How do you rate The Terminal?

[Josh500 1,615]

I recently rewatched this movie, and I realised that I absolutely dislike it. This movie is such total bs nonsense, and it's not even all that funny. Easily among Spielberg's worst efforts. 

 

The score, especially the main title, is okay, but the movie is so bad, the score can't do much to change that, either. Still, one feels that JW did the best with the material at hand.

 

Score: 3,5 stars 

Movie: 2 stars

 

[Holko 9,499]

The movie's passable fluff, I like Viktor's Tale.

[Josh500 1,615]

I was a bit too hard on the score. Make that 4 stars for the score. The music is really not bad at all.

 

The movie is still 2 stars for me (and I'm leaning towards 1,5 stars). 😂 

 

[Lewya 360]

I can't even remember the movie, but 2 stars out of 5 stars about right based on what I remember. Not horrible, but not good either.

 

Score.. hm, it is fair to pretty good. I am being a bit generous and voting on 3 stars even if I don't really listen to it or like it much.

[Josh500 1,615]

This is arguably the best rendition of Viktor Navorski's theme within the movie proper. The music is great, and catchy, but the movie? Hell, it might be a bad Burger King commercial... 

 

 

[publicist 4,643]

Score 3, movie 1.5

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

I've never seen this movie and I've never given a full listen to the score. I'm on it!

[leeallen01 2,133]

I utterly adore the score and film. 

 

It is in my top 5 favourite scores from Williams. And top 5 films from Spielberg.

 

The whole story is about Jazz, and how Tom Hanks' character wants to honour his dead father who loved Jazz, and you can really feel the importance and passion Williams put into the score, considering he and his dad's connection to Jazz. 

 

I honestly couldn't love it more if I tried.

 

To me, this piece alone sounds like Williams is pouring his heart into each note. The melancholy of it is so powerful. I imagine Williams was writing this whilst thinking of his father and the times he learned Jazz piano with him as a child.

 

 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

4 for both. Superbly enjoyable film and score.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Fuck that burger looked delicious.

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

Wonderful score and enjoyable movie. Not necessarily for the kids. 

[crumbs 14,300]

The score is a textbook example of Williams elevating the material. He's the only composer who would've devoted such energy to an admittedly silly and insignificant little movie. A brilliant main theme, superb love theme (for a love story that doesn't work for me), and such fun jazz cues as icing on the cake. 

 

That cue with the trolleys is an excellent example of Williams just finding inspiration from nothing. 

 

Reading the film's premise on paper I think most would've had low expectations for Williams score but it's unexpectedly colourful and regularly brilliant!

[SteveMc 2,674]

I watched the movie a couple of years back.  Pleasant, but not brilliant to me.

I've still got to listen to the whole score.  I'll try to get that done today.

[Quintus 5,399]

Never seen or really heard it so can't vote.

[Josh500 1,615]

35 minutes ago, Cherry Pie That'll Kill Ya said:

Fuck that burger looked delicious.

 

It looked so delicious, it's unrealistic!

 

A burger has never looked like that in real life.

21 minutes ago, crumbs said:

He's the only composer who would've devoted such energy to an admittedly silly and insignificant little movie. 

 

Well, I wouldn't call it exactly "insignificant," it being a Steven Spielberg movie, but I understand what you mean. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

7 minutes ago, Quintus said:

Never seen or really heard it so can't vote.

 

You'd probably enjoy it well enough without giving it a second thought after.

[mrbellamy 6,272]

4 hours ago, Josh500 said:

 

It looked so delicious, it's unrealistic!

 

A burger has never looked like that in real life.

 

Definitely not from Burger King. 

 

Also that first burger is the fastest service I’ve ever seen.

[Josh500 1,615]

13 hours ago, mrbellamy said:

 

Definitely not from Burger King. 

 

Also that first burger is the fastest service I’ve ever seen.

 

Not to get too off topic, but I'm wondering why Tom Hanks always eats the way he does, like a starving and mentally challenged little kid with no manners. He ate the same way in CMIYC, too, that infamous chocolate eclair!

 

Or is it just Spielberg instructing him to eat in this manner? 

 

 

 

[mrbellamy 6,272]

 

 

 

[Bespin 8,475]

To rate an album... it's so 2015.

[MrScratch 294]

Score: 2.5

Movie: Never seen it, never will

[Brundlefly 2,385]

Easy-going movie, but it admits that, unlike other Spielberg movies.

[crumbs 14,300]

Yeah it never pretends to be some masterpiece. Guess SS just had an itch to scratch in that genre and couldn't turn down another chance to work with Hanks. 

[Jurassic Shark 12,024]

10 hours ago, Josh500 said:

Not to get too off topic, but I'm wondering why Tom Hanks always eats the way he does, like a starving and underdeveloped little kid with no manners. He ate the same way in CMIYC, too, that infamous chocolate eclair!

 

Or is it just Spielberg instructing him to eat in this manner? 

 

His salary is so bad that he has to eat everything he finds on set.

[Josh500 1,615]

This made me lol.

 

Trump wiped that smirk right off Navorski's face!

 

https://youtu.be/gbV4qFptK6U

[Richard Penna 3,669]

Movie's sort of fun. 3 stars.

 

Score: 4 stars, ruined slightly by one of JW's stupider 'listening experiences'.

[Jurassic Shark 12,024]

2 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

Score: 4 stars, ruined slightly by one of JW's stupider 'listening experiences'.

 

Because it's not chronological?

[Richard Penna 3,669]

That, and it doesn't at all resemble how the score is heard in the film. Missing cues and repeating others.

[Muad'Dib 1,800]

Love the movie, love the score.

