Review of Cast Away (2000) by Shane M — 13 Feb 2014

Has a few flaws, but is an intelligent story of survival and coping with changes that have happened in your absence. Cast Away follows FedEx employee Chuck Noland going on a delivery flight, but the plane crashes into the South Pacific Ocean, and he is the only survivor.

Chuck later lands on an uninhibited island, and remains there for four years, surviving on the remnants of the plane's cargo, and makes a friend with a volleyball. After making a raft and successfully fighting through a storm, he returns home, only to find out what has happened while he was gone.

Cast Away does have a few flaws, including the ending, but overall it's an amazing survival film. William Broyle's Jr. does an amazing job with the script, adding intelligence and realism to the story at hand, as well as diving into Hanks' character.

The film focuses on the personal life and issues of Chuck, as well as the desperation of the situation of being alone on the island, and his friend Wilson (the volleyball) might be inanimate, but Hanks' performance makes us feel for Wilson, even though it looks weird.

Tom Hanks does an amazing job at bringing Chuck to life by capturing his emotions during each scene, as well as capturing the look of him four years later as a bearded, hairy, skinny man. Robert Zemeckis does an incredible job at directing what is quite possibly his most mature film by capturing the scenery, the time of day, and other conditions that contribute to the success of the film.

A must-see, and a very well-crafted film.