First reactions to Robert Zemeckis' Here praise de-aging AI

The first reviews for Robert Zemeckis’ latest, Here, offer praise for the de-aging effects but the film might not be a complete success.

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:

#HereMovie Nice to see Tom Hanks & Robin Wright back on the screen together 30 years after #ForrestGump. The de-aging tech in the movie was pretty expressive. It's interesting to see the entire movie from one camera angle about decades stories in one house.For me the stories of… pic.twitter.com/8mp0KJAoKD

— MaggieMinLA (@MaggieMinLA) October 26, 2024

Not a sequel, nor a prequel. No explosions. No superheroes.

I miss movies like this …ORIGINAL CINEMA for grown-ups.

Robert Zemeckis’ new film, “Here”, is quite simply beautiful.

PLEASE see it on the BIG screen and bring the ones you love. pic.twitter.com/MgOmOB8o5V

— Jon Donahue (@JonDonahue) October 26, 2024

#HereMovie is a sweet and grounded storytelling of decades and eras from one location and one camera angle.

Robert Zemeckis is wonderfully innovative with this new cinema eye.

Tom Hanks and Robin Wright are a joy to see back on the screen together 30 years after “Forrest Gump.” pic.twitter.com/ns9Yy3QCwf

— Jeff Conway (@jeffconway) October 26, 2024

Inspired by its graphic novel source material, #HereMovie is high concept filmmaking that takes big swings. The scrambled narrative structure might be too much for some but it finds its feet. Gump alums Hanks and Wright are great together. The de-aging is impressive, not jarring. pic.twitter.com/0eHhE3nhUx

— Simon Thompson (@ShowbizSimon) October 26, 2024

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.

Robert Zemeckis’ #Here/ #HereMovie did NOT work for me. The graphic novel is surely inventive and creative. This adaptation stinks, not honoring source material with proper imternal life. He & Eric Roth would rather give Robin Wright Alzheimer’s than agency. #AFIFest pic.twitter.com/by31VMuapc

— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) October 26, 2024

Zemeckis’ #Here is, by default, his best effort since Allied, but that doesn’t say much. An interesting exploration of spatial limitations isn’t done much favor by the highly theatrical performances and an over-the-top Silvestri score to make up for its emotional shortcomings. pic.twitter.com/u4Glq5eQjd

— PAARONormal Activity Neuwirth 👻 (@AaronsPS4) October 26, 2024

HERE presents an intriguing and ambitious concept: depicting the passage of time from the age of dinosaurs to the present, all within a single location using a fixed, static camera angle. However, in this “Forrest Gump” reunion with Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and screenwriter Eric… pic.twitter.com/ep9oN0Zsh7

— Matt Neglia @AFI (@NextBestPicture) October 26, 2024

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?