Rating: 
Summary: A Film of Hope
Review: "Cast Away" is not only a film about survival but one of courage as well. To anyone who is experiencing great pain due to the loss of a relationship (whatever the individual particulars may be), please watch this film. Listen to Tom Hanks' dialogue toward the end of the movie. I know it will help you. As a guy, I find it difficult to admit it if I cry, but I did near the end of this film. And the catharsis, at the conclusion, is presented with just the right degree of hope.
Tom Hanks' performance makes it all work. I can't picture another contemporary actor with the "everyman" sincerity that he brings to the role.
I immediately went out and bought the DVD. I highly recommend this film. If you let it, "Cast Away" will embrace your heart and give you hope.
Rating: 
Summary: Yup it's good.
Review: Sure, this is a good movie, and the DVD doesn't dissapoint. Great addition to a movie collection.
Rating:
Summary: A palpable, incredibly emotional experience
Review: Cast Away is just an amazing cinematic achievement. You don't just watch this movie; you really have to devote an entire night to it; it's just that powerful and moving. At almost two and a half hours in length, it is uncommonly long in and of itself (but it does not feel long to the enthralled viewer); figure in all of the incredible special features included in the 2-disc special edition, and you are looking at a whole night's worth of rich entertainment. Cast Away has just about everything you could want in a movie: romance, adventure, action, heartbreak, suspense, mystery, nature at its most ugly and most beautiful, you name it; most importantly, it manages, after several cathartic moments, to leave one with a sense of hope and a strange kind of joy. Tom Hanks takes us on an emotional roller coaster ride, and he deserves a tremendous amount of credit for making this film work as perfectly as it does. There really isn't a lot of dialogue during the time on the island; long drawn-out moments focus on Hanks' expression, body language, and emotion. When he finds a friend to talk to in Wilson, he makes that character really come alive and become a very real character in the film. Don't think that this is just another Robinson Crusoe remake. Chuck Noland (Hanks) is an obsessive, deeply committed system engineer for FedEx. Everything for him must be planned and executed according to the limits of time, and so he is truly a duck out of water when his plane goes down in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and leaves him stranded all alone on a deserted island. Time is meaningless for him here, but he has a picture of the woman he loves with him to help him go on living when it would be so easy to just give up. He learns to survive on his own in the tropical environment, but not without much pain and battles with hopelessness. When the situation threatens to overwhelm him, the character of Wilson comes along. Wilson is a volleyball, but he has a face framed with Chuck's own blood and becomes the personification of the world of people he longs to return to. After four years on the island, Wilson is a true companion whom Chuck talks to, argues with, but dearly loves as a very real friend. The escape attempt from the island is very powerful, containing within itself more important truths and examples of the human spirit than I can name. It is also where the first tears begin to well up in my eyes. You might expect this type of film to end with a long-overdue rescue and return to a happy life, but in Cast Away, the real human drama is just getting started at this point. Chuck's return home to his friends and the woman he loves is so much more than bittersweet; having seemingly lost everyone and everything he cared for four years earlier, his miraculous return becomes another tale of great loss. This movie is a real tear-jerker; just when you think it's time to rejoice, you are met with more poignant heartbreak. Hope never dies, though, and the writers do a tremendous job of subtly presenting that heart-warming message. I love Wilson; he is such a great character that, volleyball or not, I think he should have been nominated for a best supporting actor award. Amazingly, he really slipped into the movie by accident, yet much of this movie's power is conveyed through him. The inclusion of a featurette on the life and death of Wilson on the second DVD is a testament to his importance to this story. This second DVD is filled with an incredible selection of bonus features: features on the making of the film, its special effects, and a look at the beautiful and bonafide island paradise location of the filming; there is an interview of Tom Hanks by Charlie Rose, a survivalist documentary, and a movie-length commentary as well. You can't ask more from a movie than Cast Away gives you, and you can't ask for more from a DVD than this two-disc special edition delivers.
Rating:
Summary: Good; not a classic.
