(Skip the next three paragraphs if you don’t want to be spoiled.)
Chuck is eventually rescued and brought home, where he reunites with the love of his life, who has quite reasonably assumed him dead and moved on. To cope with this new version of his old life, he ends the movie carrying out a mission to hand-deliver replacements of the tools that saved his life on the island.
The sanity doesn’t always hold completely. In the aforementioned suicide scene, which is both powerful and understated, Chuck argues with Wilson about suicide, whether it would be worth it, and why Chuck failed in his attempt. It’s more heart-wrenching than the actual suicide attempt would have been on-screen, and it’s just a man talking to a volleyball.
The transition back to civilization is jarring and awkward. While that is appropriate given the situation, the awkwardness is less that of a return to normal life, and more that of Hanks and Hunt just not clicking. It doesn’t feel like Kelly grieved and moved on. It feels like she never cared that much about him in the first place, even though the first act makes it clear that she did.
The film lacks a score for much of the action, but it isn’t noticeable until it returns. Not even the soundtrack provides emotion on the island; every ounce of soul comes from Hanks and Hanks alone. One might expect that part of the movie to drag along because of this, but it actually speeds by.
Cast Away is definitely worth at least one viewing. When it’s good, it’s excellent, and when it’s less good, it still entertains. Wilson remains a cultural icon, and Lost fans will appreciate the common themes – even as they berate Chuck for not being up on his survival skills.
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