Rating: 
Summary: WITH Tom Hanks this movie bombed......
Review: I have a very difficult time understanding how ANYONE would think that this is a great movie! Actually the first half isn't bad and if there had been ANY development of the plot in the second half, it could have been a good movie, possibly even a great movie!What this film represents most is the tremendous lost opportunity that was suggested in the beginning......the cinematography and dialogue in the initial scenes and even those on the island were excellent at times, but the remainder of the film was a total dud. NOTHING got developed or enhanced or explained in the second half, as though Tom Hanks and the others who directed it simply fell asleep or got bored, OR ran out of ideas..... Rating this a 2 is fair and honest, and any higher rating would do a disservice to any potential viewers.....sorry....
Rating: 
Summary: Skeptic convinced -- one man CAN carry a movie!
Review: I resisted seeing Cast Away for months. I heard that for most of the movie, the only onscreen action was Tom Hanks. On an island. Alone. No snappy dialogue, no car chases through San Francisco. No ostensible villains. What kind of decent film is that? An excellent one! I was so wrong not to see this earlier. Tom Hanks is riveting in an Oscar-worthy performance. Hanks is Chuck Nolan, a Type-A Fed Ex manager whose life is run by the minute hand. At one point, he even shouts "Tick Tock! Tick Tock!" at a lethargic Fed-Ex'er. When the Fed Ex plane he's riding on crashes in the Pacific, he gets his toughest assignment ever, forced to discover his real resources. It's fascinating to see what happens to a man who was once defined by the shortness of time, suddenly forced to grapple with more idle time than anyone could want. The ensuing battle of wit and survival held my attention completely (contrary to my expectations). The only reason I didn't give this movie 5 stars is that the ending seemed a little rushed. The promos, part of the DVD bonus disc, ask, "What happens when everything you are is taken away?" Another take on this movie is that almost all of us will sooner or later be in a situation where we feel that this is indeed the case ... loss of a relationship, job, health, etc. can lead to the encroaching sense of isolation and despair we see Nolan fighting. The movie is inspirational in showing how strong the human spirit can be. There are also fine performances by Helen Hunt and Chris Noth (Sex And The City's Mr. Big!) The bonus disc is terrific. It will answer just about every question you have about the movie's behind-the-scenes. It even includes interviews with the very interesting "primitive technology" experts consulted during the movie's production.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent movie; extra material essential
Review: Once again Tom Hanks (Apollo 13, Forrest Gump) proves that he is perhaps the best actor of the last 50 years with a tour-de-force that takes him around the world in 1500 days. The movie begins with Chuck Noland (Hanks) going to Moscow to teach the FedEx way to the Russians. He leaves his girlfriend Helen Hunt (Twister, As Good as it Gets) with a promise to return for New Year's. It will be four years before he sees her again. After surviving a plane crash the movie follows Hanks attempts to cope with life alone. He befriends a volley ball, whose death is perhaps the only time I have cried over an inanimate object in a movie. But that shows you how wrapped up you become in the film without realizing it. Although the film is just under two and a half hours it goes by quickly. Collateral material is excellent. This is the kind of information I really like to see. Director Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Romancing the Stone) tells the story of the "real" Wilson, a volleyball that floated to shore as he was researching the movie. A good part on the creation of the plane crash and lots of footage of Tom Hanks just clowning around with the cast, crew and locals on the set in Russia, where very few people know the talented actor.
Rating:
Summary: Cast Away
Review: I'M A FAN OF BOTH HELEN HUNT, AND TOM HANKS, THEY WERE GREAT, REALLY ENJOYED THE MOVIE, ALTHOUGH THE ENDING WAS NOT WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE, I THOUGHT ALSO THERE BE MORE SCENES WITH HELEN LOOKING FOR HER LOST LOVE. BUT I'D RENT IT AGAIN, IT WAS ONE OF A FEW MOVIES THAT DON'T DWELL ON [...]...BONNIE
Rating: 
Summary: Huh....
