The Terminal was a film I was greatly looking forward to. I've always had an affection for Steven Spielberg. I grew up on his movies in the 70's and 80's and while I wouldn't call him the greatest film maker of all time (I'm the first to admit that there are a few films on his resume that didn't really do it for me), he is my sentimental favorite and probably always will be.

The idea of another team effort between he and Tom Hanks was incredibly appealing as both of their previous collaborations (the stirring World War II epic Saving Private Ryan and the breezy Catch Me if You Can) were outstanding.

The Terminal features Hanks as Viktor Navorski, a European immigrant making his way to New York City. Upon arrival at the airport, Viktor immediately finds his life turned upside down. It seems that during his flight there was a coupe in his homeland, plunging it into political turmoil. This creates an incredibly odd and complex situation as Viktor is no longer a recognized citizen of any given country. Until the ordeal can be resolved, he is forced to spend his passing days as a resident in the busy terminal, as ordered by Frank Dixon , the high and mighty chief of immigrant relations at the airport.

This film is loosely based upon a true story that is very similar - Spielberg and writers Andrew Niccol, Sacha Gervasi, and Jeff Nathanson have included plot elements of their own (such as a love story), and ultimately, The Terminal plays as a sort of old fashioned (and extremely idealistic) picture that one might have seen in the 40's or 50's. This is to say that The Terminal has a kind of innocence and sweetness about it that is hard to resist.

Tom Hanks really is an amazing performer and has been for years. In fact, he's so good that he's often taken for granted. People just sort of expect the best from him. Once again, he shines here as a man caught in a tough situation. In the early goings of the picture, he frantically tries to communicate with the busy Americans coming and going in the Airport, but is usually unsuccessful, making things all the more frustrating for him. The communication element in The Terminal reminded me a little of Sophia Coppola's Lost in Translation. Hanks' accent is realistic and inside the first ten minutes of the film, I did forget who I was watching. There is no better compliment you can pay an actor than that. Hanks is also given the opportunity to do some great physical bits here, and it was fun watching him get a chance to stretch his comical chops again (which he also did in the recent Ladykillers). Add to these elements the likability factor that comes with Hanks' persona, and you have another winning performance from the actor.

The film is about Hanks' Navorski, but there are other likable performances to be found. The wonderful Kumar Pallana, and Diego Luna (Y' Tu Mama Tambien) play various airport workers who befriend Navorski throughout the course of his ordeal. All are terrific if a tad one dimensional.

For what it's worth, Catherine Zeta-Jones really downplays her role as main love interest Amelia. This is a different kind of part for the Welsh actress, and as good as she is here, I didn't care for the way the character was written. She's a woman who constantly finds herself involved with the wrong men, but then, when she finally finds the right guy, she sort of backs off. How many times have we seen that scenario in a film? On the other hand, I sort of liked where Spielberg and his writing team take the Viktor/Amelia relationship.

Stanley Tucci plays the heavy here, and while he is effective I didn't care for the way his character was written either. He felt overly callous to me, and at times, I thought that his character and the friction he causes should have been left out of the film entirely. But then the extra tension and conflict he brings to the story sort of needs to be there to take the film where it goes.

Steven Spielberg directs The Terminal with a very light touch and this movie would serve as a nice companion piece to Catch Me if You Can (albeit not as effective). Both films are light on their feet, and both feature lead characters who are more or less motivated by their father. And while watching The Terminal, it's as apparent as ever that Spielberg loves the movies (as well as jazz music).

The Terminal is beautifully shot. Spielberg perfectly captures the busy, frantic nature of an airport, and veteran cinematographer Janusz Kaminski glides his camera effortlessly through the contained surroundings, making them appear bigger than they actually are. Kaminski is a true pro and this is some of his most stunning work.

As the E.T. director did back in the day, Spielberg really wears his emotions on his sleeve with this piece. Unlike more recent efforts (A.I. and Minority Report), The Terminal isn't really interested in edgier fare. This film is fluffy and this will, no doubt, turn many people off. I enjoyed it for the most part, but would be lying if I said I didn't roll my eyes back a couple of times.

There are sequences that are a tad tough to swallow. Pallana's big scene towards the end of the picture didn't work for me, and there are a couple of blatantly pat scenes (including a romantic dinner between two of the film's main characters and a couple of other things I don't want to spoil) that are a little too cute for their own good. And finally, The Terminal really could have benefited from a tighter running time.

Many will argue that the film doesn't have a realistic character to speak of, and that nearly every supporting player is merely on hand to serve Hanks' Navorski. In fact, I just barely read a review that went so far as to deem the movie racist. I certainly saw a different film than this guy did. The Terminal is simplistic , harmless, and without a mean bone in it's body. And the movie may be idealistic but many of Spielberg's films are. This isn't necessarily the real world, but it is a world that would be nice to live in. As far as the racist issue, if the minority workers in the airport went around shooting up the place, it might be a different story, but this is not the case. Just because the film features a janitor from India doesn't make the picture racist. I guess it all boils down to how one perceives things. If you seek that sort of stuff out, I guess you'll find it.

At any rate, I would not rank The Terminal among Spielberg's strongest work. But it certainly isn't his worst (in my humble opinion, that dubious honor goes to The Lost World).

In the end it's really hard to deny the pure charm of this movie, despite it's obvious flaws. What little in this movie doesn't work, kind of turns into an afterthought. Spielberg and Hanks do work their magic and make a great team. While The Terminal is based upon an actual event, it is, stylistically speaking, an old fashioned movie--gentle and pure. It's also a film about good people helping one another (with the obvious exception, of Tucci's Dixon), and in this day and age, you can't ask for more..