Superb Film - Shameful Ending...SPOILERS AHEAD

Rating: Null/10 (18 January 2001)

Not knowing if I could endure Tom Hanks on a desert island for an hour or so, I decided to take the plunge and go see this movie - and what a film! Right from the start I was intrigued how the film was going to pan out, waiting for that all exciting plane crash which I'd heard so much about and boy, how that didn't dissapoint. It was terrifying! So much so, that I found myself willing it to crash to get it over with but for 10mins we were subjected to a horrifying rollercoaster of a flight with the end result seeming to take a lifetime to come and when it did it wasn't over. In the sea with just a liferaft, Hanks' life was still in danger and when night finally turned into morning I breathed easy again. The island was beautiful and this must have some of the best filming sequences I have ever seen in a movie. Even though there is only one person on screen for the majority of the film and virtually no music I did not find myself for one minute being bored or losing my concentration - it was fabulous........but then things started to go wrong. The screen went black for no reason and the words 'Four years later' appeared on the screen.....what???? Just as we were settling in to see how he would cope we skipped forward four years and had to endure a bravado escape plot which quite frankly should have happened three years earlier. Putting that aside though, I went with the flow until he was found that is. Ok, we knew he would have to get back and he did but when he did and Helen Hunt decided not to take him back even without seeing him - THAT'S WHEN THE FILM SHOULD HAVE ENDED!!!!! In the lounge of FedEx headquarters NOT half an hour later. We had to endure an extra three or four tacky schmultzee scenes which had no place or need in this film and in my opinion turned this film from a superb piece of cinema history to a absolute sham and cop-out. Thank god though they didn't get back together in a tear jerking reunion. Apart from all this though, I'm awarding this film 8/10 for sheer guts and innovation. And no, I do not think Tom Hanks deserves an oscar for this!!!!!!