Post by ck100 on Dec 22, 2020 5:39:02 GMT
There will be spoilers in this post so fair warning.
Any fans of the Robert Zemeckis film "Cast Away" starring Tom Hanks? Hard to believe it's 20 years old now. I still remember seeing it on VHS when it first came out. I also remember the trailer being infamous for giving away a lot spoilers for the movie which Zemeckis was actually OK with.
I've always felt Cast Away is a good film that just falls short of being a great one. The stuff before and the island scenes are fine, although I admit when I watch the movie I usually watch the island scenes since that is when the movie is at its best. Kudos for keeping the action the whole time on the island and not cutting away from it to Helen Hunt or the other characters. It's a testament to Hanks' acting to keep our attention with minimal dialogue, his interaction with Wilson (and the dramatic scene of him losing Wilson) and just him doing various tasks to survive. Director Robert Zemeckis does a good job with handling the memorable plane crash and also directing overall with a steady and subtle hand. I also enjoy the minimal-but-memorable Alan Silvestri score when it is appropriately used and kudos for not using it during the island scenes.
One thing I really would have liked to have seen, which would have made the film more dramatically effective, is Hanks trying to readjust to life after being on an island in complete isolation struggling each day to survive after 4 years. We just go from him being rescued to a title card that tells us 4 weeks had passed and we see Hanks on a plane all normal again as if nothing happened. It would have been dramatically effective to see him recovering in the hospital, learning how to do things again, adjusting to eating regular food again, dealing with any psychological effects of being isolated for so long, getting used to human contact again, etc.
But despite this, it's still a solid film and well worth watching if you like the work of Hanks and Zemeckis. I'll still flip on this movie if I see it playing on cable and still get caught up in the island scenes.
Leonard Maltin Movie Guide Review:
Cast Away (2000) - 3.5 out of 4 stars
"A man whose job depends on organizational skills and awareness of time survives a plane crash and winds up on a deserted Pacific island. Only an actor of Hanks' good will (and acting chops) could make us care as much as we do about this survivor, who battles the elements and struggles to retain his sanity. No narration, little music, just great moviemaking. Screenplay by William F. Broyles, Jr."
Any fans of the Robert Zemeckis film "Cast Away" starring Tom Hanks? Hard to believe it's 20 years old now. I still remember seeing it on VHS when it first came out. I also remember the trailer being infamous for giving away a lot spoilers for the movie which Zemeckis was actually OK with.
I've always felt Cast Away is a good film that just falls short of being a great one. The stuff before and the island scenes are fine, although I admit when I watch the movie I usually watch the island scenes since that is when the movie is at its best. Kudos for keeping the action the whole time on the island and not cutting away from it to Helen Hunt or the other characters. It's a testament to Hanks' acting to keep our attention with minimal dialogue, his interaction with Wilson (and the dramatic scene of him losing Wilson) and just him doing various tasks to survive. Director Robert Zemeckis does a good job with handling the memorable plane crash and also directing overall with a steady and subtle hand. I also enjoy the minimal-but-memorable Alan Silvestri score when it is appropriately used and kudos for not using it during the island scenes.
One thing I really would have liked to have seen, which would have made the film more dramatically effective, is Hanks trying to readjust to life after being on an island in complete isolation struggling each day to survive after 4 years. We just go from him being rescued to a title card that tells us 4 weeks had passed and we see Hanks on a plane all normal again as if nothing happened. It would have been dramatically effective to see him recovering in the hospital, learning how to do things again, adjusting to eating regular food again, dealing with any psychological effects of being isolated for so long, getting used to human contact again, etc.
But despite this, it's still a solid film and well worth watching if you like the work of Hanks and Zemeckis. I'll still flip on this movie if I see it playing on cable and still get caught up in the island scenes.
Leonard Maltin Movie Guide Review:
Cast Away (2000) - 3.5 out of 4 stars
"A man whose job depends on organizational skills and awareness of time survives a plane crash and winds up on a deserted Pacific island. Only an actor of Hanks' good will (and acting chops) could make us care as much as we do about this survivor, who battles the elements and struggles to retain his sanity. No narration, little music, just great moviemaking. Screenplay by William F. Broyles, Jr."
