--- title: "The Terminal: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-terminal/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-terminal" critics_score: 64 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Terminal (2004): what the critics said Critics' score 64 from 11 reviews: 5 positive, 5 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics find The Terminal a charming, lightweight fable that leans hard on sentiment and largely gets away with it. The praise clusters around Tom Hanks: the reviews call his performance subtle, inventive and touching, and several think he carries the film. Spielberg’s fluent handling and the airport set, realised down to its ordinary, bustling detail, draw approval too, and more than one critic describes the film as buoyant or feelgood without apology. The reservations gather around sweetness and slightness. Several critics find the film overlong, its central conflict thin, its romance the least convincing element and its emotional payoff falling short. Slant Magazine calls it inconsistent, with perceptive moments undercut by crude slapstick, and Radio Times faults Spielberg for avoiding the story’s harsher realities. The spread is wide: verdicts run from warm to outright rejection, with The Guardian dismissing it as irritating, over-sweet and empty, and objecting to its brand-name product placement. ## Variety — Scott Foundas Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 June 2004. Foundas finds the film a buoyant, spirit-lifting fable, though its conflict is slight and a late subplot feels out of place. He praises Tom Hanks’s understated comic performance and the film’s optimistic outlook. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/the-terminal-1200532833/) ## Empire — Ian Nathan Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Nathan finds the film an elegant, caustic fable whose humor and sentiment are more distinctive than its romance. He especially praises Tom Hanks’s subtle performance and the film’s graceful visual craft. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/terminal-review/) ## Screen Daily — Mike Goodridge Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 14 June 2004. Goodridge presents the film as an unabashedly sentimental feelgood heartwarmer. He praises Spielberg’s fluent craft and ability to move viewers. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-terminal/4019051.article) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2004. Turan finds the film a charming, consistently amusing diversion, though its attempts at emotional and romantic payoff fall short. He especially praises Tom Hanks’s inventive, energetic comic performance. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jun-18-et-turan18-story.html) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2004. The article is identifiable as a review, but its verdict cannot be confirmed from the blocked page. The accessible text provides no reliable detail about what the critic praised or criticized. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/18/movies/film-review-an-emigre-s-paradise-lost-and-found.html) ## Time Out — DC Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page identifies itself as a review, but the review text is unavailable. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be determined from the accessible content. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-terminal) ## Slant Magazine — Keith Uhlich Rating 2.5/4. 16 June 2004. Uhlich finds the film frustratingly inconsistent, with perceptive moments undermined by crude slapstick and confused ideas. He praises Stanley Tucci’s performance and singles out the bar scene with jazz saxophonist Benny Golson as a standout moment of calm. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-terminal/) ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 3/5. Jones finds the film affecting and amusing, but not fully convincing. He particularly praises Tom Hanks’s performance, while faulting Spielberg for avoiding the story’s harsher realities. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-k0kdca/the-terminal/) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 3/5. 3 September 2004. The critic finds the film a beguiling, charming feel-good fable, though overlong and overly sweet. They praise the meticulously realised airport set and its ordinary, bustling detail. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-terminal-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2004. Bradshaw dismisses the film as irritating, over-sweet and ultimately empty. He singles out its brand-name product placements and contrived feel-good moments for criticism. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,1295859,.html) ## Eye for Film — Josh Morrall Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2004. Morrall finds the film thoroughly enjoyable, with its relaxed pace giving the characters room to develop. He particularly praises Tom Hanks’s touching performance and the supporting cast’s memorable subplots. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-terminal-film-review-by-josh-morrall) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-terminal.md