Robert Zemeckis’ Here: reactions praise de-aging effects, unique concept

Last Updated on November 1, 2024

If there’s one topic in Hollywood right now that gets the most discussion, it’s probably the use of AI. And if there’s one film right now that is taking full advantage of it, it’s Robert Zemeckis’ Here. Now, ahead of the movie’s November 1st release, the first reactions are coming out of AFI Fest.

By and large, it seems like Robert Zemeckis pulled off an incredible feat with Here, which has the bonus gimmick of being shot from the same angle for the movie’s duration. Check out some of the reactions below:

We all sort of figured that getting Tom Hanks and Robin Wright back together on the big screen for the first time since Forrest Gump would be a win, but it’s great to see that the de-aging effects work and actually enhance the film (finally!), which relies so much on them.

However, it hasn’t been all praise for Here, with some pointing out that Robert Zemeckis and Eric Roth (his Oscar-winning Forrest Gump partner) haven’t delivered a faithful adaptation of the source, actually a graphic novel. There, too, have been criticisms against the tone and performances.

While the reactions right now to Robert Zemeckis’ latest are a mixed bag, even the more negatively skewed reviews of Here make me want to see it even more just to see how he handles the concept. Zemeckis has always been one on the cutting edge of technology, and there’s something to admire even with duds like his mo-cap experiments The Polar Express and A Christmas Carol. And when he’s on, he is on, as the visual effects in films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Back to the Future are stunning and still remain prime examples of how to do it all without flaw.

On the perspective of Here, Robert Zemeckis said, “The single perspective never changes, but everything around it does. It’s actually never been done before. There are similar scenes in very early silent movies, before the language of montage was invented. But other than that, yeah, it was a risky venture. That’s the excitement of it. What passes by this view of the universe? I think it’s an interesting way to do a meditation on mortality. It taps into the universal theme that everything passes.”

What do you make of the first reaction to Robert Zemeckis’ Here? Are you more intrigued or will you be passing on this one?