Almost 30 years ago, Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and Robert Zemeckis made movie history with Forrest Gump; one of the best '90s movies that still holds up for its fans. So it only feels fitting that the trio reunite on the 2024 movie schedule to try and win our hearts over again with the experimental film Here. While the first trailer is as brilliantly bonkers as you’d think, I’m actually kind of ready for people to start meme-ing Gump all over again as a result.
I only say this because of the concept we have at hand here, which is based off of author Richard McGuire’s graphic novel of the same title. Thanks to the first footage released by Tri Star Pictures, we can now see Here’s bold concept at work. And even the studio knew to acknowledge the strong collaboration of its contributors, as seen in this synopsis:
From the reunited director, writer, and stars of Forrest Gump, Here is an original film about multiple families and a special place they inhabit. The story travels through generations, capturing the human experience in its purest form
That is a quintessential Robert Zemeckis story, right down to Tom Hanks and Robin Wright playing their characters through several phases of life. And from the looks of it, the living room area is going to be the sole focus of Here’s uplifting and heartbreaking story. There's a very strong potential here that this movie could become known as one of the best Tom Hanks movies, as well as one of Robin Wright's finest films.
Which leads to why I’m ready for Forrest Gump to continue upholding its tradition as having one of the best '90s movie characters still discussed to this day, in the lead up to this picture’s release. No, I’m not talking about the fact that screenwriter Eric Roth is also reuniting with the Gump gang to tell the story of Here. Instead, I’m here to represent those who are still crushed by the bittersweet ending of Forrest and Jenny’s love story, as it was first realized 30 years ago.
Casting Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in these roles was a fantastic calculation, and not only because of their acting talents. While there’s definitely going to be sorrow and pain in Here, the movie looks to be overall uplifting. And the meme in particular I’m waiting to see is people celebrating that somehow, in a cosmically roundabout way, Forrest and Jenny got their happy ending.
Though I will admit, it’s hard to look at Here not to feel that sort of nostalgia even without that fictional story at play. I found that to be especially true when looking at this photo of Robert Zemeckis, Tom Hanks, and Robin Wright on the movie’s set:
If I can get geeky with you all for a moment, I’d like to close on one factor that Here seems to be underselling. You see, for as much as Robert Zemeckis has embraced motion capture and digital trickery in the later era of his career, Here looks to be going mostly practical.
Sure, as you can see in the photo above, the gigantic LED screen known as “The Volume” is being used to portray the outside world. But the living room is an actual set, and it looks as if Wright and Hanks are in actual prosthetic makeup in their aged form. I’m sure there’ll be some light CGI enhancements for the younger years, similar to how Kurt Russell’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 transformation was achieved.
But for someone who’s been picked on for falling into the trap of playing with their toys, it’s nice to see Here potentially marking a return to old school techniques for Robert Zemeckis. I mean, lest we forget how that reputation led to questions about the live-action Pinnochio leading up to its release.
Although I will admit, no matter what tech was used on that last scene in the trailer, I think I’d still tear up just the same when hearing Tom Hanks deliver the final line of the trailer, and quite possibly the movie. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s true, as we’ve still got a bit of time before then becomes now. And if you’re as intrigued as I am, Here is where you’ll be, only in theaters, on November 15th.
