Maybe we should have warned everyone a little more before we started this "He said, she said" thing that we have similar opinions on a lot of movies. If it makes them feel better, maybe the next time we argue about money we can put it up on the web, how about that?
You see, I loved this movie too. Maybe not quite as much, but I think it was an excellent film. I think Tom Hanks is overrated but I still like watching him. He's always pretty much the same guy, though.
Side note: I always like looking at Helen Hunt. Whew. Ok, criticize me, but how often do reviewers actually admit stuff like that?
There was a lot of stuff in this movie that really made me feel like I was there. Where some of the younger crowd may think some scenes go on too long, I believe they are meant to put we, the viewers, there. I believe we are meant to feel, like this character, that there is no escape from this island. We are not meant to sit and feel comfortable in our seats knowing this is just someone else's fear, we are meant to feel it ourselves. And I believe it works, with often gut-wrenching results.
The directing in this movie is very good, and the effects are good as well. The camera work tries to hide the tell-tale signs of computer-generated effects, and usually this strategy works. Sometimes computer-generated stuff still looks cheesy, even with as advanced as it has become.
It was not nearly as predictable as I had feared, although it does follow a sort of formula. Fortunately, it is a formula that, in my opinion, has not been overused like a lot of the assembly-line films we see coming out of Hollywood.
I highly recommend this movie. It's not always a comfortable experience, I can guarantee you that. It does a very good job at taking you to another place, however. Isn't that what going to the movies is all about?
4 1/2 stars
--David