Previously directing cinematic titans such as Back to the Future, Cast Away and Forrest Gump, Robert Zemeckis is back with Here. But, despite having a catalogue of great films, Here doesn't achieve such heights. Based upon a great and innovative idea, Here pushes the boundaries of filmmaking yet fails to become a worthwhile watch.
The film itself centres on the concept of the passage of time and the transience of individuals' lives within one particular house. We watch as generations pass by, from the beginning of time itself to the construction of a house to the numerous different inhabitants of that home. All of these moments are captured through the same fixed shot from the corner of the room. The unmoving, static cinematography is one of the most immediately recognizable creative decisions evident throughout the film.
I was initially hesitant about this particular creative decision, as I worried that the cinematography would make the film feel stagnant, uninventive and monotonous. However, a number of stylistic techniques used in Here refuse to make the cinematography boring. Instead, it employs frames within the overall shot to provide the audience with a snapshot of a particular corner of the room either in the past or future state of the home. The use of frames within frames is a nuanced and highly effective tool, acting as portals to moments in time. This, alongside the film's fast-paced editing, create an impressive and highly stylized film. Unfortunately, the cinematography and editing are the only positive features of Here.
Here has already gained increased attention due to the casting of Robin Wright and Tom Hanks, marking their first on-screen pairing since Forrest Gump. However, throughout Here, their reunion lacks chemistry.
With its fixed shot, the film plays out like a theatrical production, and so performances feel heightened, and as though they belong on the stage. This proves to be both a blessing and a curse for the film. The theatricality maintains the film's momentum, yet it hinders the audience from having any emotional attachment with the characters on screen. Even at a pivotal moment in the film for both central characters, it barely scratches the surface of emotions.
Here is a whirlwind of under-developed characters from across generations who inhabit the house. What materializes is a messy and thoughtless storyline that's immediately forgettable. The film may have some interesting and nuanced visual elements, but it doesn't deliver an engaging or even remotely interesting plot to back it up.
Here presents its audience members with a vision of what pushing stylistic boundaries in cinema can look like through its cinematography and the inclusion of AI to de-age actors. Pushing past cinematic boundaries has long been a trope of Zemeckis's work, but Here provides an exemplary illustration of how such stylistic elements can effectively be wasted on a plot that is embryonic and, to be blunt, a yawn.