Spoiler Notes: This review doesn't spoil much more for you than the damn trailer put out by Fox does. Still, if you have not seen this movie, I urge you to do so. Then return and read my thoughts. Don't spoil this film for yourself.

Here's the pitch: Tom Hanks on a deserted island. Pretty much sells itself, doesn't it?

But "Cast Away" is really so much more than just this basic premise. Hanks, in his continuing role as the new Jimmy Stewart (perhaps the new Henry Fonda would be a better analogy), with the aid of director Robert Zemeckis and scripter William Broyles, brings forth an epic American masterpiece. It's more than just a modern day retelling of "Robinson Crusoe." It is, in fact, nothing less than a dissertation on life in the modern world itself, with hints on the evolution of man and machine. Like the best of classic dramatics, "Cast Away" is about man vs. nature as well as man vs. himself. But "Cast Away" is also about man vs. machine, but here the epic struggle is not that of the John Henry variety per se. Man vs. machine here is twisted into the themes of the film brilliantly to give us theories on man vs. the machination of time. In this realm, the film becomes epic, poignant and grand.

It's no accident that the film begins at a crossroads. This will become a paramount idea in the film: Choices, moments, opportunities, some of them lost... and crossroads. It's no accident either that Tom Hanks' character, Chuck (even his name is abbreviated for time constraints), is an employee of FedEx. Time is Hanks' ally and his nemesis - in his life and in his work. (Boy, he doesn't know what time has in store for him). In the film's opening sequence where he works for the gargantuan delivery company, Hanks delivers a monologue that perfectly encompasses this ideal. It sets a magnificent tone. This is simply a perfect and monumental idea on the part of the scripter. What better occupation could a character in a story about the importance of time have than that of a FedEx executive? Hanks is a powerhouse in the opening act of the film. There are wonderful and subtle moments here that unveil him meticulously as a character. Part of the development also includes Hanks' character's inability to truly communicate with other people. Hanks' Chuck Nolan is all work... and work is all about beat the clock, not about people. In the rat race existence in which he thrives, there is no room for sentimentality, care or commitment when it comes to people, except that which is absolutely necessary to survive. The bare minimum.

Act two of the film, of course, is Hanks on the island. First, of course, is a monumental plane crash and this is where Zemeckis recalls the first of two modern film classics. Here, the plane crash reminds one of "Titanic." (Later, he will recall "The Truman Show"). The plane crash here is massively realistic and of the caliber of the old "edge-of-your-seat" cinematics. It simply puts you in the plane and you crash with it. The CGI effects that follow, as Hanks manages to escape the sinking aircraft and attempts to get into a rubber raft, are spectacular. But the true genius of the scene is Zemeckis camera POV after the event. The camera rises and Hanks in his yellow rubber life raft shrinks to a mere speck in a gigantic raging sea. Suddenly the inconsequentially of his entire existence is brought sharply into focus. Hanks, a mere speck, suddenly evolves from a seemingly important modern man, a control freak no less, into a mere microcosm in the vast expanse of the sea. With wind and wave tossing him about, his free will evaporates. It is a humbling image of the true seeming meaninglessness of human existence. Zemeckis earns his credential here as a director of genius and importance. Using CGI and other special effects, he elevates his personal craft to the realm of Eisenstein.

Many, indeed, have called this film "Zemeckis' 'art film.'" The director of many summer blockbusters, at one time, it has been rumored, had a four-hour cut of this film which also included over an hour of Hanks on the island without any dialogue. I think it may have been wise that he trimmed this down, if it is true. While Hanks' time on the island is never dull - in fact it is often enthralling, it is also covered almost as completely as necessary. This may be "a guy thing," but it is nothing short of fascinating watching Hanks' Chuck learn to exist with the bare minimum essentials provided by the island by utilizing his own ingenuity and relying on just a little luck. Here also comes in the wise choice of making him a FedEx employee as a few packages from the company (that were on the plane that crashed) wash up on shore providing Hanks with rudimentary tools to aid in his survival. Broyles, however, is very wise with his choices. Instead of a knife, for example, he has a package contain a pair of ice skates, providing Hanks with binding material (laces) as well as a cutting tool (the blade). Ingenious.

In the age of TV's "Road Rules" and "Survivor," Hanks and Zemeckis render the television shows of this ilk null and void with a truly unique, starkly personal and epicly proportioned midsection of film that asks and answers almost every question of the man vs. nature quandary. Hanks, almost exclusively through action, shows us everything, from how he gathers water to how he tracks the monstrosity of time. Hanks also offers us an inner struggle, that of a man isolated, a man who begins to go a bit crazy, a man who begins to talk to inanimate objects. This struggle to remain sane is truly captivating. Hanks' Chuck finally, late in the film, is able to understand the depths of human emotion, of loss and loneliness, in a scene where he finally breaks down, becomes human, and cries at the loss of a friend. It is remarkable.

Zemeckis and Broyles, utilizing Hanks, a few objects and tools, and an island, bring forth a discussion on the themes of human existence that are profound and important. This is the stuff of which masterpieces are made.

And finally there is the third act: Hanks' return. The film's promotional material has already promised us his return to civilization but it is unimportant. The struggle to enact his return to civilization is no less engrossing when we know he succeeds. It is not always the story sometimes, as much as it is the telling of it.

Where Broyles takes the film upon Nolan's return to civilization in wonderful. He never opts for the easy way out. He struggles to bring us an ending that makes the themes and ideas of the film resonant even more resoundingly. All of the film's ideals on the struggle of man vs. time are brought to the forefront in a plot development that refuses to bow to Hollywood endings or human sentiments. It's truly a beautiful resolution to the film.

Here Helen Hunt again proves herself as an actress of enormous talent. As Nolan's one true love, his only thought for survival, his one tether remaining to hope and sanity and humanity, Hunt's character is vital to the film. She perfectly encapsulates all of the emotion and importance her character requires and deserves in the film's final chapters. The resolution of the film hangs much on her shoulders and she carries the burden with ease. Even Hanks seems in awe of her talent.

Finally, there is the end, the epilogue, the final moment. Here, and again not bowing to prevalent Hollywood wisdom, Hanks and his cohorts provide us with one of the most poignant and important moments in cinema. This moment, the idea that it brings us, is truly heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time. It says all that needs to be said. It reminds us yet again that sometimes it is not the story, but the telling of it. Sometimes it is not the ending but the beginning that a film's final moments point towards. At the end of the film, Hanks' Chuck Nolan has learned something that we all inherently know, but that we must remind ourselves of often: There will always be a tomorrow. That is the true nature and the true beauty of humanity and our lives on Earth, our lives as mere specks in the cosmic soup.

Amen.

Note:

Chris Noth has a small role. FedEx founder Fred Smith has a small cameo as himself.

Hanks and Zemeckis are credited as producers on the film. Steven Spielberg is listed by the Internet Movie Database as an uncredited producer. Music by Alan Silvestri. Cinematography by Don Burgess.

Production halted for a year so that Hanks could lose weight and grow out his hair for some scenes on the island (he is there four years). During this hiatus, Zemeckis used the same crew to film "What Lies Beneath."

Notice that there is no music and no SFX when Hanks is on the island. Foley sound was used as Zemeckis wanted no bird or crickets or animal sounds. He wanted it to appear as if Hanks was truly the only living creature on the island.

If you thought AOL got some product placement with "You've Got Mail," you ain't seen nothing. FedEx is all over this film. Wilson sporting goods get some good plugs too.

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