I wish that all of the film's 144 minutes were spent alone with Hanks.
Video:
"Cast Away" was transferred to a 50GB dual-layered disc at 33mbps using MPEG-4 technology, so the picture looks very sharp, even in the many dark scenes. Though the cover information says this is presented in 2.35:1 aspect ratio, it's really 1.85:1, which stretches to fill the entire 16x9 widescreen monitor. Zemeckis' film gives us only the slightest graininess--a by-product of atmospheric conditions--and a good amount of detail. Run a side-by-side comparison with the DVD and you'll see just how much more impressive the picture quality is in 1080p. Black levels are particularly strong, and the edge detail just blows away the DVD.
Audio:
The audio is a DTS HD 5.1 Master Lossless, with additional options in Spanish and French Dolby Surround and subtitles in English and Spanish. The sound comes alive mostly during the crash, but also during the water scenes, when even the gentlest lapping sounds so real and immediate that you half-expect your TV room floor to feel wet. It's the small sounds that make the biggest impact in HD.
Extras:
On a commentary track featuring multiple bodies, the different voices at least identify themselves so we can appreciate their comments in context. Joining Zemeckis on the same commentary from the DVD are photography director Don Burgess, visual effects supervisors Ken Ralston and Carey Villegas, and sound designer Randy Thom. Of most interest are their discussions of what it took to keep the island looking uninhabited while still getting their shots. Production spanned a two-year period, and everyone was forced to wade in the water from shot to shot to avoid getting footprints in the sand. Hotels were on another island, so the cast and crew had to get up at 4:30am just to make the one-and-a-half boatride to work. It's an interesting, if low-key commentary.
This release probably should have been a two-disc affair. Fans will have to hang on to their DVDs, because missing on the Blu-ray are a long segment of Hanks appearing on "The Charlie Rose Show," theatrical and TV trailers (only one is included here, in HD), a making-of feature, three featurettes on survival, the island, and Mr. Wilson, and storyboard sequences.
What we get, instead, is a Blu-ray exclusive pop-up trivia track-the worst trivia track I've seen thus far. The entries are dull, there's too much time between pop-ups, and they remain on-screen so long that even the poorest reader could get through it twice. Add to that some suspect placement that really intrudes on the screen image, and you get a mess that's better ignored.
Bottom Line:
When I first reviewed this film years ago, I was so bowled away by Hanks' performance that I gave it the equivalent of an 8. Watching it again, though, it's painfully obvious that the "civilization" sections that frame this survival tale just don't have the same impact as the film's core. Come on, I kept thinking, get to the crash, get to the good stuff! I wish that all of the film's 144 minutes were spent alone with Hanks. Those weaker sections knock it down to a still watchable 7 out of 10.
"Cast Away" was transferred to a 50GB dual-layered disc at 33mbps using MPEG-4 technology, so the picture looks very sharp, even in the many dark scenes. Though the cover information says this is presented in 2.35:1 aspect ratio, it's really 1.85:1, which stretches to fill the entire 16x9 widescreen monitor. Zemeckis' film gives us only the slightest graininess--a by-product of atmospheric conditions--and a good amount of detail. Run a side-by-side comparison with the DVD and you'll see just how much more impressive the picture quality is in 1080p. Black levels are particularly strong, and the edge detail just blows away the DVD.
Audio:
The audio is a DTS HD 5.1 Master Lossless, with additional options in Spanish and French Dolby Surround and subtitles in English and Spanish. The sound comes alive mostly during the crash, but also during the water scenes, when even the gentlest lapping sounds so real and immediate that you half-expect your TV room floor to feel wet. It's the small sounds that make the biggest impact in HD.
Extras:
On a commentary track featuring multiple bodies, the different voices at least identify themselves so we can appreciate their comments in context. Joining Zemeckis on the same commentary from the DVD are photography director Don Burgess, visual effects supervisors Ken Ralston and Carey Villegas, and sound designer Randy Thom. Of most interest are their discussions of what it took to keep the island looking uninhabited while still getting their shots. Production spanned a two-year period, and everyone was forced to wade in the water from shot to shot to avoid getting footprints in the sand. Hotels were on another island, so the cast and crew had to get up at 4:30am just to make the one-and-a-half boatride to work. It's an interesting, if low-key commentary.
This release probably should have been a two-disc affair. Fans will have to hang on to their DVDs, because missing on the Blu-ray are a long segment of Hanks appearing on "The Charlie Rose Show," theatrical and TV trailers (only one is included here, in HD), a making-of feature, three featurettes on survival, the island, and Mr. Wilson, and storyboard sequences.
What we get, instead, is a Blu-ray exclusive pop-up trivia track-the worst trivia track I've seen thus far. The entries are dull, there's too much time between pop-ups, and they remain on-screen so long that even the poorest reader could get through it twice. Add to that some suspect placement that really intrudes on the screen image, and you get a mess that's better ignored.
Bottom Line:
When I first reviewed this film years ago, I was so bowled away by Hanks' performance that I gave it the equivalent of an 8. Watching it again, though, it's painfully obvious that the "civilization" sections that frame this survival tale just don't have the same impact as the film's core. Come on, I kept thinking, get to the crash, get to the good stuff! I wish that all of the film's 144 minutes were spent alone with Hanks. Those weaker sections knock it down to a still watchable 7 out of 10.
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[release]22291[/release]