Engaging Thriller, without a Villain

Rating: Null/10 (7 February 2001)

I finally saw Castaway, and thought it was an absorbing drama of human resourcefulness. I resisted seeing it for fear that the time spent by the Tom Hanks character in isolation marooned on an island would be boring. It wasn't. The cinematography is great ... beautiful sunsets and skylines, crashing waves and natural beauty. The endurance skills he develops are admirable, as are the ways he tackles small crises and shares his thoughts with us. His survival episodes engage us, including building a fire, searching for water and food, communicating for help, fighting the elements, looking for life on the island, attending to his wounds, simulating a human companion, and maintaining his sanity. His appearance after an extended period, with a full beard and loincloth, make him look like a genuine prehistoric man. The film's strength is how Tom Hanks makes it all believable. It would be hard for a lesser actor to pull it off.
Adding to the movie's appeal is the simplicity of the story. It's man versus nature for survival; what could be simpler? An auxiliary but equally straightforward plot is his courtship with Helen Hunt. There are no complex motives to decipher, nor cruelty or violence. We can all safely root for Hanks as he battles his loneliness, his environment, and his separation from his fiancÃ©e. It can roughly be compared to Jaws, with the non-human `enemy' changed from a whale to the forces of nature.
The air crash that leads to his ordeal is magnificently dramatized, but is not for the faint of heart. Those with a fear of flying may not want to see it, although the plane itself is not a commercial airliner. Even his romance with Helen Hunt, dismissed as contrived by some, rang true for me. That may be because attractions between people around 40 are rarely shown in films, and are seldom resolved as depicted here. The publicity for FedEx in the film is extensive and positive, and probably merited. I certainly recommend this movie.