"Your admission to this movie is waiting! "

The Terminal is the story of Viktor Navorski and his 9 months living in an airport terminal. His country has been taken over by rebels which voids his visa and forces him to stay away from home and America at the same time.

Viktor is a fish out of water. At the beginning of the movie, he knows almost no English, he has no money, and no one to confide in. The homeland security officer has allowed Viktor to stay in the terminal but tries to trick him into leaving which would make Viktor someone else's problem.

After a funny scene where Viktor finds out he's being watched by security, Viktor settles into his new life. He makes a home in a gate under construction (Gate 67 I think it was). Then, he finds out you can earn a quarter by collecting baggage carts. Thanks to the commerce of the terminal, Viktor is able to live as if he was in the city. Food, clothes, and company are all available if he can figure out how to adjust to it.

Viktor learns English by reading books at the Borders store. Finally he can understand the workings of the terminal and communicate with the staff. Viktor eventually meets a flight attendant and falls for her. He uses his new friends to help him win her over. Meanwhile, the homeland security officer is doing his best to get rid of Viktor.

I loved this movie very much. It was sweet and had so much heart. Viktor's plight as a man who's "fallen through the cracks in the system" is easy to identify with. His adventures are ripe with comedy. Tom Hanks doesn't need much dialog to show us how lost Viktor is in our world. He is so good that his mannerisms speak volumes.

Other reviews complained that his supporting cast was one-dimensional and based on stereo-types. I think the other characters didn't need to be complex because the story is about Viktor, they are support. This movie isn't about them as much as it is about Viktor. The story isn't meant to be complex either. It's about a man who's stuck in a terminal! That's it. Spielberg manages to take that simple concept and make it entertaining.

The poster claims "Life is waiting". Life = waiting. Viktor is only waiting to do one simple thing in America (I don't want to spoil it for the reader cuz it's kinda important to the movie) and he's unfortunately forced to wait to do it. Much like our real lives where we have things we want to do but it's always forced to wait.

-Spherx