Cast Away (2 Disc Set) (US)

This movie is more of a drama than an adventure movie. However, distributing a drama is a lot more difficult than distributing an adventure. So there.
Usually, I`m a very big anti-fan of Tom Hanks. I only appreciated his performance in "Saving Private Ryan", but other than that I feel his talent is highly over-rated. Despite
the fact that in this movie Hanks had to be the only actor on screen throughout most of the movie, I found his performance ok, but definitely not Oscar material.
As for the movie itself. Well, it is long, but the time passes by rather quickly although the movie`s pace is a bit slow.
The video transfer is excellent. There are no compression signs at all and the colors are beautifully rendered. While watching the movie I could only spot one scene where CG was used. Boy - was I wrong. The movie is filled with special effects, but they are done so well, that it is (nearly) impossible to spot them.
The DTS and DD 6.1 soundtracks are both very good. While my equipment does not support the extra channel, the regular 5.1 channels were just great. The surrounds are mainly used for wind noises, clattering, waves, and of course during the action scenes.
The menus are all beautifully animated with sound.
The extras include a commentary, almost 2 hours of a behind the scenes look, various documentaries, a great section about the special effects, some storyboards and an art gallery. Too bad there are no deleted scenes.
Bottom line - a nice movie, all in all, with some amazing visuals and a good soundtrack. As for the plot - well, survivable.

A good effort by Hanks who is on top of his game in this film. I really thought it was another pants cinema release but all in all it is so realistic and emotional. Robert Zemeckis deserves a pat on the back on this one as he has made classics like "Forrest Gump" in the past. The 2nd disc containing the extras are nothing too fancy but I wouldn`t be suprised if 20th century fox bring this out on DVD again as a special edition release.

With Cast Away, director Robert Zemeckis can add one more excellent film to the already substantial list of entertaining movies that includes What Lies Beneath, Back to the Future and Contact.

Cast Away is a movie that merits repeat viewings; in fact, I found myself appreciating it considerably more on the second watching than on the first. On one level, it's an exciting adventure story, a tale of survival against the elements. But on another level, it's an extended exploration of character and a meditation on what really matters in life.

On the whole, Cast Away looks very good. Contrast, which is so often a challenge in DVD transfers, is great. Even with many scenes that alternate between brilliantly-lit and dark images, the contrast holds up well, providing detail and shading consistently throughout. Colors are also bright and vivid.

Cast Away's DTS audio track is simply fantastic. The disc also comes with a Dolby 5.1 soundtrack, but this DVD is an argument in itself for the merits of having a DTS decoder as part of your home theater setup. The full 6.1 channels of DTS sound are used to the fullest during the entire film for a truly immersive effect. Wherever the action is taking place, you always feel as if you're there, with the wind blowing around you, or the waves crashing, or people talking in a crowd. Environmental effects are superbly located in the surround sound as well, and dialogue is crystal-clear.

I found Cast Away to be a thoroughly entertaining film; not perfectly balanced between the various narrative portions, but well-crafted on the whole and very fun to watch. The DVD is a solid presentation of the film, with an outstanding audio track and a nice batch of extras, so I'd definitely recommend picking this one up if you're at all intrigued by it.