Is it "Cast Away" or "Castaway"?

Rating: Null/10 (26 December 2000)

This is an interesting, stimulating movie. I don't think I would be spoiling any part of the plot by telling you that the middle third of the film should be titled "Castaway." Hanks' character is stranded on a deserted isle and we experience his efforts to survive. This portion of the film IS interesting, but I thought it went on too long.
Now what follows may spoil the outcome, something the trailers (in uncharacteristic fashion) have not. The most intriguing portion of the film is the last third, when Hanks' character returns to modern society and then is forced to confront being cast away (two words). This is the portion of the film where we really begin to empathize with the main character. Most of us have not had to face nature one-on-one, but all of us have had to face some form of rejection, or being cast away. Zemekis could have made a truly Oscar caliber movie (though I don't doubt that this will receive a nomination) if he had focused on this all too human experience, rather than the intricacies of raft construction.