Dec. 19, 2004 - 12:08 am
i remember thinking when this came out at the theater that it would be a better movie to rent than go see at the theater. i guess i'm thinking that about a lot more movies now that we do so much renting and it's so easy to get our hands on new releases for very little cash. this was the new Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks project that came out just a few months ago.
The Terminal is about a refugee of sorts from a fictional country that comes to the U.S. only to find out as soon as he reaches the airport that his country is in the middle of a civil war. since he officially has no government anymore, the airport authorities refuse to let him enter the U.S. and he can't return to his own country. he has to stay in the airport terminal and literally live there until his situation is somehow miraculously resolved. along the way he makes a lot of friends and a few enemies and teaches us what it's like to stay hopeful and friendly amidst a struggle that is basically ignorant.
i like the way that this movie subtly criticizes the Dept. of Homeland Security. it's basically our paranoia of international visitors and permanent immigrants that brought about this department which has questionable motives and sometimes treat people in unbelievably harsh manners.