Special Notes:
DVD jacket erroneously states a 2.35:1 aspect ratio (“Cast Away” is presented in its correct theatrical ratio of 1.85:1).

Story Synopsis:
Chuck Noland (Hanks) is a oft-traveling systems engineer for Federal Express who is consumed by the seconds that tick away on the clock. Even a phone call to his girlfriend Kelly (Hunt) is tic-tock, tic-tock fast. To be fair, that is what his job’s all about. But, as fate would have it, a plane crash leaves Chuck Cast Away on a remote and quite deserted island with nothing but time...lots and lots of time. Now, along with having to deal with his basic survival, Chuck must come to grips with his personal demons as well...with only his pal “Wilson” to keep him company. (Laurie Sevano)

DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 1.85:1 DVD (also THX Digitally Mastered, though not credited on the jacket) picture is very nicely rendered. Images are sharp and detailed, with good contrast and shadow delineation. Viewing in a completely blackened room is recommended to allow for optimal visual information in the darkest scenes, like those seemingly lit by only moonlight. When the plane crashes into the ocean in the middle of the night, the picture is appropriately very dark, but just enough lighting is provided to see what is going on along with the incredible audio. Actually, many scenes set on the island were shot day-for-night, but rather than using filters, the filmmakers digtitally created incredible night skies and darkened the scenes to match, drawing out the shadows for a deeper, more realistic appearance that might closely resemble what the eye would see in the same circumstances. The result is a realistic, chilling visual experience, with many scenes nearly totally black. When the film progresses to the island, colors are lush and rich, with gorgeous blues in the sky and water. Unfortunately, edge enhancement is apparent, giving the picture a hard-edged character. (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
The 5.1-channel discrete sound mix with Surround EX encoding is certainly a sonic achievement, in terms of creativity, sound design and the sheer capability of Randy Thom and the team at Skywalker Sound to create multi-textured, various soundstages as essential elements in the storytelling through the use of sound. It therefore makes sense to analyze the soundtrack not as a whole, but rather piecemeal in correlation with the different stages of the movie. For the opening and concluding sequences, the audio is generally balanced toward the screen, with scenes consisting of a wide, nicely expansive sonic image, along with dialogue-centric, indoor scenes for which the audio is mostly oriental toward center channel. For the settings at the airport, there is the pleasing, holosonic sense of being in the midst of planes in motion around you. The back surround channel also figures effectively with creating the sense of expansiveness and panning in the surround soundstage. But the critical storm sequence during the ill-fated FedEx flight is what really energizes the soundfield, and in this respect the listening experience is absolutely captivating, emotionally gripping, and awesome. The surrounds are prominent almost throughout this sequence, and the back surround channel really adds of the sense of space and envelopment. Bass is penetrating and extremely deep at times with substantial intensity, and the roar of the aircraft engines, particularly prior to the explosion as one of them makes impact with the sea, is downright dramatic. The .1 LFE is only used sparingly (though at substantive levels), so be sure to have fully capable, full-range main speakers, or else proper bass management in order to fully appreciate the low-end prominence. And then for the primary focus of the story, on the desolate island, the soundfield originates primarily from the front channels, apparently to help impart the sense of being totally isolated. The selection, creation and placement of sound effects have been purposefully executed to accentuate the sense of being in a solitary environment. There are certain effects in particular that serve to effectively tune to the listener into the “loneliness” of the action on-screen, some through their sheer distinctiveness among the predominant quiescence, notably the impact of the gourds falling off their trees. But the sounds of the breezes, as well as of the waves in their various states of intensities also serve as the underlying emotional foundation, in lieu of an actual music score. The imaging across the screen is impressively deep and panoramic, and the use of dynamic range to contrast the quiescence with specific effects is compelling. The interspersed instances, for which the surrounds come subtly alive are dramatic and enveloping, particularly with some of the night scenes, the rain sequences and being underwater. Alan Silvestri’s music score has been well-recorded and distributed throughout the listening space, its acuteness with carrying the emotional momentum likely being the most dramatic in Chapter 24, with the emotional loss of “Wilson.” The DTS Digital Surround version, which is also compatible with DTS-ES decoders, delivers just a slightly preferred listening experience in terms of the articulation of the spatial soundfield. The low-end with both soundtracks is impressive. This is a wonderful soundtrack and a creative achievement for which the sound is an absolute, critical element in the storytelling. (Perry Sun)

This Disc Contains The Following WSR-Rated Superb Qualities:
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality
Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality
Superb Music Score Recording Quality
Reference Quality
Collector Edition