History Fridge / CastAway

* Compare the scene where he climbs to the top of the island for the first time and grasps his situation with the final scene at the crossroads-360 degrees of isolation compared to the infinite pathways the crossroads represent. It's that contrast that hits him in that moment.

* Chuck apologizes for not being there for the funeral of Stan's wife. The horror kicks in when you realize that Chuck was going to call a doctor he knew to have a look at Stan's wife, but due to the plane crash, he never got to make that call. That leaves the possibility that due to Chuck not being able to make the call, Stan's wife wasn't able to be diagnosed and treated sooner, and that Stan's wife may have been still alive if the plane crash hadn't occurred.

* We see the hard work that goes into making rope for Chuck's raft--he pulls small saplings, strips the bark, weaves it together, etc. Now picture him going through this painstaking process for the first time--all with the goal of ''making a noose to hang himself with!''

* One possible reason Chuck has another Wilson volleyball at the end of the film, was he bought it and is planning on delivering it to the original person who ordered one. That is of course if he remembers the address.

* We see the hard work that goes into making rope for Chuck's raft--he pulls small saplings, strips the bark, weaves it together, etc.. Now picture him going through this painstaking process for the first time--all with the goal of ''making a noose to hang himself with!''

* Chuck apologizes for not being there for the funeral of Stan's wife. The horror kicks in when you realize that Chuck was going to call a doctor he knew to have a look at Stan's wife, but due to the plane crash, he never got to make that call. That leaves the possibility that due to Chuck not being able to make the call, Stan's wife may have been diagnosed and treated sooner, and that Stan's wife may have been still alive if the plane crash hadn't occurred.

* The same coral reef that kept larger, more dangerous fish away from him also kept him from leaving the island, or being able to attract attention from passing ships.

* The same coral reef that kept larger, more dangerous fish away from him also kept him from leaving the island, or being able to attract attention from passing ships.

[[AC:FridgeLogic]]
* Near the end of the movie, Kelly shows Chuck charts detailing where he was found, where the island was, and how far he drifted - how the heck did anyone figure out the last two?
** Sea currents would be one major aid. Since he wasn't traveling under his own power for the most part, he'd be at the mercy of the currents. Knowing where he was picked up, they could at the very least back track along the current. But also consider that he got to the island because of a plane crash - even if the black box is unrecoverable, they could find out where the plane might have had troubles (certainly the pilots would have said as much over the radio). So there's more information available than might otherwise seem.
** His description of the island's size and layout could narrow it down further, as even tiny islands which nobody's visited for decades are at least documented by oceanographic surveys.
* The arrival of the cargo ship is rightly labeled a DeusExMachina on the main page--it seems quite improbable that Chuck's tiny raft would be spotted by a ship of that size. But recall that the scene begins with Chuck being splashed by the spray of a whale's blowhole, and it becomes easier to imagine crewmembers, idly whale watching on deck, having their eyes drawn to Chuck's position by the whale surfacing nearby.
** The way he was ignoring the splashing and noise makes it seem that he thinks another whale pod is passing by.

* We see the hard work that goes into making rope for Chuck's raft--he pulls small saplings, strips the bark, weaves it together, etc.. Now picture him going through this painstaking process for the first time--all with the goal of ''making a noose to hang himself with''.

* The arrival of the cargo ship is rightly labeled a DeusExMachina on the main page--it seems quite improbable that Chuck's tiny raft would be spotted by a ship of that size. But recall that the scene begins with Chuck being splashed by the spray of a whale's blowhole, and it becomes easier to imagine crewmembers, idly whale watching on deck, having their eyes drawn to Chuck's position by the whale surfacing nearby.

* The first time Chuck attempts to leave the island and gets slammed down by a wave, he falls on an underwater coral reef, puncturing his leg. His underwater scream sells just how painful it is. Becomes Fridge Horror when you think about how such a massive wound might get infected.

* The title itself, referring to the fact that the film is mostly Creator/TomHanks on his own, i.e. with the rest of the cast away.

** His description of the island's size and layout could narrow it down further, as even tiny islands which nobody's visited for decades are at least documented by oceanographic surveys.

* We see the hard work that goes into making rope for Chuck's raft--he pulls small saplings, strips the bark, weaves it together, etc.. Now picture him going through this painstaking process for the first time--all with the goal of making a noose to hang himself with.

** Sea currents would be one major aid. Since he wasn't traveling under his own power for the most part, he'd be at the mercy of the currents. Knowing where he was picked up, they could at the very least back track along the current. But also consider that he got to the island because of a plane crash - even if the black box is unrecoverable, they could find out where the plane might have had troubles (certainly the pilots would have said as much over the radio). So there's more information available than might otherwise seem.

* Sea currents would be one major aid. Since he wasn't traveling under his own power for the most part, he'd be at the mercy of the currents. Knowing where he was picked up, they could at the very least back track along the current. But also consider that he got to the island because of a plane crash - even if the black box is unrecoverable, they could find out where the plane might have had troubles (certainly the pilots would have said as much over the radio). So there's more information available than might otherwise seem.

* Near the end of the movie, Kelly shows Chuck charts detailing where he was found, where the island was, and how far he drifted - how the heck did anyone figure out the last two?

** In the parody [=FedEx=] commercial, it was, along with a GPS, fishing rod, water purifier, and seeds. In an earlier version of the script, two bottles of Salsa Verde.

* What if the last unopened package contained a waterproof satellite phone with heavy duty battery?