The Terminal
DreamWorks Distribution | Release Date: June 18, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
55
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 41 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
13
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
The movie is a delight in many ways: an unabashed romantic comedy and Capraesque fable that takes Spielberg into realms he's rarely traveled before. Read full review
88
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Like a story-spinner from the "Tales of the Arabian Nights," Steven Spielberg begins by demanding we accept impossible things. If we do, his spell can enchant us; if not, it must vanish like colored smoke. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
A sweet and delicate comedy, a film to make you hold your breath, it is so precisely devised. It has big laughs, but it never seems to make an effort for them. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
In a summer of remakes, sequels and movies swollen with effects, The Terminal stands out as a strikingly original comedy. Read full review
80
VarietyScott Foundas
This buoyant, optimistic fable seems to share in the late Ronald Reagan's optimism for America. It does so with the help of a gifted comic ensemble led by Tom Hanks. Read full review
80
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
Thanks to Spielberg's vivid storytelling and Hanks' matchless gift for bringing the common man to life, this is a relentlessly charming movie. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Entertainment like this is too hard to find to second-guess for too long. Read full review
80
EmpireIan Nathan
Far less cuddly than expected, this unusual and elegant movie may have failed to connect with US audiences but it proves Spielberg is currently the most unpredictable director in Hollywood. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
To be savored for its unhurried approach and simple fish-out-of-water story that favors individual character-driven moments over dramatic plot developments. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
If moviegoers suspend their disbelief -- easy enough thanks to the diverse and talented cast, as well as Spielberg's capable direction -- they're bound to enjoy this cinematic fantasy. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
As well made, entertaining and seductive a showcase for Hanks as it is, the movie doesn't have a magical impact and doesn't stay with you. And while you're watching it, there's always some slight annoyance, inconsistency or motivational-lapse to slap your face in almost every scene. Read full review
75
New York PostJonathan Foreman
It's an original, and a gamble, and one of those movies that works better than it should, despite considerable flaws of conception and execution. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
I liked every minute in it. Other films are like empty containers; this one's full. It's full of invention, full of moments, full of business, full of the nuances of human interaction, full of feeling. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Here's a film made by grown-ups for grown-ups, on grown-up themes of statelessness and belonging. Yet you could show it to a 6-year-old and have him or her understand all the nuances of plot and characterization. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
So beautifully directed, so pleasurable to watch and so thoughtfully put together, it's a disappointment when you realize, halfway through, that the movie is going to fall way short of a masterpiece. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
It’s an odd fable: Viktor is the mysterious visitor who shows us what the American Dream is all about--in the movie’s terms, compassion for others--without ever wanting to become an American himself. He's a spiritual twin to E.T., who also had trouble phoning home. Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
In the latest of a long string of memorable performances, Hanks balances wide-eyed confusion with innate shrewdness, finding a character who's both unfailingly sweet and nobody's fool. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
The Terminal perfectly captures Spielberg's ambivalent worship of capitalism. His big boy's love of gadgetry is everywhere apparent in the security cameras, blinking computer screens and one-way glass walls. Read full review
70
The New York TimesDana Stevens
Rarely have I been so acutely aware of a movie's softness and sentimentality, and rarely have I minded less. Some of the credit surely goes to Mr. Hanks...His performance is so easy and amiable that its nuances emerge only in retrospect. Read full review
70
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Spielberg has made a small and charming story out of The Terminal. Read full review
70
Film ThreatRick Kisonak
It may not be great but you're guaranteed to feel great walking out the theater door. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianKaren Karbo
Hanks is remarkable in one of the minor films in smarm-meister Spielberg's oeuvre. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
It's a hokey piece of melodrama in a movie that cheats its characters - and its audience - out of some emotional truth. Read full review
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