Sitting on the couch one Thursday evening, I suddenly felt the urge to grab an old movie from my collection and I picked this – “Cast Away” a survival film directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring two great Hollywood celebrities Tom Hanks and Helen Hunt.
I think I can pleasantly report that the movie still holds up, even after 14 years since it was first released.
The story is set in 1995 where Chuck Noland, a strictly time-conscious Fed-Ex shipping representative who often travels the world to fix problems for the company. He leaves home for Christmas but encounters a plane crash that eventually left him stranded on an uninhabited island.
He was forced to adapt to his new situation, using little or no survival skills and with the help of several FedEx packages he managed to gather from the shores. The entire film mainly focuses on Chuck and so you’ll see him trying out different things simply to stay alive. After all these years, these scenes still manage to make me laugh, cry, and feel pity for the character.
I also find it touching that Chuck looks to the picture of Kelly Frears (Helen Hunt) as his inspiration to endure all the difficulties. But perhaps no other scene in the movie is as heart-wrenching as that final scene with Wilson the volleyball.
I really love this film and I consider it among my most favorite. I’ll recommend it anytime to anyone who hasn’t seen it yet.
Pack n' Roll 