Throughout his illustrious career, Tom Hanks has collaborated with numerous acclaimed filmmakers, with Robert Zemeckis being one of his most notable partners.Their first major project was the iconic 1994 film Forrest Gump, which garnered a remarkable 13 Oscar nominations, ultimately winning six prestigious awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director. This monumental success paved the way for further collaborations between Hanks and Zemeckis, although subsequent films did not quite capture the same level of acclaim.
The duo’s next project, 2000’s Cast Away, became both a critical and commercial triumph. However, their joint ventures subsequently included the polarizing The Polar Express in 2004, which was a departure from their initial success, marking a long hiatus in their narrative feature collaborations until the poorly received Pinocchio in 2022.In an unexpected turn, Hanks and Zemeckis reunited in 2024 for another cinematic endeavor, which allowed the director to once again showcase his passion for cutting-edge visual effects and innovative filmmaking techniques.
VFX Artists Commend the Ambitious Visual Effects of Here
A Box Office Disappointment
The film Here received positive feedback from VFX artists despite its underwhelming box office performance. Adapted from Richard McGuire’s graphic novel and released in November 2024, this controversial drama explores the lives of Richard (Hanks) and Margaret (Robin Wright) over several decades in New England, with the camera fixed to a single wall of their home. Although critics largely responded negatively, the film’s theatrical revenue amounted to only $15 million, indicating a significant financial loss. A contributing factor to this divisiveness was the film’s ambitious visual style, including extensive de-aging effects employed on both Hanks and Wright.
The VFX experts at Corridor Crew recently analyzed the film’s opening sequence in an episode of their “VFX Artists React”series. This sequence vividly illustrates prehistoric times, depicting the extinction of dinosaurs. Host Niko Pueringer enthusiastically described the visuals, labeling them as “pretty baller.”As the film transitions to present day, he expresses admiration for how Zemeckis created the aesthetic of the central living room and the view outside the window:
“These are probably real setups, but I can also see them just doing the stuff outside the window as green screen or Volume.”
The de-aging technology applied to Hanks and Wright was also a focal point of discussion among the VFX artists. Guest Freddie Wong noted that Hanks appeared “looking good, ”while also acknowledging some inconsistencies in Wright’s de-aging. Overall, the consensus was that the effects showcased significant advancements in the industry:
“You’re basically looking at fancy, fancy deepfake technology. And of course compositing and all that kind of stuff too. They actually had a thing on set where you could, in real-time, visualize the deepfake on the actors. You could see if it’s kind of working, if the lighting is working, which is really smart. I think that’s like 100% what you need these days. Yeah, it looks pretty good.”
Notably, Robin Wright previously starred alongside Hanks in the beloved classic Forrest Gump.
What Positive VFX Artist Reviews Indicate for Here
Understanding the Reception of Hanks’s Latest Film
With an estimated production budget of around $50 million, Here needed to gross approximately $100 million to break even, making the $15 million box office intake particularly disappointing and resulting in substantial financial losses. The film has earned a meager 37% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while audience approval stands at a milder 59%.In addition, the film holds a user rating of 6.3 out of 10 on IMDb.
This film marks the third consecutive setback for the collaboration between Hanks and Zemeckis, following the lukewarm reception of Pinocchio and the mixed reviews for The Polar Express. While the positive feedback from Corridor Crew may not shift the overall narrative surrounding Here, it underscores the significant creative risks taken in storytelling and filmmaking. Zemeckis’s ambition is commendable, even if the results did not resonate with viewers.
Source: Corridor Crew
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