Tom Hanks’ upcoming movie uses de-aging technology that I find unnerving, but the film also features a Forrest Gump reunion I am very excited about. In 1994, Tom Hanks starred in the iconic film Forrest Gump under the direction of Robert Zemeckis. Based on the novel Forrest Gump, the film revolves around a man with an IQ of 75 living in the mid-twentieth century who finds himself at the center of world events. Although Forrest Gump was Hanks and Zemeckis’ first project together, it would not be the last.

Tom Hanks has a lengthy filmography, but some of his most notable roles came in movies directed by Robert Zemeckis. The actor and director worked together for Cast Away, The Polar Express, and Disney’s live-action Pinocchio. Zemeckis, in particular, is known for pushing boundaries, using innovative motion capture techniques in movies like Beowulf and A Christmas Carol. Clearly, Here is taking a similar approach, judging by its slightly disturbing de-aging technology. Beyond this, however, the movie promises to deliver a long-awaited reunion that no amount of CGI can ruin for me.

What Is Here About? Tom Hanks De-Aging Movie Explained

Here Spans Many Decades In One Home

Released by TriStar Pictures, Here takes place from a single camera angle, spanning multiple generations in one home without ever leaving the frame. While the film focuses on Hanks and Wright’s characters, Richard and Margaret, the trailer for Here also depicts the passage of time from the same camera angle for millennia. However, Here still primarily concentrates on Richard and Margaret and their lives.

There’s no doubt that Here‘s approach is innovative. However, if the movie wants to provide a comprehensive portrait of two characters’ lives, there are limitations on what techniques it can employ. Unless casting directors cast actors to play their younger selves, de-aging technology is necessary so that Tom Hanks and Robin Wright can accurately portray their characters at various stages of their lives. However unusual it might appear, it’s an inevitable ingredient in the story.

Here’s Tom Hanks De-Aging Looks Weird

Something About Tom Hanks Appearing Younger Is Off

Here‘s de-aging technology is under intense scrutiny, especially since we know what Tom Hanks looked like decades ago because of his long career. Here‘s first look of de-aged Tom Hanks is as if I am looking through a time portal of Tom Hanks’ romantic comedies in the 1980s and 1990s. However, the technology still makes Hanks look strange. He does not look like his authentic younger self; appearing fabricated and somehow artificial. With de-aged technology, Tom Hanks looks like someone remembers him with only a partial memory or half a photograph rather than an accurate portrayal of his younger self.

However, the technology only looks awkward in film stills. In the trailer, where Hanks is in motion, it is far less noticeable. Furthermore, Robert Zemeckis is notorious for toying with technology in his films. The Polar Express combines live action and animation using motion capture to film stage acting, then converts it to computer animation. Zemeckis repeats this with A Christmas Carol and Welcome to Marwin. Here is also not the first film to use de-aging technology, with an estimated 85% of movies using de-aging VFX. Despite these mitigations, however, Here‘s images are still slightly concerning.

Here Reuniting Tom Hanks & Robin Wright Is Still Exciting

Tom Hanks And Robin Wright Reunite For First Time Since Forrest Gump

Despite the concerns about de-aging technology, I am still excited about Here because it features an epic reunion I have been waiting for since Forrest Gump. For the first time since 1994, Hanks and co-star Robin Wright will share the big screen, directed by Robert Zemeckis, the same director as Forrest Gump. This combination sounds promising even though the de-aging technology looks strange. Here‘s premise could not be more different from Forrest Gump, and with Robert Zemecki’s directing history coupled with Hanks and Wright’s acting skills, I am hopeful about this film, despite the weird appearance of the de-aging technology.

However, there have been a few reunions over the years. While Hanks and Wright have not shared the screen since Forrest Gump, Hanks has worked with Zemeckis for several films since 1994, including Cast Away, The Polar Express, and Disney’s live-action Pinocchio. These films, along with Here, all have something in common—in some way, each plays with themes of time and physical space. Robin Wright worked with Zemeckis on A Christmas Carol and Beowulf, and while the former also dabbles with these themes, Beowulf does not.

Robert Zemeckis writes and directs films with themes of time and physical space, beyond his work with Tom Hanks or Robin Wright on projects like Forrest Gump. Most notably, he directed all three Back to the Future films, wrote the first, and helped with the story for the others. These stories suggest that he is more than capable of making Here a success – regardless of how unnerving the film’s first impression might be.

Source: Vanity Fair