Cast Away Reflection

Decent Essays
I don’t think I have ever written this in a review before, but I am an Eagle Scout and proud of it. During my time in Boy Scouts, I learned many valuable skills, including leadership, sailing, tracking and basic survival skills. Given my background, especially in camping, I find survival shows fascinating. Thus, I came into Cast Away differently than most people. Yes, I wanted to see Hanks’ performance and the famous Wilson, but I also was curious to see how the movie showed the survival techniques employed by this untrained man. In the end, I didn’t wind up paying attention this aspect of the film, but as a whole the film mostly did not disappoint.
Cast Away shows how Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks), an executive with FedEx, survives on a deserted island in the pacific. Noland, who prizes work above all else, even his relationship with his fiancé (Helen Hunt), leaves on Christmas to head to Asia for his job. On the flight, his plane travels out of its planned route in an attempt to avoid a storm. While off-course, and in the storm, the plane goes down. Noland miraculously survives and washes ashore on a god-forsaken island, with only his wits and some FedEx packages to keep him alive for an indefinite period of time.
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Hanks does a fantastic job as Noland, carrying the movie with ease and aplomb. He is utterly believable and convincing in the role, partly due to the physical transformation he undertook. He is also sympathetic and identifiable in every possible way, but especially in that everyman quality that Hanks naturally has. Perhaps the best thing one can say about Hanks’ performance, though, is that he makes viewers generally care about a volleyball. His interactions with the famous Wilson are one of the highlights of this

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