Review: When Hanks is the cast away the movie is great..him on the island and him trying to get off of it, but the rest is just boring and the ending isn't that great. Half of this film is good, and the other part is just so slow.
Rating:
Summary: I expected so much more...
Review: Castaway... love it or hate it as a movie, this was a spectacular performance by Tom Hanks. Too bad his performance couldn't save the movie. I think that the main problem, lack of direction or closure. The first half of the movie was great, but I agree with other reviews that a cut away from the island between "I have made fire" and the next section of the movie would have helped the pacing a bit, and the cut wouldn't have been as abrupt. As for the ending.... ah, what can I say. This will likely go down in history as being among the worst endings in the history of film, and takes the movie down to the 2 star rating. I can understand the reasoning behind the ending, which is basically to let the audience draw their own conclusion, but we don't need to be beat on the head with a metaphor to get it. In addition, based on Tom Hank's performance, the audience gets attached to his character, and likely wants to see some closure... and without giving away too much more of an entertaining but disappointing movie, the end of the movie left most everyone I've talked to about it with a big cartoon question-mark above their heads. Bottom line, entertaining, but rent or borrow it, don't bother buying. It's not a movie you're likely to want to watch more than once.
Rating:
Summary: without Tom Hanks this movie would have bombed
Review: This movie is a perfect example of just how much an actor's contribution can elevate a mediocre story.( which I have to say seemed to be nothing more than a very long Fedex ad at times) Hanks is brilliant which is just as well as he is the only actor on screen for 90 per cent of the movie. While I liked the main theme of the story I was very disappointed by the "post rescue" part of the plot and found it weak and undeveloped. I simply could not accept as plausible the fact that his girlfriend could turn her back on "the love of her life" only a year after he disappeared and married someone else. - It actually made me quite angry and the end. The story just tailed off leaving me with a feeling that there was a distinct lack of closure. ( maybe they will make Castaway II...) Anyway, I'm glad I saw it, Hanks' performance was worth it but I woudn't rate it among my all time favorites of his work.
Rating: 
Summary: More Mainstream Rot
Review: I recently walked into a video store that was playing this film. During my browsing I could not help but hear the dialogue. As I continued shopping I started to break up with laughter. I couldn't help it. When I finally looked at the screen I saw that it was Castaway. There was Hanks wanting his old life and love back, the music soared, the heart strings were plucked, and I laughed some more. Seriously folks, I don't understand the lure of such films. Based on five minutes of footage I summed up the entire plot, asked the manager if I was correct and he, with laughter, assured me that I was. Believe me, I am not patting myself on the back for this. I think it's sad that I can figure out a whole film based on five minutes of footage. Films like this have become so standard that you don't have to watch them. Just listen to the dialogue and overdone music score. Give it a try and you'll see what I mean. They might get bigger budgets and better actors but no matter how you dress a pig it's still a pig. Films as simple as this are an insult. They leave you empty.
Rating:
Summary: I want that diet!
Review: Want to maximize profits? Publish the diet Tom Hanks had to go on to trim down for his "after" scenes. Other than that... it was okay. Not awe inspiring, not too bad but I was expecting a bigger island, longer survival scenerio etc... Helen hunt was good, didn't carry much over the top. But all in all, a mindless evening in front of the tube.
Rating:
Summary: The Best And The Most Touching Movie Ever Since Braveheart!
Review: Once again, Tom Hanks gives his most powerful and pivotal performance in this well-directed movie! It's like watching Braveheart, but with a softer side and a different theme. I was amazed at how this film was made. This movie gives us a sense of inspiration and hope. At the end of this movie, or the climax I should say, I was in tears knowing that Chuck Noland had lost his one and only girl. Even my girlfriend has to calm me down! Ridiculeous, isn't it? And after the movie was over, I left the theater in a state of speechless. From the director who gave you the Back To The Future Trilogy, this is one damn "bloody-marvellous" movie not to be missed again and again. Kudos and two thumbs up for this film, which was directed by, none other than, Robert Zemeckis.
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