The Terminal : 4 of 5

I decided to see this movie mainly because it seemed like a nice feel-good story from the previews, and the fact that Catherine Zeta-Jones was in it didn't hurt either. Of course, I like Spielburg's work, and Tom Hanks is definitely talented (though I don't think he should win anymore Academy Awards!), but I mainly enjoyed this film just because it was an imaginative tale with a nice ending (although I thought it was interesting that Amelia's ending wasn't a "happily ever after"). I was especially impressed with the set - it's amazing to me that they built that entire structure for the filming! The premise is certainly a little crazy, but once you accept that as fact, then the rest of the plot is a delight, combining lots of miniature subplots into a major storyline. I liked how Victor did everything possible to survive - eating crackers and condiments, learning English from travel books, and then getting a high paying job from working on a wall (out of boredom, I guess!). Amelia was an interesting, but somewhat sad, character - of course, Catherine looked wonderful (less glamour, more understated beauty). Finally, tying everything up with a jazz-centered purpose was also really cool - I left the theater feeling really happy (and it made me forget about my bum toe for awhile!).