The Terminal (2004)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Albert K

  
  A feel-good comedy that is very different. I highly recommend watching it!

• Jeff "

  
  The Terminal is a good drama film with a good cast. The film is good, and the cast definitely make it worth watching. Tom Hanks gives a great performance here, and the cast starring opposite him, deliver good performances as well. The Terminal is s different style of film for Steven… More
  The Terminal is a good drama film with a good cast. The film is good, and the cast definitely make it worth watching. Tom Hanks gives a great performance here, and the cast starring opposite him, deliver good performances as well. The Terminal is s different style of film for Steven Spielberg and he does a fine job. The Terminal blends drama and comedy very well, and though the film isn't perfect, I found it quite entertaining. The Terminal isn't one of Spielberg's best, but for what it is, it's definitely not his worst. The film is enjoyable, has a good story, good acting and good cast. This is a change of direction for Steven Spielberg, and he does pull it off, however, of the films I've seen of his, The Terminal is one of the weaker efforts he's directed. If the film wouldn't have the good cast it has, maybe the film wouldn't be as good as it is. Luckily like with every one of Spielberg's films, he always picks a good cast, and he chose wisely with Tom Hanks. Hanks is the best part of the film, and he's amusing to watch on-screen. The film is good for what it is, but it's nothing extraordinary or phenomenal as what many critics have said about the film. I enjoyed this film for what it is, and I enjoyed the fact that Steven Spielberg directed something different. This is a good film with a good amount of drama and comedy, and it definitely is a must see film.

• Brad W

  
  The Terminal was funny and a incredible film. Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) is a foreigner from the fictional land of Krakozhia, and he has come to America with nothing but a map and can. While he was on his plane his country had a coup, and is now no longer considered a country, so… More
  The Terminal was funny and a incredible film. Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) is a foreigner from the fictional land of Krakozhia, and he has come to America with nothing but a map and can. While he was on his plane his country had a coup, and is now no longer considered a country, so Viktor has his Visa revoked and he may not leave the Airport Terminal. In his time there he makes frieends, falls in love with workaholic woman (Catherine Zeta Jones, and show the world you can make anywhere a home, even a man without a country. This film is a great turn for Tom Hanks, the plot is so original and sweet that it was made into an amazing movie. This is my favorite Spielberg movie besides saving Private Ryan and Shindlers List. The Terminal was a genius piece of work that had me laughing the whole time and crying at the end. I am a man, and I am telling you, get yourself checked if you didn't enjoy this because people, only Hanks can take something as annoying as living in an airport and make it look awesome. The Terminal is one of those classic that for me, will always be incredible.

• Melvin W

  
  Amelia: Are you coming or going?  Viktor Navorski: I don't know. Both.  "Life is waiting" I watched The Terminal for the first time in about 5 years and I don't know why I liked it so much. I remember really enjoying this movie the first time I saw it; but now… More
  Amelia: Are you coming or going?  Viktor Navorski: I don't know. Both.  "Life is waiting" I watched The Terminal for the first time in about 5 years and I don't know why I liked it so much. I remember really enjoying this movie the first time I saw it; but now it's just irritating. The accent is annoying, the Indian janitor is annoying and most of all, Catherine Zeta-Jones is annoying. This is just to dull not be considered one of Spielberg's worst movies. I'm not saying it is the worst, as I still think that belongs to The Lost World. There are a couple things I like about the movie I love that it was shot on location. The airport is actually the best the thing about the movie. I also liked the performances from Stanley Tucci and Zoe Saldana. Most of the time I can take or leave Tucci, but in The Terminal he is really good. As for Saldana; I always enjoy watching her. I guess you could get away with saying the movie is charming and touching. But I just don't see it that way. I just see it as another lame attempt at making an original romantic comedy; that failed. After the fact that a foreigner is trapped inside an airport; nothing about it is original. It's still a formula driven romantic comedy. It does have a few likable moments, but "few" is the key word. The other Spielberg-Hanks team ups might be what makes this movie look so bad to me. I've seen what they can do as a team and offering the audience this less than satisfactory movie is just as annoying as the film. They could have done way better.

