2. Castaway (7.6)
Castaway is a terribly misunderstood movie. Ever since I saw it last year it has immediately become one of my favourite movies of all time. I think it is a great triumph on the part of Robert Zemeckis that he successfully creates a timeless classic, with only one character on screen for the best part of 80 minutes. He efficaciously manages to elude all the survival movie clichés in the book and still effectively enthralls the audience for 2 and a half hours, with very little dialogue whatsoever. The film is centred upon two very impressive performances. One from Tom Hanks and the other, of course, from Wilson the Volleyball. (A stroke of genius on the part of Zemeckis for the inclusion of that character.) In fact, the scene in which Hanks loses Wilson to the ocean, moved me to tears more than any other. As many critics have suggested, the scenes of just Hanks on the island were by far the best scenes of the movie, but I feel that the last section of the film, much reviled by many, is still immensely touching. The premise of the ending was that Hanks had survived 5 years of utter isolation and solitude, he hopes finally to be reunited with his true love, his fiancé, only to find out that she has resigned him to death and that she is happily married. This was a much misunderstood section of the movie and a highly effectual finale in my view. I don't understand how this movie, the greatest survival movie of all time, can be considered a mere 7.6 on IMDB. For some reason, it's recognized as a lesser movie than the likes of Shaun of the Dead, Iron Man and The Terminator! Surely there's something wrong about that.
My Rating: 8.5