What a Magnificent Adventure!

Rating: 10/10 (17 May 2009)

I have to admit that I had made up my mind I was not going to like this movie. I'd heard enough about Tom Hanks' two Oscars and actually hated "Forest Gump". At the time I thought Tom Hanks was way over-rated. I left the theater feeling bored and that "Cast Away" was too long. Eventually I bought the DVD and I can't say why, but on viewing it I did a complete 360. I loved it! On subsequent viewings I realized it was a masterpiece and Tom Hanks is one of the major reasons why. He makes this adventure work from opening frame to the end. Someone here said this movie was depressing and if that's the case, so is life! Life does not always go as planned and this movie illustrates that with perfection. In a single moment one's whole life can change due to circumstance. Cast Away (not Castaway) is life affirming. We struggle to survive crisis, we do not give up. Things always work out if you give them a chance. I won't go into the plot, but rather would like to pick up on some of the film's interesting moments, some with unanswered questions. The film opens with an attractive female receiving and returning Fed-Ex packages. At the end Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) returns to deliver the only Fed-Ex package he saved but didn't open. The film ends with him pondering. Pondering what? Going back to talk to the girl? Wondering where he goes from here? I guess we choose the ending. Favorite scenes include: making fire (fun & funny), using the Fed-Exed skates to open an almost impenetrable coconut, using video tape as rope, building a raft, talking to Wilson, Wilson's face, losing Wilson at sea, encountering a whale, the arrival of the ship. One scene I cannot watch is self-dental surgery with a skate. It makes one want to go to the dentist more often to care for the teeth. Robert Zemeckis, a terrific director (save Forest Gump) deserves credit for his work. At first I thought it was too long, but a great film is never too long and deserves many viewings. Props also to Helen Hunt who shines in a fairly small role. Don Burgess' cinematography is stunningly beautiful and Alan Sylvestri's score is excellent. I urge people to give movies a second chance, if possible. We miss subtle details and sometimes more, on first viewing.