Here marks the fifth collaboration between the powerful actor/director duo of Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis. The pair previously worked together on the Oscar-winning classic Forest Gump, Cast Away, The Polar Express, and the 2022 adaptation of Pinocchio. With this movie, they are treading new grounds for what looks to be another epic.
Here is the latest movie to jump on the de-ageing bandwagon, showing the characters traverse different stages in their lives. The movie has not yet been released worldwide, however, it has been screened at the AFI Fest. So, here’s everything we know about the movie so far, including plot details, casting lineups and early critical reviews.
What Is the Plot of Here?
Here travels through multiple generations as it explores the seminal moments in the lives of a group of families who occupy the same home through different time periods. Although the premise sounds simple, the film is described as an original and unique story. As well as Tom Hanks re-teaming with Robert Zemeckis, Here also pairs together Zemeckis with Eric Roth, the Oscar-winning scribe of Forest Gump, and movies such as The Insider, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Dune: Part One. What’s so different about the movie is how it was filmed. Here was filmed with only one camera per scene, making the movie feel much more like a stage play. To that, with the de-ageing techniques aside, it is much more a character study that relies on dialogue and the chemistry of its stars.
Who Stars in the Movie?
For such a challenging style of film, Here is not only in safe hands with its director Zemeckis and writer Roth, it is led by two-time Oscar-winner Tom Hanks and 8-time Primetime Emmy nominee, Robin Wright. The movie serves as their first onscreen reunion after 1994’s Forest Gump. In Here, they play Richard and Margaret, a husband and wife who grow up in the same house that Richard’s parents originally inhabited. In order to portray the characters at younger stages in their lives, Zemeckis used a new generative artificial intelligence technology called Metaphysic Live. Alongside Hanks and Wright are a plethora of acclaimed actors, including Paul Bettany as Richard’s father Al, and Kelly Reilly as his mother Rose.
When Will ‘Here’ Be Released?
Here had its world premiere at the AFI Fest on October 25, 2024. It was then released in the United States by TriStar Pictures through through Sony Pictures Releasing on November 1, 2024. UK audiences will have to wait until 2025 to see the movie. Here will land in UK cinemas on January 17, 2024.
What the Early Reviews Tell Us
After its premiere, Here was met with mixed reviews from critics. When it hit US movie theaters on November 1, audiences were also pretty divided. Although Tom Hanks and Robin Wright have both received adequate levels of praise for their performances, it seems many found it difficult to get on board with the de-ageing. AI is a sensitive subject in the entertainment industry right now, and frankly, a sensitive subject across the whole world. So, the film was inevitably going to create somewhat of a stir upon release.
Many would think that with how fast AI is growing, Here could have taken big strides forward from 2019’s The Irishman, which was also met with negative attention for its technological post-production tricks. However, a lot of people seemingly still feel the same in 2024. BBC Culture called the AI aspect of the movie “unsettling”, whilst The Guardian gave the movie a 1-star review and called it “a total horror show”. And it wasn’t just the new technology they weren’t fond of. They stated how the movie’s historical narrative was “told in the briefest, and blandest, of snippets”, and the film is “never even in a brief moment persuasive enough to justify such a bizarre concept.”
However, Hanks and Wright stand by their work. When sitting down with The New York Times, the co-stars were prodded about the negative reception. While Hanks clarified that the response could only be cynical for “the lowest common denominator,” Wright defended the film, saying it is a basic yet beautiful film that is profoundly real and human. But the question is – will Here be in the running for Oscar contention come 2025? Well, it’s possible considering that almost every major member of the production has a history with the ceremony, however, it is a very competitive season so far.
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