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The Terminal DVD Review: Arriving in New York’s JFK International Airport, Viktor Navorski (Hanks) finds that his homeland of Krakozhia is now gripped by a rebel upheaval. This means that his country is no longer recognised, making his passport and documents invalid, thus he cannot enter the United States. As all flights back to his country are now cancelled, Viktor cannot even go home so he is stuck in the International Terminal of JFK until either the war ends or the US Government decide what they want to do with him.
Steven Spielberg doesn’t really make bad films but would The Terminal be the exception to that rule. Don’t be silly. Based loosely on a real life incidence that took place at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, The Terminal is a story of how red tape and political shenanigans can completely change someone’s life. This is a smaller, more character driven story for Spielberg and one that doesn’t rely on a high concept or a larger than life character. A tale about the triumph of human spirit and the willingness to achieve a goal that has no big action sequences and no huge special effects. Key to the appeal of the movie is the performance of Tom Hanks. Quickly becoming a Spielberg stalwart, Hanks creates another instantly loveable character that everyone can emphasise with. In Viktor Navorski you have an everyman who could be anyone in the audience stuck in an unusual situation that through no fault of his own, he has to live with. In true Hanks style, the character makes the most of his situation, and of course, he gets himself into a few comical scrapes. It is easy to forget that Hanks is also a gifted comedic actor and he excels the physical comedy elements of the script. He is an actor that can convey comedy in just a look and this is a rare gift. Supporting him expertly is Stanley Tucci, as Viktor’s nemesis airport controller Frank Dixon. Tucci excels in the role, showing again what an unsung talent he really is. Frank Dixon is an instantly dislikeable character, who is really only doing his job by stringently following the rules. If Viktor represents the everyman, Dixon is a representation of the Government and the power it has over all of us. Diego Luna, Chi McBride and Kumar Pallana play Enrique Cruz, Joe Mulroy and Gupta Rajan, the airport employees who become Viktor friends. Each of them provides comic relief, as they grow closer to the man without a country. From their early suspicions that is a CIA undercover operative to becoming a friend, Viktor affects all of their lives and the actors reflect this with three excellent performances. Catherine Zeta Jones continues to choose roles that distance her from the primadonna starlet image the paparazzi have unfairly labelled her with. As Amelia Warren she plays a confused stewardess who seen as an object by men and no one has ever seen her for what she is, a lonely woman who just wants to be loved. This is a role that Catherine really gets to grips with and through showing the character’s vulnerability she makes the role more acceptable to an audience. The Terminal is a film that you cannot help but like. It isn’t as predictable as your standard Hollywood but under the watchful eye of Steven Spielberg you’d expect no less. The movie proves again that you can’t pigeonhole Spielberg into one genre or even one type of movie. This is by no means small budget, but for the great director this a change from norm and a very welcome on.
Star Rating = * * * *
PICTURE & SOUND
Presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 and dts soundtrack, the transfer is very good, as you’d expect from a modern movie. Viktor Navorski’s Terminal is vividly brought to life with a pin sharp picture and reflects the colour and grandeur of enormous set. The sound quality is also very good with a strong emphasis on dialogue and John Williams’ score.
BONUS FEATURES Disc 2
Booking the Flight: The Script, the Story (8.06 mins) Director Steven Spielberg, screenwriters Sacha Gervasi and Jeff Nathanson and producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald talk about the story behind ‘The Terminal’. They talk the amount of research that went into the tale of Viktor Navorski, revealing how they wanted to create a feeling of East meets West and how they wanted to create a microcosm for Viktor to live in.
Waiting
for the Flight: Building the Terminal (12.19 mins)
Boarding: The People of the Terminal (31.48 mins) Director Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta Jones, Stanley Tucci, Chi McBride, Diego Luna, Barry Shabaka Henley and Kumar Pallana talk about Viktor, Amelia, Dixon, Thurman, Enrique, Officer Torres, Gupta and Mulroy, the characters from ‘The Terminal’. Each of them reveals how they were cast in the movie, their reasons for making the film and talk about their characters.
Takeoff: Making The Terminal (17.14 mins) Director Steven Spielberg, screenwriter Sacha Gervasi, producers Walter Parkes, executive producer Patricia Whitcher, director of photography Janusz Kaminski, costume designer Mary Zophres, production designer Alex McDowell and stars Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta Jones, Stanley Tucci and Diego Luna talk about filming ‘The Terminal’. From defining the story, building the realistic set, the costumes and the visual effects, the cast and crew reveal the secrets of the shoot and what it was like working with Steven Spielberg.
In Flight Service: The Music of The Terminal (5.54 mins) Director Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams talk about the music for the film. They reveal the influences behind the sound including ethnic and European sounds and instruments, Jazz and fitting music to the characters.
Landing: Airport Stories (5.31 mins) Director Steven Spielberg, director of photography Janusz Kaminski, production designer Alex McDowell and stars Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta Jones reveal their own airport nightmares and funny stories.
Photo Gallery A collection of behind the scenes images and publicity shots from ‘The Terminal’
OVERALL
DreamWorks have gathered together a very good set of featurettes that cover all aspects of the movie for this two-disc set. The real shame is the lack of a commentary track (Will Steven Spielberg ever do one?) and deleted scenes, as this would have really complemented the making of… footage. This is still a good buy for fans and an excellent rent for those of you who missed it at the cinema.
DVD Star
Rating = * * *
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