Any doubts audiences had about the survival of Tom Hanks’ character in Cast Away vanished after watching the movie’s trailer. Hanks leads the film as Chuck Noland, a FedEx employee who winds up stranded on a deserted island following a devastating plane crash. Audiences follow Chuck along in his fight for survival, watching him gradually adapt to the island’s ways and doing anything he can to keep himself sane and alive. Cast Away isn’t inspired by a specific real-life incident, but screenwriter William Broyles Jr. did consult with professional survival experts.
This research, combined with Hanks’ moving performance, results in a movie that is effectively realistic and intense. However, for as thrilling a film as Cast Away is, there’s little room for suspense and wonder. The theatrical trailer for Robert Zemeckis’ Cast Away shows audiences that Chuck does eventually make it off the island alive. Cast Away is a gripping survival drama, and most films like it are made better by keeping audiences on their toes and guessing whether the film’s protagonist will survive.
Cast Away’s Trailer Gave Away That Tom Hanks’ Character Gets Off The Island
Hanks’ Chuck Noland Is Consulted On What Has Happened During The Years He Was Gone
Towards the end of Chuck’s isolating period on the island, audiences learn that he’s been stranded for four years. The theatrical trailer for the film shows the highs and lows of Chuck’s journey, but it’s not made clear right away just how much time has pᴀssed. That is until the end of Cast Away‘s trailer, which sees Chuck on a plane being brought up to date on all that’s happened regarding his disappearance during the past four years. Chuck is told that he was presumed ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, with his loved ones coming together for a funeral to mourn his supposed pᴀssing.
Cast Away’s trailer goes a few steps further to reveal its ending with text cards that hint at Chuck’s rescue.
Chuck is also seen in the trailer reuniting with a woman audiences understand was his girlfriend before he ended up on the island. Cast Away‘s trailer goes a few steps further to reveal its ending with text cards that hint at Chuck’s rescue and eventual return home. In between the aforementioned snippets of the movie, text cards appear on the screen that read, “Where do you start when you have to start over?“
Movies like Cast Away are typically most effective when audiences are left feeling anxious and unsure about the protagonist’s odds of making it out of a dangerous predicament alive. Therefore, it’s surprising that the movie’s trailer didn’t make a greater effort to conceal its ending and Chuck’s return home. Yet, as Cast Away nears its 25th anniversary later this year, it’s clear that the major plot point given away in its trailer ultimately doesn’t harm the movie’s emotional impact.
Why Chuck Leaving The Island Isn’t The Main Point Of Castaway’s Ending
The Film Rewards Audiences With A Hopeful Outlook On Life
Despite Cast Away‘s ending being revealed in its trailer, it’s still considered to be one of the best human versus nature movies ever made. The payoff of Cast Away‘s narrative ultimately isn’t dependent on whether audiences are aware of Chuck’s rescue ahead of time. It’s the lessons learned during his years-long isolation and the all-encompᴀssing transformation he goes through that truly make Cast Away‘s ending emotionally rewarding.
Upon his return home, Chuck, as expected, is a changed man. During his time on the island, Chuck goes through a range of life-altering experiences that most people only encounter many years apart, if ever. From having to accept that help isn’t arriving anytime soon to the devastating loss of his strange, inanimate companion, Chuck’s outlook on life following his return home is drastically different.
Cast Away explores themes of resilience and hope in both Chuck’s life on and off the island. Following the trying chapter of Chuck’s life on the island, he is met with the fact that life has continued for those he was once close to years prior. At the end of the film, Chuck is at a crossroads, literally and figuratively, where he ponders what path life will take him down now. It’s a bittersweet and hopeful ending that resonates with audiences and proves that the reveal of Chuck’s fate isn’t detrimental to Cast Away‘s overall message.
