In this contemporary re-reading of Robinson Crusoe, Tom Hanks stars as Chuck Noland, a Federal Express trouble shooter who devotes more of his free time to solving problems at work, rather than his own dilemmas at home with his neglected girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt). On a fateful Christmas Eve, Nolan hastily proposes marriage to Kelly before boarding on a charter plane to complete an important assignment.

Suddenly, the plane crashes in a remote part of the South Pacific leaving the calculated and detailed engineer stranded with only a dozen soggy Fed Ex packages and a deflated raft to his name. This results in the reunited Forrest Gump combination of Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis inaugurating over an hour of quiet and contemplative investigation as Hanks' Noland is left stranded in the wilderness; equipped with only his mental resources and a creative intellect to solve elementary daily activities such as eating, drinking and sleeping under the most basic of surroundings.

Thus the film becomes a rudimentary study on both fate and man's position in the isolated and lonely natural world. Within this man versus nature concept, we see Hanks stripped of any artificial assistance in a hostile environment as he struggles to produce fire, catch fish or heal his wounds. In terms of destiny, Noland's strong-willed desire to control his own fate is often proved meaningless in natural surroundings filled with variables that are not governed by the neat laws of man, but by the volatile laws of nature.

Later Zemeckis' study in loneliness and resourcefulness becomes a half-hearted comment on the wastefulness of western societies, which rather aimlessly attempts to contrast the desolate material wealth of Noland on the island with the soulless gadgetry and disspative extravagance detailed in other parts of the film. Yet, the greatest irony here is the manner in which multinational corporations such as Federal Express are portrayed in the film, as showcased in the highly structured press conference and the pageantry given to Noland upon his return. These are not companies expressly concerned about minor individuals within their system, but are rather more inspired with opportunities to market their brand and their image with the story of a "hero" or a survivor.

Though Hanks adeptly carries the picture almost solely on his shoulders, it is interesting to note that his subtler and less mentally erratic work near the film's end is perhaps even more powerful than his long passages on the island. Whereas most contemporary Hollywood productions would attempt to evoke a tidy, happy ending Zemeckis smartly re-invokes ideas of destiny, fate and selfish overabundance.

Hanks' performance is the key to the film's success, as the length and status of his performance dwarfs that of the film's decent secondary work such as Helen Hunt's Kelly. Despite its almost two and half hour running time, the film never feels too long and Zemeckis smartly decides to utilize Hanks and the story in a much more realistic and disciplined setting than Forrest Gump.

The only drawbacks to this film come in the almost ironic over reliance on modern technology (mainly CGI) to create a series of extensive special effects, the most successful and realistic of which is the epic plane crash. Another issue is the lack of personal development of Hanks character on the island. Yes, we see him mentally deteriorate, but in a story centered upon fate and the conflict between man and nature, there is surprisingly no reference to God. One wonders how a director such as Ingmar Bergman would have handled this tale of a character abandoned from civilization as a result of divine fate. Certainly given the amount of time Hanks 'character is alone, one could easily see that Bergman would have had Hanks engaged in a much deeper personal quest for seeking out truths of mortality and one individual's position in the greater spectre of life.

Yet, despite these flaws Cast Away comes off as an unique selection in Zemeckis' oeuvre. Not as entertaining as the first Back to the Future, but arguably more cultivated and realized a picture than Hanks and Zemeckis' more successful film Forrest Gump. Not a classic but rather an interesting picture on man's position in the natural order of things and the relationship between modernity and the ethical decay of humanity as resourceful, economical and independent beings.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8