forcing the confused and befuddled man to live within the confines of the airport.
The film is comprised mostly of comedic vignettes that aren't all that funny - though the way some audience members were bellowing with laughter, you'd think this was one of the most hilarious movies ever made (now I know how Nick Nolte felt in Cape Fear). The screenplay, by Sacha Gervasi and Jeff Nathanson, revels in sitcom clichés and stock characterizations - giving the film a distinctly sentimental feel. Now, it'd be easy to say that this is Spielberg's attempt at a Capra-esque fantasy, but even Capra didn't play things quite so obviously. This is a movie that not only has a completely superfluous villain, but he's an over-the-top villain to boot.
The convenient manner in which the various storylines are resolved is exacerbated by the fact that the majority of these characters are just too cute to be believable. There's nothing wrong with a stereotype here and there, but the movie is overrun by quirky figures - which undermines the occasional glimpses of genuine emotion. Hanks' Viktor should have been absolutely compelling - he still is to a certain extent, thanks primarily to Hanks' expectedly wonderful performance - but the screenplay forces him to interact with these well-cast but ultimately implausible characters.
While there's no denying that the set in which The Terminal's been filmed is impressive, Spielberg - along with cinematographer Janusz Kaminski - never really takes advantage of its grandeur, except when blatently lingering on some painfully obvious product placement. The film's look is surprisingly bland, in fact; the only real indication that this is a Spielberg film are the many instances of lens flare, a trick the director has inexplicably become obsessed with as of late.
About the best thing one can say about The Terminal is that it's cute and inoffensive - not exactly high praise when talking about a movie directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks.
**out of*****
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