In my opinion, the best movie ever made.

Rating: 10/10 (1 May 2011)

This is the movie that defines perfect. Every way I look at it, it's amazing. Now, if you don't think this movie is perfect, erase all of the thoughts you had about this movie before reading this, or else you'll probably disagree with many of the things I say.
This is my favourite film of all time. I love Tom Hanks, I love the location, I love the story, I love the camera-work, I love every aspect. I'll start off with Tom Hanks himself. Well, he sure says a lot without saying much. The emotions on his face are unbelievable realistic. Every breakdown Hank's character has seems real. He can also make the audience emotionally invested in a volleyball, now THAT'S good acting.
The camera-work is astounding. There are many shots that last much longer than the average take in a movie. At first they annoyed me, but now I love them. The pans that can take a minute long really add to the realism, and just lets you take in the situation the main character is in. The effects are pretty good too, sometimes the porta-potty sail looks kinda iffy, but for the most part it's solid. Zemeckis nailed it with how this film was put together, and the camera crew did amazing too.
The story comes off outlandish, but in the end seems realistic. I found that the chances of Noland actually surviving a plane crash and then stumbling upon an unoccupied island slim to none. But hey, at least it's not like Lost, where not only to they crash onto an island, but like 20 or so people survive. I absolutely adore the ending. It shows that the movie will take risks, and that it's willing to vary from the crowd. Some people might say this movie is depressing, but for me, it's a perfect balance. We see a whole bunch of sad and dramatic stuff, so when the happy, funny moments come around it makes them all the more enjoyable.
Finally, I will put all the stupid complaints to rest. A feature length FedEx commercial. Ya, right. Regardless if Zemeckis made a deal with FedEx or not, it makes the movie even more realistic. A real company makes it seem like it really happened or really could happen. Not to mention, why does it bug everyone so much? I didn't even notice how many times the name appears until I read someone complaining about it online. The next thing is the runtime. I'll admit, this movie is a bit long, and is not very convenient. When i saw this for the first time, it bugged me how long the events went on after Chuck is rescued, but now it makes sense to me. More story needed to be told. This wasn't just a survival movie. It's supposed to be more than that. A character study, as we look at the lengths someone will go to stay alive, and the effects that being taken away from civilization for a long time can have on a person and the people around him. And for everything else, you don't like Tom Hanks or the story, that's really just personal preference and I probably won't change your mind on that.
Well, I think Cast Away will always be my favourite movie, and for me, It's a dream come true. My favourite director and my favourite actor come together to make a masterpiece. It's Zemeckis' best movie (Forrest Gump is a close second) and Zemeckis has mastered the art of telling a good story. But, can you please stop with all those CGI movies? It was cool at first, but now it's getting old. Oh well, we've still got his early work, one of the best films ever made, and my favourite film of all time.
Cast Away 10/10