Review: This is a good popcorn movie, but it's far from the epic some people seem to think it is. Problems:
1. The unbelievable excess of product placement re: Fed Ex.
2. Hanks is a likeable actor, but not a great actor. (Come on: how much talent does it take to do his screaming and kicking frustration bit when he cuts his hand? Or to sob for his lost buddy Wilson?)
3. The ending was quite disappointing; instead of finding out what happened to him immediately after his rescue, and his reintroduction to civilization, we get a hackneyed reunion with Helen Hunt (who will apparently spend the rest of her life pining for Chuck and being unhappy in her marriage).
4. Overdone irony. Okay, I can believe a friend of Chuck's might unthinkingly say "We'll have to catch up on our fishing!". But are we really supposed to believe anyone would have ordered sushi and crab legs for his welcome home party?
5. One of my first thoughts upon seeing this movie a few years ago is that no one would have left any of the packages unopened. I joked with a friend, "What if there had been a satellite phone in the box?". Then somebody finally made a commercial with the same point!
Rating:
Summary: Sweeping and Moving
Review: This is one of my top ten favorite movies. Of interesting note is the fact that at first I didn't like it. I hated it for a time. When I walked out of the theater I was like "What was in the package" and "That was weak". The first statement is a silly and unecessary question, the latter is just an outright lie, now. The one thing I took away from that first viewing was the unique plot device that was Wilson. My fascination with this came a while later. On a happenstance the MTV movie awards paired a clip with a snippet of Green Day's "Castaway". Now mentioning Green Day won't get you instant acceptance in my book, but it will get you a second chance. So, I watched it again, and again, and again. A certain premium movie channel was very helpful in that respect. In brief, it is enough to say that I fell in love with it. The relationship with Wilson is simply brilliant. In addition, there is something real about this movie. Tom doesn't end up making a palace of reeds or getting back with Helen Hunt once he returns. No, he survives using his senses and items from the downed plane. This movie is a great lesson in overcoming functional fixedness! But another pivotal thing is the fact that he does not renew his relationship once he returns. Instead of idealizing the situation and having him have a fairy-tale reunion, he must deal with the very real fact that she has moved on. A thoroughly realistic storyline and a unique view into the human psyche under immense stress make this a truely original and moving movie.
Rating:
Summary: Why I Love This Movie
Review: It is a beautifully photographed story, drawing out the unforgiving beauty of the island in all its moods. The photography also draws the viewer into the story by including items in the frame that the viewer is allowed to discover. Sometimes we see them before Chuck (such as the nighttime passing ship on the horizon), sometimes we see things at the same moment as Chuck. One striking scene is when Chuck first ascends to the top of the island and through the panoramic scene we share his discovery that he is alone and there is no other land on the horizon. Now that I have seen the extra features unavailable in the theater, I have an even greater appreciation for how the cinematographer achieved this. It is clear from the extra feature that there actually was another island quite close by, but the cinematographer was able to do a very wide angle shot from the top of the mountain giving the feeling of absolute isolation and still hide the fact that in reality there was another island right behind the actor. It is a terrific acting job by Tom Hanks. He carries a tremendous load in this movie. For nearly two hours he is the only person in the movie. His demonstration of the many stages his character experiences is convincing. He portrays manic devotion to the job, fear, frustration, depression, elation, disappointment, resignation and contented hope. The score and audio are wonderfully understated. During the whole island inhabitation there is no music. All one hears is the quiet sounds of the desert island. We finally hear some quiet but stirring music as Hanks escapes the island, and it is so expressive of the relief and freedom he must be feeling because we are experiencing it with him. It is a well written story of human transformation. At the beginning of the story we meet Chuck, the Fed Ex legend, devoted to his job and the clock. Over two hours (or several years) later, we leave Chuck knowing a completely different man who has had his life and priorities totally rearranged. Some of this is forced on him by his experience. But his hopefulness at the end is a response of his own choice. The viewers experienced the process with him, and we leave the story with our own opportunities for reflection and hope. To my memory, this movie didn't win very many major awards. I know Hanks received the Golden Globe for his acting, but I think that's it. I believe the film deserved more. I suppose it is either a tribute to the competition that year, or a shame on judges who prefer more standard Hollywood fare.
