the terminal

i defy anyone who attempts to deny that Tom Hanks is anything less than warm, cuddly, a great great actor, and so full of charm he could make a pot of gold appear from a puddle of his own urine. except for a couple of epic fails with Meg Ryan, he hardly ever puts out a bad film; and this is ever more enhanced when you add Steven Spielberg into the mix.

the terminal is a great little movie, actually. totally led by Hanks' charming demeanour, it tells a simple but captivating story about a guy trapped between countries in a time of political turmoil. it's all improved by the fact that it's loosely based on the true story of an iranian dude who ended up living in a paris airport for 18 years, although in true hollywood style it is dissolved into a saccharin solution of "man's unrelenting triumph over adverse conditions." the result is undeniably Spielburg in its political subtlety but captured with his traditional skill.

i could've happily made away with the romance part and concentrated on the different ways the central character learned to live in the environment (like in Wall-E); and it only felt like he was there a week when i was hoping for the full 18 years; but it was a good ol' switch-your-brain-off of a movie, and.... um... yeah

6/10