The following are movie reviews of "Around the World in 80 Days," and "The Terminal."

Around the World in 80 Days
An eccentric inventor and his chop-socky sidekick embark on a globetrotting adventure in order to win an outrageous wager in the lavish, family-friendly romp, "Around the World in 80 Days" (Disney).

Based on the classic yarn by Jules Verne and directed by Frank Coraci, the film combines action, romance and heaping dollops of madcap comedy to serve up an entertaining, continent-hopping spectacle that is both campy and clever -- and, as an added attraction -- quite fun.

Opening in Victorian-era London, the film stars Steve Coogan as the visionary techno-tinkerer Phileas Fogg, an armchair adventurer who, desperate to gain the respect of his crusty critics at the stuffy Royal Academy of Science, makes an outlandish gentleman's bet to circumnavigate the globe in no more than 80 days.

Action-star Jackie Chan co-stars as Passepartout (pronounced "passport to"), his lightning-limbed traveling companion whom viewers first meet fleeing a phalanx of bumbling Bobbies after robbing the Bank of London. As it turns out, Passepartout, whose real name is Lao Xing, was sent from China to recover from the bank's vault a sacred jade statue of Buddha which was stolen from his village by a female Asian assassin named General Fang (Karen Joy Morris). Also along for the riotous ride is Monique (Cecile de France), a French tart with an eye for art and a nose for adventure.

Their journey by land, air and sea takes the trio on a whirlwind tour of the world's most exotic locales, including pit stops for centerpiece action sequences in Paris, Istanbul, India, China and the American West. But their path is fraught with obstacles, set by Lord Kelvin (Jim Broadbent), the stuffed-shirt head of the Royal Academy who, working in cahoots with Fang, wants to discredit Phileas.

Along the way they learn gushy lessons about friendship and loyalty, encountering a host of celebrity cameos including Luke and Owen Wilson as the Wright brothers, Kathy Bates as Queen Victoria and a shock-wigged Arnold Schwarzenegger as a vain Turkish vizier.

Taken for what it is -- eye-candy -- "Around the World in 80 Days" is surprisingly satisfying. Like the helium that lifts Phileas' balloon high above the Champs d'Elysee, the film's refreshingly lighthearted levity elevates it above the smash-and-crash action clones glutting summer screens. Much of this is owed to the appealing pairing of Coogan and Chan (roles played by David Niven and the inimitable Cantinflas in the Oscar-winning 1956 film version), whose onscreen chemistry makes up for many of the flick's shortcomings. And while Jules Verne probably didn't envision kung-fu fights along the Rive Gauche, Chan never ceases to amaze with his high-flying feats, and feet.

Though it runs a bit too long, "Around the World in 80 Days" is that rare kind of film that can be appreciated by the entire family, though some parents may feel the action is too intense for very young children. Older kids will have a ball with Fogg's goofy gizmos and will get a kick -- literally -- out of the martial-arts choreography, including one scene where a brawl turns into an impromptu lesson in impressionistic painting.

Like Phileas Fogg, you may just want to bet on this one!

Due to recurring action violence, some mildly crude language and humor, and brief drunkenness, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-- parental guidance suggested.

The Terminal
In "Cast Away," Tom Hanks was stranded on a deserted island. In director Steven Spielberg's bittersweet romantic comedy, "The Terminal" (DreamWorks), he finds himself marooned for months in surroundings no less inhospitable: a crowded airport lounge.

Loosely based on the real-life ordeal of an Iranian expatriate detained in Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport -- which also served as the inspiration for the 1993 French film "Lost in Transit" -- the movie's weak script and lackluster performances keep viewers' attention in a holding pattern, grounding hopes of a smooth takeoff at the box office.

Hanks plays Viktor Navorski, a visitor from the fictitious Eastern European country of Krakozhia, traveling to the United States on a labor of love for his deceased father. Arriving in New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and barely speaking a word of English, Navorski learns that, while en route to America, his homeland's government was overthrown by a military coup, rendering his passport invalid.

Within the film's first few minutes Spielberg economically establishes that, due to a bureaucratic glitch, Navorski can neither return home nor set foot on U.S. soil. He is deemed a "citizen of nowhere," and the airport's no-nonsense security watchdog, Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), restricts him indefinitely to the confines of the terminal's multi-tiered international transit lounge.

But having briskly set up its man-without-a-country conceit, the film slows to the torpid crawl of a luggage carousel. The movie's tagline, "Life is waiting," takes on added aptness for viewers desperately "waiting" for something to move the story forward.

Though a virtual prisoner, the resourceful Navorski bides his time observing the whirlwind of harried activity around him while teaching himself English (one of many stretches). He befriends several of the terminal's melting-pot workers, including a burly baggage handler (Chi McBride), a lovesick food-service worker (Diego Luna), and a mop-cart philosopher (Kumar Pallana) who, like Navorski, harbors a secret.

Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Amelia, a lonely flight attendant involved in a dead-end affair with a married man and who is drawn to Navorski, taking his statements about "living in the airport" as a figure of speech.

Hanks, despite his knack for physical comedy and likable everyman appeal, is unconvincing as Navorski. Given his level of celebrity, it is hard to see him as anything but Tom Hanks, or in this case Tom Hanks with a thick Russian-sounding accent. Zeta-Jones' stewardess is a more engaging study. The remainder of the ensemble is the narrative equivalent of white noise.

Though the film effectively uses the metaphor of an airport terminal as a microcosm of the American experience, it fails to offer any real insights into the sense of displacement endured by immigrants, especially those unfortunate, faceless souls who fall through red-tape cracks in the system. Instead, the movie opts for manufactured emotionalism -- of the glossy Spielbergian variety -- which confuses hokey with heartfelt.

Still, "The Terminal" is not without some uplifting moments. Harkening back to an old-fashioned Hollywood hopefulness, the movie is built around a Capraesque belief in the goodness and decency of humanity, a balm of optimism needed in our age of air travel anxiety.

Due to brief crude language and some drug references, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

David DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.