Ticketverse Throwbacks #7: "Terminal" Philosophy
Hey, Ticketholders, it's me again! Because I have mild OCD and because I notice these things, I'd like to point out to you that this is the first Ticketverse Throwback where the current issue number and the original issue number actually match. It's a review, as they all are; although I doubt that telling you the plot, giving away all the funny parts, and telling you it's the best thing I ever saw could in any sense be called a review.
In any case, it's a review, as I did reviews back in SWAT Ticket #7--then untitled, but later archived under the title, Terminal Philosophy, a nod to the 1994 Charlie Sheen actioner, Terminal Velocity (basically Point Break with no surfing, Russian spies, and Charlie Sheen, but I said that already and I'm running out of ways to nest interjections, so let's get away from that, shall we?)--a Yahoo! Groups post FROM June 28, 2004, re-worded in places to fit my current level of maturity as a writer.
I finally spent the money to see a movie in the theater, and The Terminal ALMOST lived up to its hype. Tom Hanks stars as a man from a fictional country trying to get to New York. In a totally Spielbergian plot setup, it turns out that while he was on the plane, he became a man without a country; the government that issued his passport no longer exists, so he cannot go home and he cannot enter America (or, in his comically accented words, "I am crack").
Confined to the International Transit Lounge (which is to an Airport Terminal what Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is to Shellshock. Political correctness, how do I love thee, let me count the ways...zero. I'm done), he must find a way to survive on ketchup packets and Saltines while keeping in good graces with the Airport Security Supervisor (played by Stanley Tucci) who wants to both keep track of Hanks and get rid of him at the same time.
So we have a villain who isn't a villain, a hero who weeps for a minute, then forgets the violent state of his country for the remaining hour or so of the film, a love interest (Catherine Zeta-Jones) whom he loves but who only finds him interesting, and friends who worship him and hang out with him but rarely support him.
While it's true that Spielberg does a great job of avoiding the usual carbon-copy nature of the romantic comedy (as one would expect from Steven Spielberg), he spreads his vision too thin here. It's shameless product placement meets insurgent hero's journey meets hopeless love story meets tragic loss meets creative comedy. Not many of these "meets" are wrapped up in any sense of the word, making The Terminal an unfitting title for something that feels so irresolute.
All I can say for the movie is this: when you're watching Jeopardy and the clue comes up "The credits of this 2004 movie were composed of the cast and crew signatures" you can answer right away with "What is The Terminal?"
B-
SWAT
out
Did you agree with my assessment of the movie? Did you find my puns funny, cringeworthy, or not find them at all? Let me know in the comments, and remember to like, share, subscribe, and click those ads between posts as you read. The Grimm Fairy Tales Retrospective picks back up with Volume 4 next week. so stay tuned.
Ticketmaster,
out.
In any case, it's a review, as I did reviews back in SWAT Ticket #7--then untitled, but later archived under the title, Terminal Philosophy, a nod to the 1994 Charlie Sheen actioner, Terminal Velocity (basically Point Break with no surfing, Russian spies, and Charlie Sheen, but I said that already and I'm running out of ways to nest interjections, so let's get away from that, shall we?)--a Yahoo! Groups post FROM June 28, 2004, re-worded in places to fit my current level of maturity as a writer.
Confined to the International Transit Lounge (which is to an Airport Terminal what Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is to Shellshock. Political correctness, how do I love thee, let me count the ways...zero. I'm done), he must find a way to survive on ketchup packets and Saltines while keeping in good graces with the Airport Security Supervisor (played by Stanley Tucci) who wants to both keep track of Hanks and get rid of him at the same time.
So we have a villain who isn't a villain, a hero who weeps for a minute, then forgets the violent state of his country for the remaining hour or so of the film, a love interest (Catherine Zeta-Jones) whom he loves but who only finds him interesting, and friends who worship him and hang out with him but rarely support him.
While it's true that Spielberg does a great job of avoiding the usual carbon-copy nature of the romantic comedy (as one would expect from Steven Spielberg), he spreads his vision too thin here. It's shameless product placement meets insurgent hero's journey meets hopeless love story meets tragic loss meets creative comedy. Not many of these "meets" are wrapped up in any sense of the word, making The Terminal an unfitting title for something that feels so irresolute.
All I can say for the movie is this: when you're watching Jeopardy and the clue comes up "The credits of this 2004 movie were composed of the cast and crew signatures" you can answer right away with "What is The Terminal?"
B-
SWAT
out
Did you agree with my assessment of the movie? Did you find my puns funny, cringeworthy, or not find them at all? Let me know in the comments, and remember to like, share, subscribe, and click those ads between posts as you read. The Grimm Fairy Tales Retrospective picks back up with Volume 4 next week. so stay tuned.
Ticketmaster,
out.
Comments
Post a Comment