• Manu G

  
  Life is waiting. Saw it again! Excellent Film! The story and the script was just perfect. Tom Hanks easily could have been nominated for an Oscar for his amazing role. The movie had comedy, drama, romance, had it all! Steven Spielberg did it again! I loved The Terminal for many… More
  Life is waiting. Saw it again! Excellent Film! The story and the script was just perfect. Tom Hanks easily could have been nominated for an Oscar for his amazing role. The movie had comedy, drama, romance, had it all! Steven Spielberg did it again! I loved The Terminal for many reasons, but one big reason is it's simplicity. And more importantly, because it is good at being simple. It doesn't contribute anything new to movies, it doesn't try to. It is what it is. A great, feel-good film. Something that is getting rarer and rarer these days. Sometimes you'll want to see a gritty, wrenching melodrama, but other times you'll want to see The Terminal. Amazing film everyone should watch and delightfully enjoy. Former Krakozhian Viktor Navorski is almost in New York City for the first time in his life. "Former" and "almost"?: while Viktor is flying to JFK Airport, Krakozhia has been overthrown as a country with no nation recognizing the new regime, therefore all government papers such as passports, visas and currency issued by Krakozhia are also not recognized internationally. With only these papers in hand when Viktor arrives at JFK, he is not allowed entry into the United States. All air service in and out of Krakozhia has been suspended and thus Viktor cannot even be sent back until Krakozhia's situation is resolved. Frank Dixon, Director of Customs and Border Protection at JFK, allows Viktor to stay in the international lounge until the problem is resolved. Dixon gives Viktor enough meal vouchers to last for a day or two, with Dixon expecting Viktor to secretly escape the lounge into the outside world. Viktor, however, wants to be as proper as possible and decides to stay in the lounge. Viktor poses a problem for Dixon, as Viktor may be the black mark in his promotion to head of the department. Their relationship becomes an antagonistic one, where Dixon will now do whatever he can to prevent Viktor from ever entering the country even if he ever did learn the heartbreaking reason for Viktor's visit. As Viktor stays in the lounge, he only has limited resources on which to live and a limited understanding of the English language. Viktor's encounters with lounge employees is also initially antagonistic, but they all learn to live in harmony and friendship as Viktor's stay increases. The one person Viktor would like to meet and know is United Airlines flight attendant Amelia Warren, who is in transit through JFK every few weeks and who seems to be dealing with her own personal demons.

• Chris W

  
  Overall, this is not one of Spielberg's best, but it's hardly his worst. It's not really a plausible or realistic story, but that's okay. If you come to it treating it as a fantasy in a real world, you'll be just fine. It's funny, quirky, and pretty… More
  Overall, this is not one of Spielberg's best, but it's hardly his worst. It's not really a plausible or realistic story, but that's okay. If you come to it treating it as a fantasy in a real world, you'll be just fine. It's funny, quirky, and pretty charing, despite all of the ridiculous product placement. Even though the story is ludicrous, it is a funny concept to think about. I mean, a guy is trapped in an airport termina ldue to some nutty redtape and loopholes. There's a lot of material here for schtick, satire, and fun. ost of which is taken advantage of. The performances are good. Hanks isn't the most credible foreginer, but he's still charming, classy, and funny. Stanley Tucci is great as the easily annoyed guy who trieds to do his best to keep Hanks' character from getting out of line and getting the best of him. Zeta Jones isn't bad, but maybe could have been a little better (just my opinion). For a goofy but fun movie, this isn't too bad. It's kind of somewhere in the middle of Spielberg's filmography as far as quality goes, so take that as some sort of indication of whether or not you may like it. Saying that might not help, but you never know.

• Jay H

  
  "The Terminal" gets so many things right. Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones deliver solid performances. The story is unique and well-paced. The film is highly enjoyable. Sure, it has its minor flaws. It misses the mark on a few small details. All in all, though, this is a… More
  "The Terminal" gets so many things right. Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones deliver solid performances. The story is unique and well-paced. The film is highly enjoyable. Sure, it has its minor flaws. It misses the mark on a few small details. All in all, though, this is a fine film.

• Bethany M

  
  Tom Hanks was exceptional in this film. A must see!

• Jennifer X

  
  Tom Hanks's faux foreign accent is downright embarrassing.

• Sophie B

  
  A lovely and heartwarming film of a man trapped in limbo. Brilliant direction from Spielberg and a great character for Hanks to play. He captures your heart and is a little too nice for his own good. A nice happy ending.

