3) Cast Away
We’ve all grown up asking each other deserted island questions: If you could bring one movie/book/album to a deserted island, what would you bring? So unlikely is this situation, that we don’t even stop to consider the hardship we would face on said island before answering, “Magnolia, Catch 22, and the Ray Charles: Ultimate Hits Collection (if I can bring a two-disc set).” In Robert Zemeckis’ Cast Away—possibly the go-to in survival movies—Tom Hanks plays Fed Ex executive Chuck Noland, who probably would’ve killed for a movie, book, or album when he washed ashore an unchartered island.
The main appeal of Cast Away is watching how Chuck survives using nothing but his own wits. We take pleasure in seeing him learn how to effectively open a coconut. We enjoy it when he scavenges for useful tools. And we positively marvel when he discovers fire. With every little triumph, we give a cheer for the ingenuity of mankind.
One of the reasons I love this movie is because of its message about humanity. We learn through observation that when man is stripped of all his possessions and comforts, his concerns are that of every other wild animal: food, warmth and shelter. We remember that human beings are still animals, and we are humbled. But then we also get to witness man prosper in the face of adversity, and we see what makes our species so special, which is that at our cores we are thinking beings who thrive when solving problems and flourish with social contact.
And by social contact I of course am referring to Wilson, that bloody soccer ball with a face. I can’t imagine this movie without him. I doubt Chuck would have made it as long as he did without him. The thing that doesn’t always get out rightly mentioned in survival movies is the loneliness people feel. Wilson is an example of how no man is an island, even when on an island.