It is "Cast Away", not "Castaway."

Rating: Null/10 (13 June 2001)

The title is significant. We normally think of the word 'castaway' as a noun, referring to the person. But this film is "Cast Away", a verb and its adverb, which literally mean "to throw, fling, or hurl from a place or position", and that is precisely what happens to Chuck (Tom Hanks). He is thrown from his time-controlled life, and into one with a totally different set of priorities.
Spoilers follow;
This movie project was conceived by Tom Hanks, inspired by an account he heard of someone who actually was stranded on rocks at sea, and the experience so terrified him that he never wanted to see that place again. Hanks and his writer enlisted the help of survival experts, and much of what is depicted on the island is plausible. The project spanned about 5 years, and actual filming was done in 2 phases - before and after Hanks lost 50 to 60 pounds.
Chuck is a ground ops expert for FedEx and his whole life is governed by the clock. When he goes to Russia, he ships himself a digital clock to show them how slow their delivery is. He has to fly around the world on short notice. A cargo explosion over the Pacific causes the plane to ditch and only he survives, washing up the next day on a small island. (Several surrounding islands were removed digitally.) He has been 'cast away', far away, where no one will find him. Suddenly time becomes unimportant, and that is reinforced over the next 4 years on the island.
As survival experts tells us, the 4 things for physical survival are water, food, shelter, and fire. For emotional survival, someone to share things with. For the latter, Chuck finds "Wilson", which started out as a volleyball in one of the FedEx packages that washes ashore. Opening packages was a defining moment for Chuck, since it goes completely against what his job stands for. Opening the packages is a first acknowledgement that he may not be found.
He learns how to open coconuts for water and food, by accidentally splitting a rock which gave him a sharp 'blade.' He learns to take rain runoff from large leaves. How to spear fish. A hatchet from a pair of ice skates. A net from a dress. Wood friction and kindling to make a fire for warmth and cooking. And a cave for shelter. A 'calendar' from a beam of light entering the cave. This element of "time" becomes a tool, rather than a captor, as it allows him to calculate when winds will be favorable for sailing out to sea.
The writers initially wanted a "discovery and rescue" on the island, but Zemeckis (director) said that wouldn't work. Chuck had to reach for himself the point where he would "make" his rescue by risking death at sea. A familiar theme, "The Truman Show" and "The Matrix" come to mind. So Chuck makes rope from bark, and builds a raft with a sail from half of a portable toilet that washes ashore. Another defining moment was when he cleared the waves, saw his "home" disappear, and knew it was now a new game, him against the sea.
Back home after a Russian ship rescue, for Chuck it is like a resurrection. Nothing is the same. His girlfriend (Helen Hunt) is married and has a daughter. FedEx and "efficiency" are no longer important. In the very last scene, after he delivers a package that had been with him for 4 years on the island, with a note "your package kept me alive", we see him meet the beautiful redhead sculptor in rural north Texas. As he ponders which fork in the road to take, we see in his face that the sculptor may in fact be the beginning of his new life, his second chance, that will be totally different.
I am glad that the writer and director took the moral road, in having Chuck tell his old girlfriend, "you need to go home", rather than any hints at splitting up her marriage, even though they were obviously still in love with each other. Life gives us choices, and we have to make them wisely and with integrity.
Why was this film made? I believe, to show what it is really like on a "desert island", and how coming to grips with aloneness and survival can have such an impact on a person and his priorities. The experience is not at all like what may have been depicted in older films like "Robinson Crusoe" and "Blue Lagoon", or the TV series "Gilligan's Island", which each come off like a pleasant, long vacation. And, to perhaps show us how easy it is to become wrapped up in a "time-controlled" rat race without soaking up what is around us.
I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and the DVD "extras". I found the Dolby Digital track slightly more interesting than the DTS track. The optional commentary track clarified some points about the story, but mostly addressed location challenges and techniques for sound and film. I rate this one "8" of 10. It was difficult to make and was made well, still the story is not particularly groundbreaking.