Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

I never saw an episode of "Survivor", but this whole new genre has always fascinated me.

Not that I was fascinated by "The Real World" or any of those other "true to life" shows that changed the reputation of MTV forever. It was just the extreme circumstances under which the show's stars were forced to live that made "Survivor" more intriguing. I never could make a commitment to a television show before, though, so I wasn't going to take a chance on getting too interested in this one.

"Cast Away" was a great chance for me to see just what the fuss was all about. Lord knows I've heard enough about this movie, for crying out loud. So I went on in, got my ticket, sat down, and wound up being the only person in the whole theater for the whole movie. Thank God too, because if anyone else had been there, I'd venture to say I would have scared them away, because I was laughing my balls off!

So Tom Hanks plays this guy Chuck. He works for the Fed Ex, and where most people are instilled with knowing the value of a dollar, Chuck is instilled with knowing the value of an hour. Or two, or three, or four.

Or five. Or six. Or seven. Or eight. Am I boring you yet? Heh, ya better get used to it.

I have to admit, the reason I went to see this movie was for the island part. (Just like everybody else.) And consequently, while I was able to keep up with the beginning parts, I found myself wondering when that damn plane was ever going to crash.

So we got to the plane crashing part, now that was great. There are a lot of wild shots, and the sound is quite loud, so when you rent this one, bring the neighbors over unless you want them calling the police on you. I recall one shot where you could see the sea coming right at the plane out the front window, but what makes the shot so great is that it's done from the middle of the plane, where it seems like it would be safer. But as you watch that sea drawing nearer and nearer, you know you're dead when that son of a gun hits.

Chuck escapes on a life raft, and he drifts, and he drifts, and he drifts. And the storm rages on, and on, and on. And the sound continues to throb throughout the theater. Whew, the suspense was great, but in spite of my tolerance, I've never wanted it to end so much!

So finally, he lands on the island. This is where the real meat of the movie is, here in Tom Hanks' performance as the abandoned island loner. He has always been a great actor, but I'm not sure if there is a movie other than "Saving Private Ryan" that even competes with this. Right away, you jump into his shoes and ask yourself, "What would I do?" I think Chuck was a lot smarter than I would have been in that situation, and his brain worked a lot faster. But then, I guess that's a given when you have four years depicted in 75 minutes' time, or however long it was.

If you have a weak stomach, then be wary. Hanks takes a real beating in this movie. The rocks in the shallow water literally shred the skin of his feet, and in one scene where he attempts to escape, the waves drive him down into the water and a coral reef sinks right into his left thigh as plain as day. While he is attempting to rub two sticks together to make a fire, he slices up his hand on one of the sticks. He also performs a dental procedure with an ice skate, believe it or not.

Where does he get an ice skate, anyway? That one's easy. Every just so often, a few of the Fed Ex packages that were on the plane when it crashed wash up on the shores of this island. I'm guessing he saved them for Christmas morning, when he finally opened them all. Chuck is quite resourceful with the stuff he finds. I couldn't help but laugh when he opened the package with the dress that was half see-through material, and held it up to himself as though he were checking to see if it would fit. Then again, nobody was watching anyway, right?

Eventually, it cut to a shot of the water, and the words "FOUR YEARS LATER" graced the screen. I remember my exact words: "You've gotta be kidding." I thought for sure it was going to suck from here on out. Fortunately, the directing staff managed to maintain a sense of continuity in spite of the sudden jump in time. About the toughest thing to get used to in the transition was that beard and all that hair! Jesus!

Chuck is not entirely alone on the island; he manages to make himself a friend out of a volleyball from one of the packages. A little blood and finger de-painting, and he's got himself a face. I couldn't quite bring myself to comprehend this "relationship" he had with that thing, but then maybe if I had actually been in the situation myself, I could understand it better.

So by the time we finally get to the final act, after over an hour of this island mayhem, almost anyone will find themselves in the most absolute appreciation of the simple pleasures of life. However, one of the things I always liked about going to the movies was that when I left, I felt like I was in a different world, I felt like a changed person, even if only for a few hours. Unfortunately, I can't say that I left "Cast Away" feeling as changed as I had after, say, "The Family Man". I pretty much knew what was going to happen at the end between Hanks and the lover he had been with before the plane crash, so maybe that's why the ending seemed to take so long. But by the time it was over, this "absolute appreciation" of the simple pleasures of life had mostly worn off.

Overall, though, this was a fun and interesting movie, a real mindbender in some spots, suspenseful in others, funny at times, but Hanks makes the movie what it is. He's got "Oscar" written all over his face for this one.

Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12