Rating: 
Summary: Terrible commentary
Review: This is a good movie as the other reviews will attest, but the commentary is terrible. It is a combined effort of the director, the cinematographer and the chief sound guy. The problem is that the sound man does about 80% of the talking, and after hearing for the 5th time how they created the sound of a given wave so it was just right, it is tiresome. It would be better if the director and writer were the ones to do all of the talking. The technical stuff is interesting in limited doses, what is more intriguing is information that supports the development of the production, the plot and the characters.
Rating: 
Summary: One of Hanks' Best
Review: This was truly one of the best movies I've ever seen. I'm a big Tom Hanks fan anyway, but don't know many other actors, if any, who could pull off what he did in this movie. It was a great story, from start to finish. I've seen it twice already, and highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Great performance, great human story.
Review: I found this to be a very powerful movie. Some of the reviewers didn't like the fact that there was no happy ending, but I for one loved the ending. It lets the audience draw its own conclusion, which I love. Tom Hanks' performance is amazing, and in a role where the lead actor must carry the movie for an hour while only talking to a volleyball, he is great. I also like this movie for the way the special effects are used. Watch the extras on the second DVD to find out. I prefer special effects that help tell the story, such as this or something like Terminator 2, where the menace of the T-1000 needs the special effects to come to fruition. It clearly shows up movies such as The Phantom Menace, where the special effects are the story. And they made for a bad story. All in all, watch the movie, then watch the extras, then watch the movie again. It will give new respect to the words movie magic.
Rating:
Summary: DVD excellent. Most of the movie is good.
Review: The DVD picture and sound quality are excellent, and the extra features are very good. Even the keepcase, no kidding, is nice and solid. Yes, the movie could explore more closely what constitutes true loneliness and true aloneness. (Perhaps a scene with Hanks standing in a stress-inducing line at Target to buy a Wilson volleyball would have been a good conclusion instead of the idealized and narratively weak one we get.) But the central sequence, from the plane crash through the rescue, is extremely well done. Give credit where it is due, and Hanks is terrific in this music-free film. When you play the DVD, make a special point of paying attention to the sound when he is on that little island.
Rating: 
Summary: Another "Perfect Storm" That Drowns The Viewer
Review: Tom Hanks is one of my all-time favorite actors, and when I heard how incredible he was in this incredible film, my boyfriend and I rented it on DVD. We were both very disappointed. I won't give away the ending to those who want to see it, but let me put it this way: 1. The only thing good about the film is the great computer graphics. 2. Helen Hunt appears, disappears for four years, then returns, and we have NO idea what happened to her in between. 3. The acting is more humorous than serious or dramatic. I laughed more than anything watching this. 4. The ending is dumb. But these are my opinions. Hopefully others will think the movie is as great as it was blown up to be.
Rating:
Summary: Great Features!
Review: The Movie is excellent and the 2nd DVD is worth itself for the price. When you see all the work they did for the Film you'll be amazed.
Rating:
Summary: Vintage Hanks
Review: I recently read Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self Reliance," and while I was reading it, I couldn't stop thinking of this movie -- "Cast Away." I saw the movie in a theater six months ago, and the reason why I kept thinking of it during "Self Reliance" is because Hanks, on the deserted island, displays that very quality. It is self reliance that keeps Hanks alive -- it was beautiful to watch him go from being totally lost when he first got to the island to being totally self reliant save for Wilson, his volleyball "companion." And besides being a wonderful example about the power of self reliance, I'm writing this review mainly to say that "Cast Away" was an awesome movie -- vintage Tom Hanks at work. His actions and attitudes are so completely believable; it makes the audience feel as if they are stranded on the island also. The screenplay was magnificent, the acting was great, and the storyline (although not original) was entertaining. I definitely recommend renting, if not buying, this movie . . . it was emotional as well as amusing.
Rating: 
Summary: WHY DIDN'T HE PUT WILSON'S HEAD ON THAT DRESS?
Review: Try as it might to be otherwise, this is still a man-on-a-deserted-island story and there's a lot of campfires and spear fishing going on and a vague life lesson about deserted islands. The surf is much more inviting than the island which remains an unexplored vista. Tom Hanks watching the rolling whitecaps is a haunted, alien scene. Exactly what Hank's character is doing on that cargo plane is anyone's guess. And when will Helen Hunt stop agreeing to anything?
Rating:
Summary: Is there nothing this man cannot do?!!!
Review: I went to see Cast Away at the cinema and I was not very impressed with it all. I have bought the dvd because it is a two disc edition and it cost me $16 (11 pounds) from Blockbuster in the USA. I watched the film when I got home and it completely blew me away. From the terrifying plane crash right to the end credits the film grabs you by the throat and just will not let go. Once Chuck is stranded on the island you don't feel like you are watching him, you begin to feel like you are there with him. This film is the classic "What if?" scenario and all the way through the movie you are constantly thinking would you do what Chuck does to survive. Tom Hanks has proved himself as a great actor on many occasions from Forrest Gump to Saving Private Ryan but he has finally proved himself as the finest actor of his generation. He steals every single scene whether he is in it by himself or there is someone else with him. Robert Zemeckis has made some excellent films and this is definitely one of them. I do feel though that the budget was partly made up by money from Fedex though. The dvd itself is outstanding. The picture is crystal clear from start to finish and the sound is perfect. The extra features are plentiful and will make for interesting and repeated viewing. They give a total insight into how the film was made and show what Tom Hanks had to go through. Excellent DVD to accompany an excellent film
Rating:
Summary: If Three Stars Means It's Tolerable, That's What's Intended
Review: I haven't read the reviews of this movie. I just assumed since it made well over $100 million in the United States, and everyone loves Tom Hanks so much, that the majority of people rated it very highly. I didn't have great expectations for this film. When a movie is really good, it exceeds those expectations. This one did not. Basically, the movie is about one and a half hours too long. The one and a half hours that are too long are those that take place on the island in the South Pacific. I can't for the life of me see how a movie about a guy stranded on an island where there aren't any cannibals or wild animals craving human flesh can be exciting...and this isn't. The movie is an absolute drag for Hanks' duration on the island. I mean, is building a fire, taking ten minutes of film to figure out how to open a coconut, or finding a cave when there's a torrential downpour entertainment? i didn't really think so...but I'm not a fan of the CBS show 'Surviving' either. I knew I was in trouble when the FedEx plane crashes in the middle of the Pacific Ocean during a tropical storm...rough waters...and the entire fusolage remained intact. I like a little realism with my films. I enjoyed the movie when he wasn't in an airplane or on an island...which is probably about thirty to forty minutes...that's good and relatively interesting. Good luck.
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