All washed up? (Castaway (DVD))

Member Name: star500

Product:	Castaway (DVD)
Date:	22/01/01 (88 review reads)
Rating:

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I have to admit that I was dragged kicking and screaming to the cinema to see this film as, to be honest, I couldn’t think of anything else more boring - a film about being stranded on a desert island. And it stars Tom Hanks.

But I had the choice of going to see it or spend Saturday night at home watching mediocre tv programmes and devouring a big bar of Galaxy. There was no contest - the chocolate won hands down but I was practically dragged out of the door by my friends to the Odeon Cinema in "The Quay" beside the River Clyde in Glasgow.

So I stocked up on popcorn, Maltesers and a large size Irn Bru and settled down expecting two hours of boredom. I consoled myself with the thought that I could always write a scathing review for dooyoo afterwards and anyway, the seats were comfy so I could have a snooze if I wanted to.

Thankfully, I didn’t fall asleep because if I had then I would have missed quite a good film - much, much better than I thought it would be. I had pre-conceptions based on the trailer that I had seen a few weeks ago which didn’t really appeal but the film itself - well that’s a completely different story.

For those of you who are fans of the BBC1 show "Castaway" then if you go to see this film expecting an extended two hour documentary about the tiny Scottish island then you will be disappointed. This film is a Hollywood effort and stars Tom Hanks as Chuck who, after a plane crash, becomes stranded on a island in the middle of the ocean. Nobody knows where he is - he doesn’t even know and he is left there alone to survive for four years.

Doesn’t sound like much of a storyline then, does it? But it actually makes for good viewing despite Hanks being the only person on screen for the majority of the time and the only dialogue is between himself and his friend. His "friend" is Wilson whom he created from a football by drawing a face on it
with his own blood.

"A-ha," you may be thinking, "Where did he get a football if he is stuck on a remote island?" Well there is a simple explanation in that the plane that he was on was for a courier firm delivering parcels all over the world and some of these were also washed up on the shore with him. The parcels actually play a key role in the film as they represent all that he has lost and also show how his own personality and attitude changes towards life.

At first he looks after the packages, sorts them and keeps them safe but as time goes on he realises what a frivolous activity it is and tries to make use of their contents as he attempts to adapt to his surroundings. To give any more detail would spoil the rest of the film which is the last thing that I want to do.

What I will say, though, is that "time" is a key theme throughout the whole story even from the opening scene. Obviously for someone stranded on an island, time is the only thing that they do have and it is interesting to see how Hanks’ previous "clock-watching" personality grows and changes as he has to spend minutes, hours, days and years on his own.

Dialogue is minimal but meaningful considering that it takes place between Hanks and a football. He experiences a range of emotions and this film will probably give him another Oscar nomination. The action and special effects are practically non-existent as there is no place for them in the story, although the plane crash scenes were very good.

As I said before, I thought that Cast Away would be a very boring film given it’s subject matter but the story actually moved at a steady pace so that you were not given a chance to become bored. Even if you are the kind of person who usually prefers comedies or light hearted films, then you will probably enjoy Hanks’ latest effort. The acting is superb, the storyline interesting and the ending, well,
I won’t say too much about it so you will have to judge that for yourself.

Tom Hanks fans will definitely love it due to the amount of time he spends on the screen but I would say that it would appeal to most. With it’s 12 cert, younger audiences will get the chance to see it too and, although the majority may find it disappointing, I expect that there will be quite a few younger adults who will appreciate and enjoy it.

So, as someone who doesn’t particularly like Tom Hanks and went to the cinema expecting a really boring film, I was pleasantly surprised. And you may be too.

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