TV
Tom Hanks is reunited with Forest Gump director Robert Zemeckis in this modern day take on Robinson Crusoe.
Hanks plays none too slim Chuck Noland, who works for parcel carriers Federal Express (in an obtrusive piece of product placement) and is obsessive about time. Totally engrossed in his work, this is a man who is so dedicated that he is said to have once stolen a child's bike to make sure a delivery was made on time.
His long suffering girlfriend, as played by Helen Hunt, has to put with his long absences to due to the nature of his work, which often takes him away from home for days on end.
After exchanging early Christmas gifts she says goodbye to him after making him promise to be back on New Year’s Eve. Sadly she is destined to be disappointed. His plane soon hits turbulence and in a gut wrenchingly realistic scene is forced to ditch into the unforgiving waters of the Pacific.
It is here that Zemeckis’ years of experience with special effects come into play as our hero battles to stay afloat in a tiny life raft as the plane breaks up and sinks in explosive style and the terrible storm that caused it's demise rages around him. This sudden change of pace after a leisurely opening is truly gripping.
Eventually, Noland is washed up on the shore of, you guessed it, a desert island and faces the challenges of survival you’ll be well familiar with if you watched this sort of movie before. What’s remarkable however is that somehow Noland’s attempts to find water, shelter and food never fall into the cliché zone and are truly engaging to watch.
His relentless and determined efforts to make fire dominate this part of the film and really get you on his side as you are allowed to share in his frustration and ultimately his joy.
Faced with perils of an untamed paradise with no medical care or survival training Noland manages to get himself into all sorts of scrapes in his initial days on the island.
We then fast forward four years to meet a wild haired, bearded and far lighter Noland, now settled in as master of all he purveys. Solitude appears to have taken its toll on his mental state and he has no Man Friday to alleviate the problem. He does however have a new best friend, a volleyball he has imaginatively entitled Wilson and his emotional attachment to this inanimate object is actually quite moving.
Eventually, Noland receives a piece of luck when fate brings him a chance to build a raft for his escape and his decides to take his chances on the perilous high seas.
Where this film really scores over other castaway movies however is its examination of the castaway’s reintegration into normal society after being away for so long. The majority is this section is taken up with Noland's relationship with the girlfriend who had thought he was dead. We also get a true sense of the bewilderment Noland feels as he tries to find his place in society again.
Zemeckis has done an exceptional job in breathing new life into a hackneyed sub-genre while Hanks acts his socks off throughout. The plot is keep refreshingly simple and yet the movie, at well over two hours, never flags or becomes boring.
Perfect Saturday night entertainment
Rating 8 out of 10
Cast Away premiers on Sky Movies Premier 1 and Sky Movies Premier Widescreen on Saturday 20th July at 8pm
Hanks plays none too slim Chuck Noland, who works for parcel carriers Federal Express (in an obtrusive piece of product placement) and is obsessive about time. Totally engrossed in his work, this is a man who is so dedicated that he is said to have once stolen a child's bike to make sure a delivery was made on time.
His long suffering girlfriend, as played by Helen Hunt, has to put with his long absences to due to the nature of his work, which often takes him away from home for days on end.
After exchanging early Christmas gifts she says goodbye to him after making him promise to be back on New Year’s Eve. Sadly she is destined to be disappointed. His plane soon hits turbulence and in a gut wrenchingly realistic scene is forced to ditch into the unforgiving waters of the Pacific.
It is here that Zemeckis’ years of experience with special effects come into play as our hero battles to stay afloat in a tiny life raft as the plane breaks up and sinks in explosive style and the terrible storm that caused it's demise rages around him. This sudden change of pace after a leisurely opening is truly gripping.
Eventually, Noland is washed up on the shore of, you guessed it, a desert island and faces the challenges of survival you’ll be well familiar with if you watched this sort of movie before. What’s remarkable however is that somehow Noland’s attempts to find water, shelter and food never fall into the cliché zone and are truly engaging to watch.
His relentless and determined efforts to make fire dominate this part of the film and really get you on his side as you are allowed to share in his frustration and ultimately his joy.
Faced with perils of an untamed paradise with no medical care or survival training Noland manages to get himself into all sorts of scrapes in his initial days on the island.
We then fast forward four years to meet a wild haired, bearded and far lighter Noland, now settled in as master of all he purveys. Solitude appears to have taken its toll on his mental state and he has no Man Friday to alleviate the problem. He does however have a new best friend, a volleyball he has imaginatively entitled Wilson and his emotional attachment to this inanimate object is actually quite moving.
Eventually, Noland receives a piece of luck when fate brings him a chance to build a raft for his escape and his decides to take his chances on the perilous high seas.
Where this film really scores over other castaway movies however is its examination of the castaway’s reintegration into normal society after being away for so long. The majority is this section is taken up with Noland's relationship with the girlfriend who had thought he was dead. We also get a true sense of the bewilderment Noland feels as he tries to find his place in society again.
Zemeckis has done an exceptional job in breathing new life into a hackneyed sub-genre while Hanks acts his socks off throughout. The plot is keep refreshingly simple and yet the movie, at well over two hours, never flags or becomes boring.
Perfect Saturday night entertainment
Rating 8 out of 10
Cast Away premiers on Sky Movies Premier 1 and Sky Movies Premier Widescreen on Saturday 20th July at 8pm
More: TV
Tube Talk
'Nighty Night': Tube Talk GoldWe remember the BBC's dark comedy Nighty Night in this week's Tube Talk Gold.
TV Interviews
'The Bachelor's Emily O'Brien - interviewPhD student failed to get a rose at this week's Rose Ceremony in Belize.
Reality Bites
'Big Fat Gypsy Weddings' returns: ReviewReality Bites's verdict on the return of Big Fat Gypsy Weddings.
TV Ratings
'Celebrity Juice' drops to 1.5m on ITV2Channel 5 rises to third place last night in a quiet night for television.
