

I liked every scene on the island and wanted more of them. Hanks proves here again what an effective actor he is, never straining for an effect, always persuasive even in this unlikely situation, winning our sympathy with his eyes and his body language when there's no one else on the screen. And he paints a face on a volleyball and names it Wilson-a device which, not incidentally, gives him an excuse for talking out loud. Chuck splits coconuts, traps fish, builds fires, and makes use of the contents of several FedEx boxes that washed up with him (too bad nobody was mailing K-rations). Actual work is more interesting than most plots.
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(Zemeckis shut down the movie while Hanks lost weight.) I find it fascinating when a movie just watches somebody doing something. Then there's a four-year flash-forward and we see the formerly plump Chuck as a gaunt, skinny survivor. Those are his last words for a time, as he tries to remember childhood lessons about firemaking and shelter construction. There's something wonderfully pathetic about the way he shouts "Hello? Anybody?" at the sand and trees. Chuck, the time-and-motion man, finds himself in a world without clocks, schedules, or much of a future. The movie's power and effect center on the island. An airport farewell to the fiancee is obligatory, including the inevitable reassurances about how Chuck will be right back and they'll have a wonderful New Year's Eve. Exotic locales like Moscow add a little interest to details about Noland's job. What am I to do? Pretend you haven't seen the ad, or discuss what we all know happens? The early scenes are essentially busy work. Not only do they tell you he gets off the island, they tell you what happens then. am I telling too much of the story? I doubt it, since the trailers and commercials for this movie single-mindedly reveal as much of the plot as they can, spoiling any possible suspense.

Noland survives the crash, and floats in a life raft to a deserted island. Spoiler alert: If you have not seen ads for the movie, read no further.

That seems like two catastrophes when one would have done, but director Bob Zemeckis uses the storm for scenes of in-flight fear, wisely following Alfred Hitchcock's observation that from a suspense point of view, an explosion is over before you get your money's worth. Noland hitches a ride on a FedEx flight across the Pacific, which is blown off course before crashing after an onboard explosion.
