Castaway sees Tom Hanks playing a Fed-Ex manager and Robinson Crusoe type in this one-man show adventure from Back to the Future and Forrest Gump director, Robert Zemeckis. One day as he and his family are sitting around at the table for Christmas dinner, Chuck Noland answers a call: he needs to fly off to Malaysia. Leaving Kelly behind with the promise he'll return by New Year's Eve, he takes off in the skies on a plane, the plane explodes and Chuck ends up underwater and eventually ends up on a deserted island. Usually, when the plane explodes, everyone or be it most of the people onboard, die; yet Chuck manages to survive with only the contents of several Fed-Ex packages.
The film's concept may not be that appealing for a Hollywood blockbuster film: I mean, who wants to sit through 2 hrs, or be it in the film's case, over 1 hrs worth of scenes where a man is stranded and marooned on a deserted island?
Hanks is alone for very much of the film's duration, and his character's plight makes for curious viewing as he struggles to keep himself together, both mind, body and soul. With his memories of fiance, Kelly still etched in his mind, Chuck establishes an unusual buddy relationship with an inanimate object in the form of a Wilson- made Volleyball that Chuck refers to him as, & wait for it, Wilson that doubles up as an imaginary friend- of sorts.
Whilst it is argued that the film unravels to an unsatisfactory last third of Castaway and ending and it took away from the second act, as haphazard & anti-climatic it looked it caught me off-guard, it was also watchable at the same time. The third act manages to avoid going down the overly melodramatic route and opting for a quintessential romantic ending that could have reduced Castaway to a second-string film. Chuck gets one shot with Kelly, but realising they can't be together; with that, it was equally measurable and as entertaining as the middle third, stirring emotions and thus, it elevates the film further as it transitions from a survival adventure to an active drama as further events in Chuck's life unravel. Quite frankly, had the film ended with Hanks' character remaining on the island or Kelly and Chuck getting back together, it would feel unfulfilling.
Castaway is a story not about the survival of the fittest as Chuck is the lone person on the island, rather the plot is driven forward by the struggles and challenges the hero faces himself. In theory, it asks if you were stranded on a desert island, just how far would you go to survive, and what are the things you need and need to do to enable you to survive. What it is to be human?, how does one cope with loneliness, isolation and in an environment where there aren't any people residing in it? On an emotional level, Castaway touches on Chuck's feelings, emotions, and it does so one step, gradually at a time. The scenes never drag on for longer than they should and are presented in a simple, effective way for the viewer to understand.
Tom Hanks is almost perfect for the most part as Chuck who is often at times relatable; he also took a year off during the middle of filming, losing 50 lbs in weight and growing his hair out in preparation for his character, whilst Helen Hunt meanders on in an unsympathetic character role as Chuck's girlfriend, but as a pairing, despite the lack of screentime shared together, there is a lack of chemistry displayed between the two actors. One would argue Hunt's character, Kelly is not well written and is underdeveloped and with that, she came across as a person one could never fully get on board.
Final Verdict:
I did enjoy the film more as it went on and with that, Cast Away was an extremely good watch. This is the most challenging role Tom Hanks has done, well, until say perhaps Cloud Atlas and whereas in sitting through Cast Away would have been one of tedium, Hanks' presence, as well as the ways the film presents itself bypasses that. There are very few films that stand the test of time today from the year 2000 far better than others: Memento, Erin Brockovich and adding to that, Cast Away.
It may not be the crowd-pleaser that gets people raving in the same way that 1994's Forrest Gump did, but despite having precious little dialogue, Cast Away poses more questions, & its events and characters' motivations, actions are open to question and interpretation; plus, and as a film and throughout the story and in Chuck's journey, it offers a far more rewarding and competent experience than Tom Hanks' Spielberg effort, 2004's The Terminal.
Overall:
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