[Jurassic Shark 12,024]

Love the build-up towards the final track of the OST.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,493]

1 hour ago, Richard Penna said:

That, and it doesn't at all resemble how the score is heard in the film. Missing cues and repeating others.

 If memory serves, the OST is missing the music, as the camera pulls back from Hanks, to reveal him alone in the airport. I am I right?

[Holko 9,499]

The ending scenes were heavily reedited after previews or just during post if I remember correctly.

[Josh500 1,615]

I sometimes listen to this score, but I gotta admit, I mostly listen to the main theme only. That clarinettist is a virtuoso!

 

Everything else somewhat pales in comparison with Navorski's theme, even Amelia's theme and Jazz Autographs. 

[Richard Penna 3,669]

11 minutes ago, Holko said:

The ending scenes were heavily reedited after previews or just during post if I remember correctly.

 

Yeah I think that's the main reason behind the OST feeling detached for those scenes. In that sense, while we can criticise JW for a bizarre album sequencing, we can't for the revised ending.

 

And an expansion probably wouldn't recreate the film edit which is disappointing because that section of the album makes no sense.

[crumbs 14,300]

 

8 hours ago, Richard said:

 If memory serves, the OST is missing the music, as the camera pulls back from Hanks, to reveal him alone in the airport. I am I right? 

Correct. It's surely one of JW's most baffling "listening experience" OST presentations. A very poor representation of the overall score and couldn't be less chronological if he tried. Worse, like Munich there was enough room for the complete score (plus concert arrangements) on one disc, yet we ended up with repeated tracks and missing cues.

 

8 hours ago, Holko said:

The ending scenes were heavily reedited after previews or just during post if I remember correctly.

I believe parts of the ending were also re-shot at the last minute. Originally Amelia went with Viktor to the jazz show and the film ended with them heading into the city to have cannelloni.

 

It's hard to work out if Williams re-scored the new ending, or if the OST versions are just alternates/concert arrangements of those tracks. The second half of Jazz Autographs (1:20 onwards) seems to be the cue for the film's original ending (with Amelia going with him, rather than saying goodbye).

 

It's substantially longer than what ended up in the film:

 

So is that music tracked from elsewhere in the score or a last-minute recording by Williams? It would only have required a small ensemble so I can see Williams writing that at short notice.

 

8 hours ago, Josh500 said:

I sometimes listen to this score, but I gotta admit, I mostly listen to the main theme only. That clarinettist is a virtuoso!

Yes, Emily Bernstein truly aced the clarinet solos in this score. Very sadly passed away one year after the movie.

[Bespin 8,475]

Did I already say that I don't rate anymore?

[Josh500 1,615]

11 hours ago, crumbs said:

Yes, Emily Bernstein truly aced the clarinet solos in this score. Very sadly passed away one year after the movie.

 

Indeed! 

 

Didn't JW write the clarinet part especially for her...? I seem to have read that somewhere. Rivals Gloria Cheng's work for Tintin!

[crumbs 14,300]

Wouldn't surprise me. I remember him speaking about her very fondly after she passed. I'm not sure how often they'd collaborated prior to The Terminal though.

 

She aced it though. She's truly the iconic voice when it comes to that piece, nothing else has really come close.

[Richard Penna 3,669]

15 hours ago, crumbs said:

It's hard to work out if Williams re-scored the new ending, or if the OST versions are just alternates/concert arrangements of those tracks. The second half of Jazz Autographs (1:20 onwards) seems to be the cue for the film's original ending (with Amelia going with him, rather than saying goodbye).

 

It's substantially longer than what ended up in the film:

 

So is that music tracked from elsewhere in the score or a last-minute recording by Williams? It would only have required a small ensemble so I can see Williams writing that at short notice.

 

I reckon Jazz Autographs is either a concert piece/unused cue that just happened to contain a section SS could use for the new ending, or JW wrote it at the last minute for the new ending, and rather than leave it off, decided to expand it to a full piece with some added instruments. I'm fairly sure that if you take away the piano and plucked strings, it's the same recording.

 

Also, the cue title 'Destiny... Cannelloni...' titles makes more sense if there was some alternate ending with Amelia. Looks like the whole album was assembled with a very, very different cut of the last 10 minute of the film in mind.

[Thor 7,464]

Fine film -- Spielberg doing his Howard Hawks beautifully again. The score is nice too, even though it's not something I listen to very often.

[Jurassic Shark 12,024]

I wonder why Spielberg changed the ending.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

It's a pleasant comedy score + the best love theme Williams has ever written (fight me!). 

[Jurassic Shark 12,024]

It's the first one!

[SteveMc 2,674]

34 minutes ago, Not Mr. Big said:

It's a pleasant comedy score + the best love theme Williams has ever written (fight me!). 

Pistols or swords?

[Josh500 1,615]

17 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

It's a pleasant comedy score + the best love theme Williams has ever written (fight me!). 

 

Love theme? Navorski and Amelia aren't even in love with each other. They just vaguely like each other, that's it. The theme kinda reflects that. No passion or excitement in it at all.

 

I'm not saying it's a bad theme, just that it's hardly the best JW "love theme"!

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

43 minutes ago, Josh500 said:

 

Love theme? Navorski and Amelia aren't even in love with each other. They just vaguely like each other, that's it. The theme kinda reflects that. No passion or excitement in it at all.

 

I'm not saying it's a bad theme, just that it's hardly the best JW "love theme"!

So that was a "friendship kiss" in the fountain scene??

[Jurassic Shark 12,024]

Probably just a dream.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

We live inside a dream.

[Josh500 1,615]

48 minutes ago, Not Mr. Big said:

So that was a "friendship kiss" in the fountain scene??

 

You think one kiss equals love? 😂 

 

It was a temporary and fleeting attraction at best!

[mrbellamy 6,272]

That’s Hollywood!