A much used plotline doesnt diminish this film's power....

Rating: Null/10 (12 April 2001)

Rating: ***1/2 (out of 4)
Review: When I first heard the plot outline for CAST AWAY, I was praying to God that Hollywood wasn't going to go back to Gilligan's Island territory and use a much-respected actor (Tom Hanks) as a way to make viewers not realize their the plot had absolutely no originality (which about 60% of all Hollywood films are currently...and increasing every year!). However, thanks to a perceptive screenplay by William Broyles, Jr., this film practically made me disappointed with myself for making those assumptions. Even worse, it wasn't until I saw Hanks on the THE TONIGHT SHOW a few months later and explaining that his inspiration for CAST AWAY came when he viewed a documentary on the life and disappearance of Amelia Earhart, as well as the startling theory that she may have lived another 50 years on a deserted island after being discovered missing. On that note, there will most likely not be another time I will misjudge Hollywood for what I hear before I actually buy my ticket and popcorn and watch the movie and not putting my opinions down on paper before I actually watch the final frame. Director Robert Zemeckis (who helmed the much-loved favorites BACK TO THE FUTURE, CONTACT and WHAT LIES BENEATH) teams with Hanks for the very first time to tell the story of a FEDEX employee who finds himself washed ashore on a Pacific island after a frightening plane crash. It's now Man vs. Nature as Hanks collects small amounts of water from coconuts and rain, builds a fire to cook crab, make attempts let people know he is there and be rescued, and even creating a companion to talk to---a Wilson volleyball! I will not divulge what happens to Hanks eventually, for the purpose that this film develops an emotional intensity during the final half four.
Just as it sounds this is Tom Hanks' show all the way; the two-time Academy Award winner has been giving outstanding trademark performances all throughout his career, from playing a 12-year-old trapped inside the body of a 30-year-old (BIG), to a homosexual battling AIDS (PHILADELPHIA), and finally to a sweet simpleton who only is only barely aware of his surroundings and the people in this life (FORREST GUMP). In CAST AWAY, Hanks makes his character someone to actually care about, which is one of the most important elements in any good performance; he makes his lost FEDEX worker convincingly go through different emotional phases which results in a strong development in the character. Academy-Award winner Helen Hunt (AS GOOD AS IT GETS) plays the woman he loves with earnestness and compassion. Still, the one "character" that practically steals the film is Wilson, the volleyball who Hanks creates as a friend in order escape insanity, and as a lesser reason to have something---if not someone---to talk to; Wilson's final sequence is truly moving and unforgettable. In more ways than one, CAST AWAY surprised me and I loved it from beginning to end; if anything, I truly believe that with any other actor besides Hanks the character would be dull and the viewer wouldn't get involved. The film also boasts a fine score by Alan Silvestri (a regular on many Zemeckis films), as well as gorgeous photography and, finally, William Broyles, Jr's wonderful script, which managed to dodge cliches and make the film overall seem new and fresh. For that reason, I know that next time I go see a film a famliar story, that I will not print a word until the theater's lights illuminate once again.