The Terminal
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Metascore
55

Mixed or average reviews - based on 41 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 151 Ratings

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  • Starring: , ,
  • Summary: The Terminal tells the story of Viktor Navorski (Hanks), a visitor to New York City from Eastern Europe, whose homeland erupts in a fiery coup while he is in the air en route to America. Stranded at John F. Kennedy International Airport with a passport from nowhere, he is unauthorized to actually enter the United States and must improvise his days and nights in the terminal's international transit lounge until the war at home is over. As the weeks and months stretch on, Viktor finds the compressed universe of the terminal to be a richly complex world of absurdity, generosity, ambition, amusement, status, serendipity and even romance with a beautiful flight attendant (Zeta-Jones). (DreamWorks)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 41
  3. Negative: 5 out of 41
  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    88
    A sweet and delicate comedy, a film to make you hold your breath, it is so precisely devised. It has big laughs, but it never seems to make an effort for them.
  2. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Bill Gallo
    80
    Thanks to Spielberg's vivid storytelling and Hanks' matchless gift for bringing the common man to life, this is a relentlessly charming movie.
  3. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    75
    I liked every minute in it. Other films are like empty containers; this one's full. It's full of invention, full of moments, full of business, full of the nuances of human interaction, full of feeling.
  4. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    70
    Spielberg has made a small and charming story out of The Terminal.
  5. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jami Bernard
    50
    Manages to entertain, and yet, like so many flat-footed attempts at waving the flag, it feels disingenuous and dogmatic.
  6. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: David Denby
    50
    The Terminal is highly crafted whimsy; it lacks any compelling reason to exist, and its love story is a dud. Ever bashful when it comes to boy-girl stuff, Spielberg has structured the relationship between Amelia and Viktor to be as asexual as possible.
  7. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    25
    As he showed in the recent "Catch Me if You Can," also a Hanks vehicle, Spielberg has little talent for emotional realism, not to mention psychological suspense. He should scurry back to "Jurassic Park" as soon as the next flight leaves.

See all 41 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 64
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 64
  3. Negative: 17 out of 64
  1. gm101
    Dec 4, 2010
    10
    This is definitely one of my all time favorite movies (and this is coming from someone who loves critically loathed summer blockbusters). Great movie to watch before travelling.… Expand
  2. JoséM.
    Oct 21, 2005
    10
    Great!
  3. javier_2998
    Nov 23, 2011
    8
    Well, this movie is awesome. The plot is very interesting, the actors did a good job and I liked it very much. This movie will make you laugh, and guarantees to entertain you. Also, I loved when Viktor makes the fountain for Amelia… Expand
  4. MichaelM.
    Oct 22, 2004
    7
    A lot of people panned this film, but I thought it was really cool if you could set aside reality. Tom Hanks did a great job (as always), as a man who visits New York from another country, and is not allowed to leave JFK airport or go back home. Stranded in the airport for almost a year he makes many friends (mostly from the janitoring staff) and falls in love with a history-obsessed flight attendant (Catherine Zeta-Jones). The movie is corny at parts, especially at the ending, but if you don't take it too seriously, I promise you you'll have a good time. Stanley Tucci is convincing as an a--hole. He almost always plays a--holes. I wonder why...… Expand
  5. GustavoH.R.
    Jan 16, 2005
    7
    While its script is somewhat flat and flawed, and some of the gags do not completely work, this film is still delightful and light-hearted enough to make us want to watch it over and over again. Another great performance by Mr. Hanks helps the film go up one step.… Expand
  6. JustinC
    Dec 13, 2005
    6
    It's a good movie, don't get me wrong, just a loooooooooong and sometimes boring one.
  7. JerryW.
    Jan 3, 2009
    2
    This movie was inane and completely unbelievable. I expect much more from Spielberg and Hanks. A completely lame script has people acting in ways that make no sense. Huge disappointment.… Expand

See all 64 User Reviews

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