good, but not as good as i remember

Rating: 7/10 (30 September 2012)

when i was a child, i really liked this film, being one of my favourites for a long time. i finally watched it again a few days ago, and I'm sad to say, its not as good as i remember it.
granted it is still a good film, a very decent one. Hanks carries the role very well, never for a second giving you the impression that hes just acting, he makes you believe he's there, making him the soul of this film. his interaction with Wilson is believable and well done, creating this sort of one sided relationship that battles the loneliness of the island, keeping him going. another device used to keep him going is a package. some packages float ashore from the plane crash, and he opens most of them except one, a package with wings on, which he is determined to deliver. it keeps in with his character and makes him all the more believable to watch.
the thing is though, it always seems to be when its just Hanks on screen that the movie becomes really strong. I liked the part towards the end where hes now off the island. he has new shoes, he has ice, all the food at the party, the lighter, all these things that he never had for those 4 years are just there, and it makes him appreciate them more. its the little things that you take for granted is part of the message and its done really well.
one thing that did annoy me on the island though is the pacing. it felt rushed, some scenes barely lasting a minute, not giving you enough time to let it sink in. if zemeckis had cut some shorter scenes out, allowing more time for more meaningful scenes i would have liked it more. He gets the loneliness right, but it all goes by a bit quickly, not giving you the feeling of the long amount of time he spent on the island
when other people are on screen how ever, the film seems to be at fault. its nothing bad, it just loses its strength, particularly the end. i felt quite empty at the forced whimsical ending zemeckis played. it ruins the films a little and loses some of good it had been building up. the ending of Hanks relationship with his wife was played well to start with, but falls flat as it progress'.
overall its still a great film, the acting is solid, the story is well done and sad at times, but is spoilt by certain elements, mainly the forced ending and side characters. its a strong film with a few cracks in but i would still recommend it. it just saddens me that it wasn't as good as i remembered it.