The Terminal

The Terminal is a movie that shows a focus on one character, that character being Viktor Navorski, who is played by Tom Hanks. The whole movie focuses on the problems Viktor faces with not being able to enter New York City and not being able to be deported back to his country. With his country at war he is stranded indefinitely at the New York City airport. The thing that makes this movie so believable is that it is based on a true story. The fact that it is based off of a true story makes the movie more credible and more appealing to the audience. The story is also very interesting because as I watched it I imagined myself in Viktor’s situation, and could only imagine how boring it would eventually get if I was trapped in an airport. It was very interesting to watch how Viktor made adjustments to survive living there for so long. It was interesting how he learned how to collect the carts to get quarters and pay for food. One thing Viktor faces throughout the movie is external conflict. The main source of this external conflict is with the head of airport security, Frank Dixon. At first Dixon embraces Viktor but once he realizes that Viktor may keep him from receiving a promotion Dixon attempts to drive him out off the airport; with all of the attempts failing and making Dixon look bad.

In the movie, Viktor is characterized through dialogue and through external action. He is characterized through dialogue by one of the airport janitors when the janitor thinks he is a spy or working for the CIA. This characterization adds some comedic confrontations between Viktor and the airport janitor that soon forms a friendship between the two. Viktor is also characterized by his dialogue early in the movie because he speaks in very broken English that is hard to understand, which makes conversing with others nearly impossible. Viktor is also characterized through external action. When Viktor translates for a man that speaks a tongue close to his and allows him to take the pills with him to help his dying parent, Viktor is received as a hero in the airport and everyone opens up and wants to help Viktor in any way they can. Viktor also helps a food delivery guy marry his dream woman, which tells a lot about his character and how he is willing to help others and not expect anything back in return.

In the movie there are certain parts that use special visual effects. For example, when Dixon is sitting up in the airport security office he is watching everyone on the security cameras. The special visual effect the movie uses is when the security cameras pan and tilt around to watch Viktor. The security cameras also zoom in and out on him so that Dixon may watch his every move and every confrontation Viktor has. One thing that doesn’t play a very important role in this movie is the musical score; however the movie does contain some scenes with traveling music. There are a few scenes with Viktor traveling and working that have music in the background, much of the music used for these scenes is most likely music from his native country and music most people wouldn’t listen to.

The thing that I think is the most important part of this film is the acting. I believe that Spielberg made the movie by choosing to have Tom Hanks play the role of Viktor. Hanks made me and I’m sure everyone else that has watched the movie believe that Viktor could be a real life everyday person. Hanks became Viktor almost to the point where you thought Hanks was actually Viktor and Tom Hanks never existed. Everything from his accent to his body language made me believe that Tom Hanks was made to play the role of Viktor. Hanks completely submerged himself in the character Viktor by altering his personal, physical, and vocal characteristics and made the character seem like an alter ego of his. The encounters with the supporting cast allowed the movie to have romantic and also comedic scenes which I believe kept me interested in the movie until it ended.

Spielberg’s style in this movie was simple and straightforward. The movie is based on a true story and Spielberg depicted the actual story very closely and tied in dramatic, comedic, and romantic scenes to make the movie more visually appealing to the audience. This is a style of Spielberg’s that is seen in many of his famous movies. Spielberg is an auteur and has been since he started directing. He conceives the idea for most of his stories, writes the script of the screenplay, and then carefully supervises every step in the filmmaking process. Spielberg is also known for tackling new subjects and not only sticking to types of films he has shot before and feels most comfortable doing. For this reason he is one of the best, if not the best, film directors ever. Spielberg also pays close attention to the editing of the movie because the rhythm and pace of the film flows together nicely and the transitions are very clear. The supporting cast that Spielberg picks also compliments Hanks very well and helps make the movie more interesting.

The theme of the movie is centralized around one character and his advancements made with all the external conflicts that he faces. The main character is Viktor and he unifies everything that happens in the movie. The film is an emotional experience because as a view you can’t help but to put yourself in Viktor’s situation and feel bad for him. Although you being to not feel as bad for him as he starts to adapt to his surroundings and make the best of his situation. Throughout the movie you see Viktor grow as a person and open up as he meets friends that he will never forget. The movie makes you feel emotional when Amelia breaks Viktor’s heart because throughout the movie you are able to see that Amelia and Viktor are supposed to be with each other. The movie also makes you wondering whether Viktor and Amelia will ever end up being together. The movie also makes you feel emotional when Dixon makes everything so hard on Viktor, but when he overcomes the struggles you are happy. All in all I feel that Spielberg has made this a great movie and I love the way he makes it interesting by tying romance, comedy, and drama into the story.