Click to read the article
The Terminal (2004)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:195
Fresh:118
Rotten:77
Average Rating:6.2/10
Consensus: Tom Hanks and the rest of the amiable cast make this bumpy ride worth sitting through.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for brief language and drug references
Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Jun 18, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $77,032,279
Synopsis: Academy Award® winners Tom Hanks ("Philadelphia," "Forrest Gump") and Catherine Zeta-Jones ("Chicago") star in "The Terminal," under the direction of Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Steven... Academy Award® winners Tom Hanks ("Philadelphia," "Forrest Gump") and Catherine Zeta-Jones ("Chicago") star in "The Terminal," under the direction of Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg ("Schindler’s List," "Saving Private Ryan"). "The Terminal" tells the story of Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks), a visitor to New York from Eastern Europe, whose homeland erupts in a fiery coup while he is in the air en route to America. Stranded at Kennedy 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 named Amelia (Catherine Zeta-Jones). But Viktor has long worn out his welcome with airport official Frank Dixon, who considers him a bureaucratic glitch, a problem he cannot control but wants desperately to erase. "The Terminal" also stars Emmy winner Stanley Tucci (TV’s "Winchell," "Road to Perdition") as Frank Dixon. Rounding out the main cast are Chi McBride (TV’s "Boston Public"), Diego Luna ("Y Tu Mama, Tambien"), Barry "Shabaka" Henley ("Ali"), Kumar Pallana ("The Royal Tenenbaums"), Zoë Saldana ("Drumline"), Eddie Jones ("Seabiscuit") and Jude Ciccolella ("Down With Love"). Walter F. Parkes ("Catch Me If You Can"), Steven Spielberg and Laurie MacDonald ("The Ring") are producing "The Terminal," with Patricia Whitcher, Jason Hoffs and Andrew Niccol serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by Sacha Gervasi and Jeff Nathanson from a story by Niccol. [More]
Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, Chi McBride
Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, Chi McBride, Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Barry Shabaka Henley
Director: Steven Spielberg
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriter: Sacha Gervasi, Jeff Nathanson
Producer: Steven Spielberg, Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald
Composer: John Williams
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC
Get This Movie
Reviews for The Terminal
This terminally bumpy mishmash of every bad contrivance ever made on film never takes flight.
the slickest sort of escapism, designed to amuse . . . but not challenge, [sending] its viewers out into the world with the sense that they have seen something profound
The concept was there; the production abilities were there. It's the execution that fell apart.
A movie so confused that it might have been directed by a jet-lagged world traveler.
The film loses its hushed sense of 'lost-in-the-system' hopelessness and becomes a silly, 'let's all put on a show!' feel-gooder that misses more often not.
Tedious, insincere malarkey that wants badly to play on emotions it's not capable of generating itself.
Not unlike experience of talking to a foreigner who barely speaks English: Strangely intriguing, but kind of sad and deeply frustrating
A vacant slog--audiences should be rewarded with free travel miles just for sitting through it.
Viktor is amiable; he's not going to make anyone nervous, as he might if he was, for instance, "Middle Eastern."
[W]hat does Spielberg expect us to take from all this? Should we be amused? Touched? Inspired? It certainly doesn’t require us to think.
Latest News for The Terminal
July 26, 2007:
Critical Consensus: Woo-Hoo! Simpsons Is Certified Fresh; No Reservations Is Bland; Rescue Dawn Shines
This week at the moves, we've got America's favorite family in their long-awaited big-screen debut (The Simpsons Movie); a tale of two chefs (No Reservations, starring Catherine... More...
April 27, 2007:
The Weekly Ketchup: George Lucas And Mark Hamill Re-team, "Alien Vs. Predator 2" Pics, "Spider-Man 3" Breaks The Bank, And More!
In this week's Ketchup, George Lucas and Mark Hamill are re-teaming for another "Star Wars" project, the first "Alien Vs. Predator 2" pictures appeared, and... More...
December 07, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Apocalypto" Is Bloody Good; "Blood Diamond" Needs Polish; "Unaccompanied" Is Minor; "Holiday" Is So-So
This week at the movies, we've got declining civilizations ("Apocalypto," directed by Mel Gibson), conflict diamonds ("Blood Diamond," starring Leonardo... More...
June 23, 2006:
"Indiana Jones 4" Script Near Done; Spielberg Always Busy
Master filmmaker Steven Spielberg has averaged a movie a year since the year 2000, so we understand if the guy needs to take a few months vacation, but (as usual) the guy's back... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
| 57% 57% | 9 |
| 44% 44% | Jennifer's Body |
| 58% 58% | A Perfect Getaway |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- The Terminal at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Terminal at IGN
- The Terminal at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!

Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.

Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



