Though Hanks comes across as blandly as ever, at least his solid performance shows he's up to carrying half a movie on his own, and Zemeckis' direction is at first as busily efficient as the protagonist.
Comment
06/24/06
Cast Away (2000)
89
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:150
Fresh:134
Rotten:16
Average Rating:7.3/10
Consensus: Critics say that by focusing on one man in one setting, Cast Away takes considerable risks, but ultimately it succeeds. Tom Hanks is excellent in the role, and the movie's themes make it larger than a simple physical survivor story.
Reviews for Cast Away
Top CriticAn enjoyable, moving drama in which you’ll believe a man can love a volleyball. Highly recommended.
10/30/02
The script is insightful and unafraid to tackle very serious issues head on. And the performances are brilliant.
12/10/01
For much of the time, Hanks is on screen by himself, his only dialogue addressed to an inanimate ball. A lesser performer would have made it an unendurable ordeal.
04/16/01
Top CriticThis is a good film; if it had stuck to its guns, it could have become a cinema classic.
02/07/01
Thoroughly absorbing.
02/07/01
Top CriticThis is a very original film. There's hope for Hollywood yet, folks.
04/29/09
The beginning and ending of the film are a bit underdeveloped, but that’s just quibbling.
08/07/08
Zemeckis' tranquil control never wavers.
02/03/08
I wish that all of the film's 144 minutes were spent alone with Hanks.
12/08/07
This is Mr. Zemeckis' most confident directing to date. If he only had as much faith in his audience.
07/14/07
Thoroughly entertaining and skillfully rendered.
01/05/07
It's really kind of ironic. The old Chuck's life is ruled by the clock. Once he's learned better, we don't get enough time with him because the author's decided it was time to go. Oh, well.
12/06/05
While his philosophical ventures seem stuck in the shallow end of the pool, Zemeckis takes an important step forward as a filmmaker.
12/06/04
This isn't a first time a long-awaited movie has turned out to be a crushing disappointment and it won't be the last, but the loss is made even more wrenching when one considers how little it would have taken to make Cast Away a great movie.
01/09/04
It's a risky venture, and a fascinating, straightforward glimpse into the soul of a man.
05/14/03
When I prayed to the film divinities that I wanted less Tom Hanks at the movies, I didn't just mean that I wanted him to be thinner.
03/19/03
If all of Cast Away were as gripping as its long midsection, it would be overwhelming; still, even with its flaws, it marks another milestone performance for Tom Hanks as well as for Robert Zemeckis.
02/08/03
Cast Away says what you (yes, you) would end up doing if you were on a deserted island.
12/12/02
Hanks made more faces and walked around with his mouth open more than I might have liked, but he has a way of revealing his thoughts without words that kept me intrigued.
10/21/02
Latest News for Cast Away
June 22, 2005:
Ridley Scott Jumps In to "Shadow Divers"
The always-busy Ridley Scott ("Kingdom of Heaven") has signed on to bring Robert Kurson's novel "Shadow Divers" to the big screen, says Variety. Mr. Scott... More...
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