• Mark W

  
  Despite the two of them being perfectly suited to collaborate on a project, it took Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg a long time to finally get around to doing it. Then in quick succession, they churned out three films together. This being the third and least effective. Viktor Navorski… More
  Despite the two of them being perfectly suited to collaborate on a project, it took Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg a long time to finally get around to doing it. Then in quick succession, they churned out three films together. This being the third and least effective. Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) lands at JFK airport, to find his homeland of Krakozhia has dissolved in a rebellion and his passport is no longer valid. Stranded in a bureaucratic no-man's land, he must live in the airport, unable to go home and unable to venture onto American soil. 1998's "Saving Private Ryan" was the first brutally realistic collaboration between actor and director, followed by 2002's "Catch Me If You Can" which was more light-hearted with dark undertones. This 2004 film is lighter still and if going by this progressively gentler pattern that Hanks and Spielberg were to collaborate again, it would probably be a whimsy film version of "Little House On The Prairie". That's not to say that there isn't anything to enjoy here. There is, but it seems like a step down for them. It's still a light-hearted fable that's hard to resist though, considering Spielberg's knack for cranking up the schmaltz factor and Hanks' knack for endearing characters. The performances from all involved are good (particularly Hanks and Stanley Tucci) but nobody is really stretched. It's not the finest hour from the names involved and probably best suited to fans of romantic-comedies but I still enjoyed passing time with it and it did raise the occasional smile with it's uplifting positivity.

• Nadira I

  
  Very sweet, moving and inspiring. I have to admit that I love airport. It's a place that I enjoy the most and that's why I can relate to this movie a lot. Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones create that amazing chemistry. It is probably one of the movies that Steven Spielberg… More
  Very sweet, moving and inspiring. I have to admit that I love airport. It's a place that I enjoy the most and that's why I can relate to this movie a lot. Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones create that amazing chemistry. It is probably one of the movies that Steven Spielberg created without any big visual effects. When you are reading the plot of this kind of movie, you probably thought that it will be boring, but on the contrary, you will find this movie entertaining.

• Cassie H

  
  Another one of Tom Hanks best movies :)

• Curtis L

  
  Wow. Actually really good, I thought it would kinda suck. Once you get past Tom Hanks with a "Krakosian" accent, it's quite a touching film. I was also pleased to see that it's not a love story like it soooo easily could have been (which would have made it… More
  Wow. Actually really good, I thought it would kinda suck. Once you get past Tom Hanks with a "Krakosian" accent, it's quite a touching film. I was also pleased to see that it's not a love story like it soooo easily could have been (which would have made it really cookie cutter). Luckily it held a very unique story that was true to the end. All about waiting really, and how sometimes we actually get what we want when we wait, even if its not what's best for us.

• vieras e

  
  I don't know why I wasted my time. It would have been one thing had Hanks actually played a foreigner and not a simpleton.

• Conner R

  
  It was an average attempt from Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks, both could have done better. It fell under the same problems of every other romantic comedy and delivers nothing new. It was a complete waste of time and has no individualistic film quality about it.

• Luke B

  
  A film so ridiculously sweet and sentimental, it ends up being sickly. There's plenty of enjoyment to be had, but this is on of Spielberg's laziest offerings. Most of the comedy revolves around foreigners being weirdo's. I understand the confusing between languages, but… More
  A film so ridiculously sweet and sentimental, it ends up being sickly. There's plenty of enjoyment to be had, but this is on of Spielberg's laziest offerings. Most of the comedy revolves around foreigners being weirdo's. I understand the confusing between languages, but why can't Hanks' character find the correct bathroom? Why does he stumble into glass windows? He's more like an alien from another planet. Then we have lots of those "inspirational" moments, such as Hanks being followed by the entire airport as he walks to leave the Terminal. Tucci is also wasted as the world's most pointless antagonist. Rather than just being a man bound by the law and his duty, Spielberg just has to make it a personal vendetta. Spielberg was obviously lured in by the premise, but couldn't find anyone that could write a decent script. There's sub-plots aplenty, but nothing really gripping. A fun Sunday watch, but very annoying.

• Anthony L

  
  I found this film to be a little annoying in places but it's not awful.

• Thomas B

  
  absolutely brilliant. the terminal is one of the funniest drama's that spielberg has ever created. tom hanks is perfect as victor navorski, surrounded by an equally brilliant ensemble cast. catherine zeta-jones is also a breath of fresh air but is constantly second fiddle to… More
  absolutely brilliant. the terminal is one of the funniest drama's that spielberg has ever created. tom hanks is perfect as victor navorski, surrounded by an equally brilliant ensemble cast. catherine zeta-jones is also a breath of fresh air but is constantly second fiddle to hanks' brilliance.

• Daniel H

  
  Well made, but ultimately it's memory can be boiled down to two set-piece scenes. Everything else is filler.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings