HERE
Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, and Kelly Reilly
Director: Robert Zemeckis
NICK
To call Robert Zemeckis' latest "ambitious" would be an understatement. Spanning centuries, Here is a unique stage play that could never be made on stage due to its effects and necessary budget. Unfortunately, maybe it shouldn't have been made for the screen either, as the technology required to pull this off just doesn't exist yet — something the finished product magnifies. Uneven visual effects aside, the story is inoffensive yet emotionally cold. This should have pulled at my heartstrings, but a mix of lackluster performances and distorted visuals create a disconnect that may actually be the greatest flaw of this notably flawed feature.
ADRIANO
Director Robert Zemeckis seems to be continuing his downward spiral with Here. As an experiment where he tells a story through time with a static camera angle, it is a failure. The technology just isn't there, from the wonky de-aging to the baffling transition choices, to the fact that the movie just looks so visually off-putting the whole time. On top of that, the story also is a big miss. While mostly inoffensive, the movie constantly shifts through non-linear moments that feel like non-sequiturs that remove any emotional impact from the main storyline. All in all, Here didn't anger me, but it's a huge misfire.
