Review of Cast Away (2000) by Vaikelly — 23 Mar 2011

Tom Hanks is mesmerising in Cast Away, but the overall high marks should go to director Robert Zemeckis, who, for me, is one of the insightful directors out there. The airplane crash scene, with the haunting noise of the swirling plane, the virtually realistic performance of the plane crew, especially Hanks' fright, is just an amazingly directed AND choreographed scene.

Was it right for Helen Hunt's character to move on? Absolutely. Zemeckis has lent true validity to her character - she may have moved on, but she's still caring enough to keep every track of her boyfriend's voyage, from the time he got on the plane to the time he came back to the civilized world.

I especially enjoyed the movie soundtrack theme during the "Wilson, I'm sorry" part - it was just apt. No overblowing orchestral music, just the right mix for a moving, serious film. We all have our fantasies - what if we were stranded alone on a remote island, without nothing to eat or drink? Hanks does it impeccably.

...it's totally understandable and reasonable for him to learn to break a coconut in half, sip water from a leaf, go exploring his new surrounding, or learn how to make fire. I was fascinated by how the story built up - and impressed by how Zemeckis keeps our eyes on the screen by simply focussing on Nolan, and not in how the world back home might have been reacting.

The movie might be a fantasy-theme, but in no scene does it venture into the unknown, or the unrealistic - it is as normal as one would probably find themselves in, if one were alone in that environment.

I recommend it very much - not in the least the penultimate scene when Nolan drives into his ex-girlfriend's house in a rainy evening. The characters do apt justice to their roles, how would you feel if the person whose dreams sustained you in that remote island for four years has now moved on, had a family of her own? Hanks and Hunt are just brilliant in their characters.

Cast Away is a brilliant movie - watch it for positivity and optimism, not with scepticism or negativity - it is highly moving and uplifiting.