Tom Hanks only wishes he were that invisible at the airport

‘The Terminal’ movie review

By Morgan Hannah, Life & Style Editor

4/5

Life is like an airport: it’s overcrowded, there are many different types of people, and everyone is always in a hurry to get somewhere—too busy to stop and take a look around.

The Terminal stars Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones and is classified as a romantic comedy. While there is light adulterous romance, I think this classic Steven Spielberg movie is more of a tragedy or a tragic romance instead. With a static plot in a closed setting, a movie about getting stuck at the JFK airport for months on end doesn’t seem as though it would be enthralling—but enthralling it was, nonetheless. A constant heartstring tug with every viewing, The Terminal had my eyes watering and my senses sighing.

Tom Hanks’ performance as the stranded Viktor Navorski is emotional, charmingly dedicated, and convincingly forward. From my previous memory, Hanks played more of a dummy. But, after having watched The Terminal again the other night, all traces of “dummy” have been wiped clean and replaced with an effective persevering foreigner who learns English in a surprising and constructive manner, earns a job simply by being excellent at being handy, and draws in a unique circle of caring misfit friends who help him survive his months at JFK in exchange for participation in some hijinks.

This sentimental movie really isn’t just about one thing—it touches on many topics. It is a fish-out-of-water comedy, a romance, an unorthodox character study, and an inspirational allegory about making the most out of unfortunate circumstances. This movie highlights the fact that we all go through hard times, and this is certainly something many can relate to considering the COVID-19 quarantine.

Having the film set in an American airport forces those in the audience with the foolish assertion that all non-English speaking travellers are inherently dumb to question that belief. It certainly made me realize my incorrect assumptions of Tom Hanks’ character based on my vague memory of his acting. Hanks plays his role perfectly as a man of great wit and purpose who nobly serves his time in the commercial airport prison until he is able to escape into the snowy Big Apple. Reviewing this classic Spielberg piece of art, I was able to take a trip down nostalgia lane—leaving me clinging to more wholesome times.