Another movie I decided to watch out of self hate I guess. Given the performance, story line and how a modern-day Robinson Crusoe could pan out; another book which will be modified for the thin-skinned faux liberal peal clutchers; this would’ve worked better as a miniseries. Here’s why, much of the movie establishes Tom Hanks’ character on who he is, what he does, his dedication to FedEx and what he is about to lose. Then the film’s majority covers his initial time being stranded, surviving, trying to keep insanity at bay , how he’s acclimated and his eventual attempt at escape. By now, the movie is creeping up at two hours and the audience is getting bored/restless. So all his troubles re-adjusting to civilization alongside his fiancée marrying their dentist gets rushed. The second half is equally compelling! Could Cast Away run three hours? Sure! This was released on the cusp of The Lord of the Rings trilogy which were all long and nobody worried then, nor participated in the now popular bitching about how long MCU stuff is. Given this being a Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis flick, I bet they could’ve pushed for an intermission from the powers that be in Hollywood.
However, is Cast Away any good? Yes. Was it Oscar® worthy? I don’t know. The Academy prefers more boring crap despite it being released during the tiny window when the Oscar voters actually go to (or remember) the movies. I’d put Hanks in the running since he had to act with just a volleyball (creating an equally overused joke like The Matrix did) and be inventive via all the cargo washing up from his FedEx jet.