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I have a great and genuine appreciation for director Steven Spielberg’s 22^nd film, The Terminal. From the set design to the love of America’s jazz, the delicate film is – for me – a touching and beautiful tribute to a nation waking up from a massive tragedy. This is probably one of Spielberg’s quietest films and one of Hanks’ finest performances as he recalls past comedic glories in films such as Splash, The Man With One Red Shoe, and The Money Pit, embracing both the slapstick nature of comedy and the absolute innocence of his character, Viktor Navorski.

Having re-watched Paramount’s release of The Terminal on blu-ray last week, I am struck by just how earnest and endearing the film remains. It is not, as some critics suggest, dull and absurd. Hanks is Navorski, a non-english speaking traveler, and his fictional country - Krakhozhia - starts a civil war upon his arrival to New York. He is stateless, meaning the US won’t recognize his country, and is not permitted to leave the airport until his country is stable once again.

It is in the airport where Navorski meets the real America. We are a culture of products and capitalism after all. Everything about his surroundings feels real to the modern American experience. He even learns to speak broken language and figures out to do menial jobs in order to earn enough for a meal or two at McDonalds. Yes, most of The Terminal can be interpreted as satire; pointing out our flaws without pointing fingers or laying blame.

Even Stanley Tucci as the by-the-books Customs director Dixon is never quite that awful to Navorski. Oh, he’s tough on Navorski but never because he wants to be and we, the audience, understand that. Catherine Zeta-Jones portrays Amelia, the eventual love interest of Hanks, with sympathy and finesse. These characters – in spite of their comedic undertones – are very real to us and aid Navorski in completing his American journey.

But I would be perfectly in the wrong to not acknowledge that the real star of The Terminal is the actual airport sets themselves, particularly the lounge, built by production designer Alex McDowell (from Spielberg’s own Minority Report) on two abandoned airplane hangars at Palmdale Regional Airport in California, and photographed and lit beautifully by cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. It is a grand vision of moviemaking that defies the simplistic nods from screenwriters Sacha Gervasi and Jeff Nathanson (from a story by Andrew Niccol) and looks remarkable robust on film.

The bureaucratic red tape is the fabled dragon that needs killing; the knight on a mythical quest; the damsel in distress; The Terminal is the type of fairy tale worth reliving again and again, if only for that mythical Once Upon A Time…

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[tab title="Film Details"]

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief language and drug references.
Runtime: 128 mins
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: Sacha Gervasi and Jeff Nathanson
Cast: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chi McBride
Genre: Comedy | Drama
Tagline: Life is waiting
Memorable Movie Quote: "Sometimes you land a small fish. You unhook him very carefully. You place him back in the water. You set him free so that somebody else can have the pleasure of catching him."
Distributor: DreamWorks Distribution
Official Site:
Release Date: June 18, 2004
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: May 6, 2014
Synopsis: An eastern immigrant finds himself stranded in JFK airport, and must take up temporary residence there.

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - May 6, 2014
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps); Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps); Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD)
Region Encoding: Region-free playback

The AVC-encoded 1080p transfer retains the film’s intended 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio, with well-saturated colors, excellent contrast, and exquisite detail (the grain structure in the granite floors are quite evident). Speaking of grain, the transfer retains much of the original film grain, providing a nice, cinematic image. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track provides clear dialogue with some nice atmospheric effects and wide dynamic range for its music score. The sound design is subtle, as surrounds are used to replicate the sounds of a bustling airport, including public address messages, airplanes landing and taking off, as well as crowd noise.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• To paraphrase Machete, Spielberg don’t commentary.

Special Features:

Remember the deluxe 3-DVD release, complete with John Williams’ score as a bonus? Well, everything is ported over here – minus the CD. In one featurette, Spielberg discusses how he choose to direct the film, as well as the writers and producers discussing the inspirations for the film. In another, Spielberg and Production Designer Alex McDowell discuss how the set was constructed. There’s a look at the stars and another at the supporting players. There’s an overview about the making of the film, a couple of trailers, and a brief look at the inspired score.

• Booking the Flight: The Script, The Story (8 min)
• Waiting for the Flight: Building The Terminal (12 min)
• Boarding: The People of The Terminal (6 min)
• Tom Hanks is Viktor (8 min)
• Catherine Zeta-Jones is Amelia (8 min)
• Viktor’s World (15 min)
• Take Off: Making The Terminal (17 min)
• In Flight Service: The Music of The Terminal (6 min)
• Landing: Airport Stories (6 min) Photo Gallery Theatrical Trailer 1 Theatrical Trailer 2

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