All is Lost

Castaway + Perfect Storm

I always enjoy looking for the title of a movie in the dialogue, and this one hits it right away in the opening monologue. Is that a good thing? probably not.

The viewer does start off the movie with a bunch of questions, so that keep us invested. I want to know what's inside! And how it got there!

The main character's expression also help tell most of the story, and plenty of close shots keeps up invested in his well-being.

I don't know a lot about sailboats, but I was under the impression that if you flip one over multiple times, it doesn't come back up; and certainly not devoid of water.

Overall, I feel like I was re-watching Castaway, or Open Water, without much of a back story. So I find myself rooting for a stranger simply because he (I assume) put himself in a scenario that pits him against nature.

The factor that does redeem an otherwise bland movie is the amazing imagery. The angles are fresh, and are a good mix of the 3rd person and the 1st person perspectives. It's just enough to perpetuate my irrational fear of the open ocean. If it wasn't shot so well I probably would have tuned out a lot sooner.

The story line reminds me of The Pit by Edgar Allan Poe, where just before the man takes his last step into the pit, he feels a hand reach out and grab him.

As for the ending... What ending? It was frustrating as hell. Who was this guy? Why did he get lost? Who saved him? Don't get me wrong, Redford did a great job with the script he had, I'm just not very impressed by the lack of story line.