I'm probably one of the last few singaporeans to have watched The Terminal only this week (close to a month after its release here). With the recent slew of teen girly flicks (Mean Girls, Cinderella Story et al) and dodgy, screwball comedies (Harold & Kumar, Dodgeball et al) invading our cinemas, I would say that this Tom Hanks & Steven Spielberg collaboration stands out for its refreshing simplicity of plot & quality film-making. I've always been a fan of Hanks' work and his portrayal of Viktor Navorski in The Terminal is one of his finest in a long time. Granted, this film is not a heavy drama piece with themes of epic proportions, but I enjoyed it quite thoroughly, nevertheless (although the syrupy spielberg ending was abit of a let-down). Comedic scenes were interwoven so naturally into the story, they didnt have to try hard to invoke the laughs.
What impressed me most was the fact that Hanks had his character down to a pat; from the unaffected accent to the little nuances of expression, it was almost pure joy to watch. The supporting cast was excellent too, especially the resplendent Catherine Zeta Jones who really made the most of her short on-screen time (fact: I am besotted with her.. so there~!). Although I feel Spielberg often injects too much sentimentality into his movies (including this one), there is no denying the seamlessness of his films, with everything from the set & props, to the actors, fitting together nicely to become a harmonious whole. My only regret? -- that I didnt catch this film earlier.
my ratings ---- 3.7/5 stars~!!
