Powerful

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Several years ago my brother and I tried, largely in vain, to find a Robinson Crusoe film adaptation that satisfied our deep curiosity with the story. We had read the fabulous work and knew its major themes, so searching for a visual adaptation was exciting. We found one version with Pierce Brosnan and then a black and white one, both of which were not fulfilling. This movie picks up the quest for a visual characterization of Daniel Defoe's title character and leaves me somewhat satisfied, at least more so than the previous ones I've seen. Missing the first few minutes, I began in on the movie just after Crusoe is shipwrecked. The film has great visuals and moves from one event/occurrence to another pretty steadily, but it was lacking in both depth of the Crusoe character and a general study of the character's relationship to nature and God, two aspects that the original story effectively focuses on. I did not experience a depth of connection with Aidan Quinn, who played Crusoe, and it feels like he is more just a random character in a made for TV movie rather than the rugged, time tested, and matured Robinson Crusoe I tend to imagine. I kept hoping the movie would have a "7" or "14" or even "21 years later" scene where we gasp and wonder how the time has changed Crusoe and wonder what he's been up to, like in "Cast Away" with Chuck Nolan. While there are some touching moments, I give it 6/10 stars for the previous reasons. I wanted a more integrated piece that zeroes in on the man Robinson Crusoe rather than a film that jumps from one island event to another and doesn't return to the title character and his story. Still, it's watchable.

This 1988 revision of Daniel Dafoe's popular desert island survival adventure has enough of a modern conscience to suggest a tropical variation of 'The Defiant Ones', with Virginia gentleman slave trader Crusoe (no first name is given: could it be Robinson?) shipwrecked off the African coast and chained by circumstance to a native tribesman. Director Caleb Deschanel brings to his own film some of the same meticulous attention to visual detail from his work elsewhere as an ace cinematographer, in this instance hiding the shortcomings of an underdeveloped screenplay behind lots of glorious surf-and-sand imagery. The story itself, perhaps because of its familiarity in outline, unfolds with a surprising lack of emotion for such a compelling scenario. Little information is offered about its protagonist except that he's a bigot with a lesson to learn, so what little character he has isn't very sympathetic. But the idea alone still carries a lingering fascination, making the film a consistently interesting if not always very involving experience.

This version is a good watch and a freshened version of the Robinson Crusoe franchise.It shows how a lonely man can survive on tropical island.Beautiful shooting shows the great colors of the scenery of the island they were on.I originally only caught the first few minutes of this movie and enjoyed it and later found it on again and watched it to it's finish.Takes a few surprising turns that I have not seen in other versions.I felt from the start of this movie was very real of what was happening in the slave trade and Crusoe mentions this to his first captured slave.Enjoyable to watch, I recommend this for those 12 years old and above.

This almost wordless version, is my favorite, it captures the lonely feeling of being lost on a beautiful Island. A man lost to the world with no one to help him, finds he needs companionship. The actors did a great job expressing the parts. I feel the writer's human approach to expressing the conflict between the white and the black man shows for all to see that we are, all, in the human race and need to learn to overcome our superior selfishness whether white or black. These 2 men become friends even to learning from each other and they both show they are indeed able to share there lives with respect for each other. They learn to trust each other and to protect each other. The haunting theme music so sets off this story. It sets the stage with the emotion, giving the viewer a real feel for the truths in this wonderful story.