2000, PG-13, 143 minutes

What could possibly be more boring than watching some guy stranded on a deserted island for over an hour and a half? Well, as it so happens: a lot of things. Cast Away is not your conventional Hollywood film; it may have a big star, an acclaimed director, and a huge budget, but it takes a lot of risks and never patronizes its viewers by giving them what they expect.

Because we've been waiting for Cast Away for quite some time now and we've had to hear over and over again about how Tom Hanks lost fifty-five pounds during the production's one-year hiatus, I won't even bother going into the details of the plot. Yes, Tom Hanks plays a guy who goes down on a plane and is marooned on a deserted island, however, what I also found intriguing was the character development early in the story. Hanks' character works as a trouble-shooter for Federal Express, and as a result his life runs by the tick of the clock. What's clever about stranding this man (of all people) on an island, is that he'll have to learn and accept that time is now completely out of his hands.

What's most amazing about this film is how truly simple it is. The majority of the story is spent on the island basically watching a man try to survive and deal with the reality of his isolation, and what could have and should have been boring was absolutely fascinating. Whether he's tearing open a coconut or out exploring his surroundings, Hanks manages to make every detail seem like a whole new experience. You're definitely going to hear a lot about his weight loss, but what really makes his performance great is the way he handles all of the different situations, particularly when he befriends a volleyball and names it Wilson after its manufacturer. Wilson is his one connection with the life he used to live, and as his sole companion we really do start to care for this inanimate object, which is an experience no other movie I can think of has ever accomplished. This sort of behavior might seem bizarre at first, but if you think about it, anyone who was isolated for a long period of time would start to act a little nuts.

Once everyone has seen Cast Away and the talk of "Wilson" has died down, there will be three things people will discuss. First is the plane crash. I've seen numerous plane crashes up on the screen over the years, and the one in this film is without a doubt the best I've ever seen. Zemeckis manages to find a unique way of looking at a terrifying event, and because we stay with Hanks the entire time (no exterior shots, thank you) it almost feels like we're right there with him. The second thing people will talk about are the long streaks of silence on the island with no background music and only the occasional grunt from Hanks. Put simply: it works unbelievably well and somehow blends in with the rest of the movie without making it feel choppy or disjointed. The third thing people will talk about, and perhaps be the most divided on, are the bookends with Helen Hunt. I'm not a huge fan of Helen Hunt, but I felt she did a superb job and it actually fit in better than I had expected. Some people will certainly disagree, of course, but I loved this film from beginning to end.

In a year full of cinematic disappointments, Cast Away is a much-needed sigh of relief. Not only is it a visual masterpiece that takes a number of groundbreaking risks, but it also features an outstanding performance from Tom Hanks. This is one of the best movies of the year.