Netflix Just Added One of the Best Survival Dramas of All Time

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Stories about people fighting to survive in dangerous situations are incredibly gripping, and we often wonder how we’d cope in the same scenario. This explains the enduring popularity of survival movies, from well-loved films like The Blue Lagoon and Into the Wild to more recent releases like Sydney Sweeney’s Eden. A highly-regarded survival film from 2000 continues to be considered one of the genre’s best, and is now available to stream on Netflix.

After the success of Forrest Gump in 1994, director Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks teamed up again in 2000 for the well-known survival story Cast Away. The film stars Hanks as Chuck Noland, a FedEx employee who becomes stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. It became available on Netflix on December 7th and was both a critical and financial success, earning two Academy Award nominations and making over $429 million around the world.

Cast Away Is the Survival Genre at Its Best

Tom Hanks first conceived of Cast Away after considering what it would be like to face years of complete despair without basic necessities. He told The Hollywood Reporter that the idea came to him while reading about FedEx and imagining a plane crashing mid-flight—given that 747s regularly cross the Pacific. The resulting film redefined the survival genre, going beyond physical struggles to explore the deep emotional and psychological impact of extreme isolation.

As a movie fan, I think Cast Away is just incredible. It’s a really moving story about being totally alone, how much we need each other, and never giving up. The film throws you right into the life of a guy who loses everything and has to figure out what really matters. And Tom Hanks? Seriously, it’s one of his best performances ever. He carries almost the entire movie, often with very little dialogue, and he makes you feel everything Chuck is going through – not just battling the island, but battling himself. Seeing him desperately try to connect with something, anything, is both exciting and heartbreaking. And let’s be real, Wilson the volleyball isn’t just a prop, it’s a symbol of his fight against loneliness – a truly iconic movie moment.

The film set a new standard for survival stories and remains one of Robert Zemeckis’s most critically acclaimed movies, boasting an 88% ‘Fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It continues to be a fan favorite, and Tom Hanks himself considers it his second-favorite film, surpassed only by A League of Their Own.

What’s New on Netflix?

While Cast Away is new to Netflix, it’s just one of many recent additions. Throughout December, the service also added films like Godzilla and another Tom Hanks classic, Forrest Gump. Other newly available movies include Pulp Fiction, Troll 2, The Northman, and both the 2004 and 2024 versions of Mean Girls.

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2025-12-13 20:25