Cast Away

Cast Away is, without a doubt, one of the most tense, emotional and sad films I have ever seen. When I was little, I remember this film always being shown and talked about on television, but I only got to watch it in 2025: and I don't regret taking so long. After all, my taste in cinema as a child was limited to Disney and superhero films, and Cast Away is not the kind of film for this age group. The story touches on deep themes, such as perseverance, loneliness, loss and sacrifice. The direction is excellent, and the film's photography is a character in itself: I simply loved the way the director, Robert Zemeckis, filmed the island here. It is, at the same time, a lost paradise and, little by little, the destruction of the character played by Tom Hanks, whose talent needs no introduction. What is impressive is not only Hanks' talent and performance, but also the extreme physical change that he certainly had to undergo to accompany the degradation of his character: at the beginning of the film, his character, Chuck, is a strong, robust man, with a leadership position at FedEx, something that is very well presented in the opening scene of the film, in which we follow the character in Russia (once again, Robert Zemeckis captures the best angles of the city to compose the scenes). The scene of the plane hitting the water, followed by Chuck drifting, adrift, in the middle of the vastness of the sea, with its violent waves, is frightening. In fact, this film has frightening scenes for those who, like me, are simultaneously curious and afraid of the sea. Thalassophobia, that's what they call it, right? The relationship between Chuck and Wilson, a soccer ball that was on the plane that crashed and whose package drifted to the sands of the island, is sad and beautiful. And what can we say about that ending? I really felt bad about Chuck's ending, but at the same time, I can't blame Kelly for moving on. After all, it was four long years since Chuck was presumed dead. The reunion between the two is deeply sad, and Chuck's final scene had a special meaning for me: after wandering the sea for so long and being on the brink of death, the roads that surrounded him symbolized the many solid paths he could follow. Without a doubt, Cast Away is a masterpiece that deserves to be seen and applauded.

If the main idea was to make a modern version of Robinson Crusoe, the effort turned out quite well. Although there is not much action in the plot, one as a viewer cannot be captivated by the main character and his efforts to survive in the face of nature.

This movie was so much fun to watch, and despite its simple story, it did an amazing job of keeping you hooked from beginning to end. I definitely recommend it for adventure fans!

movie was great. Vincent deserves an interview for telling us what really happened at the island

I love the sound. The sound of loneliness, the sound of sanity drifting away, the sound of time coming undone, the sound of hope echoing through the sea.

I don't care what you people say, that damn volley ball was some a better actor than freaking Tom Hanks. I cry every time he floats away! :'(

All Time Classic. Phenominal performance by Tom Hanks. His physical acting and emotion he pours into this from start to finish is first rate. This is such a unique type of flick that fits the director perfect. The cinematography is excellent. The direction is pretty subtle and tame honestly. It's pretty basic stuff lots of time but this is such a visually heavy film for 80% of the runtime that you can follow this pretty much the entire way from the moment he gets on the plane to the end. It frontloads all the dialouge for the most part in the first 20 minutes and pulls a fake out basically. The editing is masterful too. Everything Hanks does follows a logical flow and it never feels like things just happen. It really is quite an accomplishment. It's very well paced too and the music is really good. Which is crazy because for most of the runtime there isn't really any score at all but you don't really notice it honestly and it never feels dry. This is a slow burn movie the entire way and it's crazy how again it never feels dry, boring, or meandering. Because not much happens in this action wise. It's all about watching Hanks become a survivor and exploring isolation. The ending is also in a sense very anticlimatic. Instead of wrapping things up, it feels like it just keeps going with exploring the "what happens after the credits roll". It's difficult to describe but even though it's anticlimatic it feels very in depth and interesting to see a side of returning after being lost. Finding a reason to keep going effectively and how the process of being lost effectively happens all over again. It's really in depth stuff and Hanks does an incredible job conveying those feelings the entire way. Everyone should give this a try once. It's what you expect, a surivivor story on a island but it's much more as well. A true character study.

Wilson was hands down the best character

There are few movies that say more with less. I think maybe comparable in that way is Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, but whereas that one is entirely meditative (and rewarding in a very different way), this one has you still clinging on for hope.

Great movie about surviving on an island. Tom Hanks did great in Cast Away. Cast Away gets 5 Stars from me!