As a longtime admirer of cinema and its power to transport us through time and space, I must confess that my anticipation for Robert Zemeckis’ latest offering, “Here,” was palpable. Having grown up on the enchanting tale of Forrest Gump, the reunion between Tom Hanks and Robin Wright under Zemeckis’ direction seemed like a dream come true. Alas, after reading through the mixed reviews that have surfaced post-screening at AFI Fest, I find myself in a state of dismay.
Tom Hanks and Robin Wright made a lasting impact in cinematic history by starring in Robert Zemeckis’ critically-acclaimed dramedy “Forrest Gump,” which is considered one of the top movies from the ’90s. Viewers were spellbound by their acting, but also enjoyed the palpable chemistry between them. Fast forward to 2025, Hanks and Wright are teaming up with Zemeckis again for the movie “Here.” However, early reviews suggest that it’s not receiving rave responses. In fact, several critics have voiced similar criticisms.
This week at AFI Fest, Robert Zemeckis’ most recent movie was unveiled, following which an abundance of reviews from critics emerged. As hinted in the trailer, this film departs from conventional storytelling techniques by keeping the camera stationary throughout. This creative choice allows viewers to witness how a space evolves over time, from the ancient era to the present. Over this span, a house is constructed and various families reside within it, their significant milestones being documented as time progresses.
Numerous reviews thus far have pointed out flaws in the storyline and creative choices regarding visual style in the movie adaptation of Back to the Future. Unlike Richard McGuire’s 2014 graphic novel, which focuses on a single viewpoint per panel, THR’s David Rooney suggests that this approach doesn’t translate well for a feature film.
By replicating the graphic novel’s approach three-dimensionally, Zemeckis’ film becomes like a living diorama with insets providing windows into the past and future. Purely from a craft standpoint, it’s mesmerizing, even beautiful, for a while. Until it’s not. Zemeckis for years now has been fixated on technology and its visual capabilities, to the point where he neglects the rudiments of story and character development. The vignettes here return frequently to the same families at different moments in their lives, but rarely settle in for long enough to sustain narrative momentum or give the characters much depth.
The movie makes use of a similar technology for character de-aging as seen in films like “The Irishman” and “Gemini Man”. This technique is particularly noticeable in the portrayal of Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, who play the couple Richard and Margaret Young. Critic Peter Debruge from Variety expressed criticism towards this technological aspect, along with expressing reservations about the depth and development of the film’s characters.
In a simpler and more conversational style: Just like in ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ and ‘The Polar Express’, Zemeckis has consistently shown a knack for innovation but sometimes struggles with overly sentimental elements. This trend carries over to ‘Here’, where instead of creating well-rounded characters, he focuses on perfecting the digital makeup technology, much like Scorsese did in ‘The Irishman’. Ironically, this approach detracts from what Zemeckis intended to emphasize: the essence of life itself.
According to IGN’s Siddhant Adlakha, he shares this view that the movie isn’t one of Robert Zemeckis’ top works. During his review, Adlakha also voiced his disappointment with the film’s use of de-aging technology and its unusual camera angles. The film, which features Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly, and Michelle Dockery among its cast, was the subject of his critique.
In this rephrased version, the statement aims to convey that the movie appears to be an adaptation of McGuire’s work, yet its theatrical style makes it seem implausible for Hanks and Wright to be digitally de-aged. The unique viewpoint, Bettany’s overdramatic acting and accent, the moon serving as a light source for soliloquies, the use of wings for characters to enter or exit scenes, and the staging with a left-side entrance and an off-camera space “downstage” contribute to the sensation that the movie resembles a recorded stage performance, despite having high-quality visual effects.
Some critics have expressed praise for the drama movie, despite its imperfections. Pete Hammond from Deadline noted that while the director of Cast Away’s new work has some issues, he admired the dedication of the Academy Award-winning director and the entire production team in the end.
In this piece, we find an innovative endeavor, a refreshing break from the numerous follow-ups that dominated the year. However, it may not hit the mark perfectly in all aspects. For my part, I struggled to keep myself detached from its emotional impact, but by the culmination, I succumbed and shed more than one tear while contemplating our continually evolving existence on this planet and the necessity of clinging to the positive aspects of life, even during the most challenging periods.
Despite some critics finding the unconventional camera angles and aggressive de-aging techniques a bit overboard, Mashable’s Kristy Puchko praised Robert Zemeckis for his bold attempts. However, she shared similar concerns with her fellow reviewers about the somewhat rough technical elements of the movie.
maybe portraying this idea of a physical location acting like a palimset, where characters coexist in separate lives, would have had a stronger impact on a stage or as a visual display in an art gallery. On stage, dialogue could be minimized to let the audience interpret actions freely instead of being guided through the emotions. If it were presented on a stage, the aging of the characters could be shown using costumes, gestures, wigs and makeup rather than the advanced technology used by Zemeckis in Here.
If you’ve been eagerly anticipating the reunion of the main actors and director from Forrest Gump, a movie available for streaming with a Paramount+ subscription, you might be let down by many reactions to it. However, it’s best to watch this film yourself to form your own opinion. Additionally, if you enjoy films starring Robin Wright and Tom Hanks, there might be something in this movie that appeals to you. It will be showing in theaters on November 1, so don’t miss out!
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2024-10-26 20:07