Rating: 
Summary: Ruined in a brief moment of stupidity
Review: Unless there's some significance to Chuck Noland being stranded for 4 years, why was it necessary to display the graphic stating the amount of time that passed? Whether it's 2 years, 4 years or 10 years, you can tell by looking at the character that a lengthy period has elapsed.
Actually, considering how our society needs it's information simplified and spoon-fed, I should be happy it wasn't worse. There could have been an off screen narrator.
"Now children, Mr. Noland has been on the island a LOOOOOOONG time and has grown very skinny."
The audience should be trusted to reach some conclusions on their own.
Rating:
Summary: A two-and-a-half-hour FedEx commercial
Review: The title says it all, so I will be brief; as a FedEx (and a little bit of Dr. Pepper) commercial, this attemp very powerfully describes the dedication of a courier worker. (At least I got - the otherwise rather subtle - message: Tom Hanks character struggles to survive not only to be with his loved one again, but also in order to be able to deliver at least one parcel.) As a movie, it is unoriginal with a boring a demagogue ending. Nevertheless, there are also a few good moments (seconds, to be correct), thanks to Mr. Hanks - and a couple of whales.
Rating:
Summary: Whoa! It's not Gilligan's Island!
Review: When I first saw this movie in theatres I was somewhat surprised at the somewhat sobering ending, but then quickly realized this may have been the only appropriate ending to this story of one man's struggle with nature and on another level his own inner struggles which could easily be seen as a metaphor for all our lives and other psychobabble points. (I know, blah, blah, blah.) Without getting too deep into analyzing this film and ruining it for anyone who hasn't seen it (are they actually out there?) I found this movie interesting, entertaining and actually educational. Whoa! Did I just say educational? Yep, I did. If you ever wondered what it would be like to truly "get away from society" for awhile, then watch this film! I think this may have been fairly realistic and as reality usually goes, this film too has a sobering with a somewhat philosophical ending. This film is almost more of a documentary (although I believe it is fictional) than entertainment. If you want a typical "feel good" Hollywood movie, this may not fit the bill. This may be the reason why some do not care for this atypical but interesting film. There is a lot to be learned here from Tom's portrayal of one mans trials and tribulations in order to just survive. "No man is an island". Right? Well I doubt this famous quote had anything to do with one man getting stranded on an island, rather it has to do with the fact it takes many people to accomplish most tasks, not just one person. This is where this dvd excels. The discs extras nearly show the viewer how the entire film was made. How each of the films departments and the people made their contributions. Particular attention was paid to pre-production and scouting for the perfect island backdrop. Lots of input from the actor, director, writer and others really gives the viewer a feel for what goes on behind and before the camera starts shooting. Pros:
--Gives the viewer a fairly realistic feel for being stranded alone
--Not your typical, predictable Hollywood film
--Somewhat educational..(egads!)
--Lots of behind the scenes shots, comments and movie production notes on dvd Cons:
--NOT your typical "feel good" movie experience Summary: Is it entertainment or education? Well let's just say Gilligan would be lost here even with the professor.
Rating:
Summary: Surviving isolation
Review: Having seen a great Federal Express commercial during the Superbowl which was a take off on this movie, I decided I would finally see it. Tom Hanks plays a Fed Ex supervisor who is on a plane when it goes down. This movie is well known as a tale of survival when Hanks washes up on an uninhabited tropical island. But unlike Gilligan's Island, it is not comedic. Rather, it takes a great will to survive as well as an ability to hang on to the edge of sanity to keep going and ultimately be rescued. I'm sure I'm giving nothing away by revealing that he is ultimately rescued and there begins the second part of the dvd; life after being marooned for four years. To me, this was the most interesting part of the movie. In the movie, symbolically, as well as literally, he finds himself at a crossroad as he contemplates getting on with his life after so many changes have occured. Just imagine, you are isolated for four years and then you have to pick up and go on in a world that did not stop and wait for you. That's quite an intriguing situation.I reccommend this dvd.
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