Bring back Wilson!!! (Castaway (DVD))

Member Name: annette_tr9

Product:	Castaway (DVD)
Date:	24/09/02 (199 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: moving and thoughtful film

Disadvantages: none

Cast Away is a long film, a very long film. Don’t watch this if you only have an hour and a half to spare because you will have to miss off the end!!

Aptly named, this film is about a Cast Away. There’s only one main character in the film, Tom Hanks (must have been a cheap labour bill!). There are a few other characters at the beginning and end but the main part of the film only stars one person. Tom Hanks plays Chuck Noland. He works for Fed Ex, in case you haven’t a clue what I am on about now, Fed Ex is an American company who deliver stuff all over the world (not an advert there!). He is happily partnered with Kelly Frears (Helen Hunt) and when he leaves for a business trip over Christmas they swap presents before he flys off. As you would imagine big disaster on the way and the plane crashes, Chuck is the only survivor and finds himself stranded on an island. Over the next few years Chuck learns to live on the island, how to make fire, how to catch fish etc. until he finds a way to get off the island.

What I like about this film is that you get to see the whole story through Chuck’s eyes. While he is on the island you have no idea what is happening back at home, no idea how is girlfriend is doing or what happens to the remains of the plane. You live through four years with him and watch him get thinner (and hairier). You will also meet the star of the show – Wilson. Wilson is a volley ball which is washed onto the island in one of the Fed Ex parcels which was on the plane. He becomes Wilson when he acquires a face painted in blood and is Chuck’s only companion on the island.

The plane crash in Cast Away is the most realistic that I have seen in any film (not that I have ever experienced one to compare it too). If you are watching this with your 5.1 surround sound it will make you jump!! Brilliant special effects and amazing sound.

Tom Hanks (as always) is brilliant, he was de
finitely the right person to choose for the part of Chuck. There must have been a lot of work involved for him, he was quite chubby at the beginning of the film and lost a lot of weight when on the island, as you would eating coconuts and fish.

This film is suitable for adults and older childred. There are times when there isn’t a lot happening and small children may get bored. There’s also quite a few loud bits, especially in the plane crash, which may frighten young children.

Although the film is nearly two hours long it isn’t TOO long. When you are watching it, it doesn’t seem like you are sitting for two hours in front of the television! There are parts in the film where there isn’t much happening but they are all necessary for the atmosphere of the film and storyline. You need to know what it’s like spending all that time on your own on an island!

This is quite a thoughtful film. It has both happy and sad parts in it, you don’t have to concentrate too much on the storyline, it’s very well explained.

If you haven’t seen this film yet, it’s definitely one to put on your Christmas list!

Summary: