The first reviews of Tom Hanks' new film are in and critics agree that the Forrest Gump reunion movie isn't great

Critics' reviews of Tom Hanks' new film Herehave arrived, but they are not that great. Based on the 2014 graphic novel by Richard McGuire, Here tells the story of several generations of couples and families who have lived in the same house for centuries. Flower Moon Killer Screenwriter Eric Roth co-wrote the film with Academy Award-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, who also produced and directed the film. Here The film stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, appearing on screen for the first time since co-starring in Zemeckis' 1994 film Forrest Gumpalong with Paul Bettany and Kelly Reilly.

The first reviews for Here are in, and Critics were generally unimpressed Forrest Gump reunion. The Daily Beast called the film by Robert Zemeckis “an embarrassment.” IndieWire echoes the same sentiment and accuses the director of wasting time.a de-aged Tom Hanks and Robin Wright.” IGN points out that the film is “some of the things that make it a movie,” while The Hollywood Reporter accuses him of boxing Guiding stars. UPI expresses that the film “the heart is missing.“

Why the reviews here are so bad

Critics say technology overshadows characters and storytelling

The Daily Beast supported his argument by arguing that the film did not take advantage of its unique concept: “appears to be intended for investigation“It doesn’t matter either.”the tension between what is inside and outside its frame. Instead, the director is “What is most important is to represent the totality of modern life in a single structure.” diversity explained that during “Deep thoughts can be found down such rabbit holes” and during Here “around“Points in the”right direction,” it is distracted with “a handful of much flatter threads,” namely the “Disappointed generic lives of four families.“

On a technical level deadline praised the director's efforts to mix.the latest film technologies” with “understandable stories” But instead of sending”its cast of characters dating back more than a century takes us back in time“the director”Let time come to them on a single piece of land.” The review further argued that the placement of the camera “in a stable position“to capture the lives of the characters, Here would have made a “Great theater piece with the opportunity for dazzling scene changes“However, the film took”the cinematic route” instead, which counteracted his efforts.

Here a dark critical phase continues for Robert Zemeckis

He's had a number of Rotten Tomatoes flops

At the time of writing, 12 reviews have been summarized Here on Rotten Tomatoes, which earned it a solid 25% Rotten rating. Although it will almost certainly fluctuate as more ratings are added, it is low enough that it will likely remain Rotten. This continues the bleak outcome of Robert Zemeckis's most recent films He hasn't received a Fresh rating for any of his directorial works since 2016 with his war film by Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard Alliedwhich, with a value of 60%, just exceeded the Fresh threshold. Below you can see how his follow-up films fared:

If the score stays the same, the new Tom Hanks film will stand as Zemeckis' worst score yet in this poorly rated series. It will be like that too the worst result for any film he has ever directedalthough he received lower scores for projects he produced or executive produced, including Thirteen ghosts (19%), Ghost ship (15%), Gothica (15%), Tales From the Crypt presents Bordello of Blood (14%), The harvest (8%) and 2001 ritual (0%). Zemeckis also developed the story for Brothel of Blood with his frequent collaborator Bob Gale.

This negative reception for Here Is a piece of how Zemeckis' technological experiments have resonated with critics in recent years. At the same time, he became known as a special effects innovator with well-reviewed early classics, including 1984's Back to the future (93%), 1988 Who framed Roger Rabbit? (96%) and even Forrest Gump (76%), all of which were certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, his experiments with modern CGI have become increasingly strange to critics. This started in 2004 The Polar Express (56%) but spread quickly with titles including A Christmas story (52%), Welcome to Marwenand the live-action remake of Pinocchio.

Our opinion on the Here reviews

It's a bold experiment with mistakes

Given the way it is presented in the Here trailer, the new film has a very ambitious premise. The “tree house” idea of ​​placing the camera in the middle of a single house is very intriguing, which means Expectations for this experiment may be too high. Critics generally agree that the film's focus is on the technology that brings it to the screen rather than its main characters, which appears to have distracted the film from telling a humanly relatable story with emotional impact.

Here is a bold experiment from the director and top notch actor, but it's not even close Forrest Gumpapproach to time. The film seems to have lost its bearings while playing with new technologies and experimental methods of filmmaking. For a filmmaker known for pushing boundaries, it makes sense to focus on innovation and changing the way stories are told. Unfortunately it seems that way Here is not perfect.

There is a lot to be learned from the experiment, but without filmmakers like Zemeckis being curious and restless and trying, there will be no progress. Here is a necessary experimenteven though it may seem like a failure in many ways.

Source: Various (see above)

A young couple expecting their first child takes in his husband's estranged, ailing mother. Set in a single room, the story spans multiple generations and captures moments of love, loss and everyday life in the same space. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Paul Bettany, the film uses groundbreaking technology to age actors and features a unique, stationary camera perspective throughout its running time.

director

Robert Zemeckis

Release date

November 15, 2024

Studio(s)

MiraMax, Playtone, ImageMovers

Sales partner

TriStar Images

writer

Eric Roth, Robert Zemeckis

Duration

104 minutes

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