Cast Away (2000) – Encore Review 2

“87 hours is an eternity! The cosmos was created in less time. Wars have been fought and nations toppled in 87 hours! Fortunes made and squandered. ” – Chuck Noland

Number of Times Seen – At least 10 times (Jan 2001, DVD and 3 May 2015, 22 Feb 2017 and 10 Jun 2020)

Link to original review – Here and Here

Brief Synopsis – An executive for Fed-Ex survives a deadly plane crash and ends up on a deserted island.

My Take on it – This is a film that I have loved ever since I first saw it in the theater nearly 20 years ago.

The story works so well in establishing how one could survive on a deserted island (even before we all had the benefit of learning from Survivor).

The fact that a large majority of the film only has one (live) character helps make this even more impactful and poignant

Tom Hanks is a superb actor and despite having such a storied career with so many memorable roles, this is perhaps his very best because he is able to show his acting skills with no other characters around.

He deserving was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor for his work here yet it’s disappointing that he didn’t manage to win.

The film’s story and plot work so well in developing and creating this character that we constantly root for him the whole way through.

The movie is enhanced by subtle special effects that allow us to believe things in a more realistic perspective especially the loneliness and deserted feeling of this island.

The music by Alan Silvestri adds so much to this film and gives it so much life while making things even more impactful to watch unfold in unexpected ways.

This is IMHO the very best film of 2000 and is so enjoyable to watch largely due to the very powerful message that it has about the way that we all live our lives.

Bottom Line – Amazing film that works so well despite the fact that a large majority of the film only has one (live) character. Hanks is superb in this film and was quite deserving of his Oscar nomination for Best Actor for this role even though he didn’t manage to win. He has such a great resume of roles in his career and this is perhaps his very best because he is able to show how amazing an actor he is when he is alone for so much of the story. The story and plot works so well and is so moving and poignant in all that it does. The film is able to be enhanced by subtle special effects that help make things seem even more realistic and lonesome. The music by Silvestri gives so much life to the story and helps make it even more impactful to watch unfold. The film has such a powerful message about how we live our lives and it resonates throughout. This is IMHO the very best film of 2000. Highly Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – To make himself look like an average out of shape middle aged man Tom Hanks didn’t exercise and allowed himself to grow pudgy. Production was then halted for a year so he could lose fifty pounds and grow out his hair for his time spent on the deserted island. During this hiatus, Robert Zemeckis used the same crew to film What Lies Beneath (2000). (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (10/10) (no change from original review)