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I
had grave doubts about this film. After all, the hype
is well underway with Tom Hanks being touted for yet another
Oscar nomination.
And
do we really need another film about someone stuck on
a beautiful island?
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| Told
you so!! |
After
Oliver Reed's performance in that other Castaway,
the answer is probably not.
But
take your hat off to Hanks, he's pulled it off again.
Reunited
with director Zemeckis (they made Forest Gump together)
this is a film of three thirds!!!
Chuck
Noland is a workaholic problem solver with Federal Express.
He has little time for his girlfriend (Helen Hunt), rapidly
exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve before boarding a plane
for Asia.
It's
a bad move. The plane crashes (a great scene) and Noland
is the only survivor, somehow making it to an island.
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| It's
all going badly wrong |
So
we enter phase two - Noland's fight to survive for four
years on the island. It's been done before but never with
a volleyball covered with the stars blood. Confused? Well
it gives Hanks's character someone to talk to.
There's
a final third to the film but I won't give that away.
However,
given the big build up it all seems a bit rushed.
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| This
isn't the package holiday I booked |
Hanks
is fully deserving of all the praise. He appears in virtually
every scene unlike his co-stars who make fleeting appearances.
And
he was prepared to wait for realism. The film was halted
half way through to allow Hanks to lose a lot of weight
and grow much facial hair.
Another
Oscar could well make its way onto his shelf. But despite
all this Cast Away leaves you slightly adrift and
asking for just a little bit more.
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