Cast Away (2000)
When the star of a survival film is a volleyball.
Presentation:
When you imagine being stranded on an island, there is no other film to consider. Tom Hanks has consistently been the face of survival films and there is no better case than the iconic Cast Away. But despite permeating throughout culture, there’s something that didn’t appeal to me rewatching this in 2026. Due to the plot, there’s not a lot of dialogue in this film since the main character is stranded on an island and has to talk to himself. While Tom Hanks is fine, he is not a magnetic driving force to watch like Denzel Washington or Tom Cruise. In fact, he’s not even the star of the film. I now realize that the biggest star and most memorable aspect of this film is actually Spalding, the volleyball.
Conclusion:
I’m not always a fan of Zemeckis’s direction, which relies on too many closeups. It was frustrating when I couldn’t see anything, which is a shame because it has one of the most cinematic plane crashes in cinema that would inspire Bioshock. This is not a bad film nor is it particularly outdated, but I’m not sure it was worth it to be washed away a second time in 2026. I’m sorry, Wilson!
Recommendations
Revenge can be chillingly beautiful.