Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis have maintained a fascinating movie-making partnership for almost 30 years across a variety of different genres. Their first film together, Here, currently in production. Examining all the movies that Hanks and Zemeckis have done together creates an insightful cross-section of the careers of two of the most influential Hollywood hit-makers to emerge out of the 1980s.
Though the majority of Zemeckis' most iconic films don't feature the actor, and Hanks' partnership with director Steven Spielberg has garnered him more consistent acclaim, the prominence that Hanks' performances have taken in his collaborations with Zemeckis has made the two a Hollywood pair worth noting. The importance of then-cutting-edge technological advancements in filmmaking to each of their movies together also means that their shared filmography presents a miniature history of developments in cinematic technique that have occurred over their storied careers thus far.
4 Pinocchio (2022)
A live-action remake of the 1940 animated Disney classic of the same name that was based on Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio, Zemeckis' six Razzie nominations, including Worst Actor for Hanks, Worst Director for Zemeckis, and Worst Picture.
While still very prominent features of the film, the underwhelming renditions of Zemeckis' directorial hallmarks and Hanks' hokey performance as Geppetto, the creator and father of the living puppet Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), are the least of the movie's problems. The film's main issue is that it has nothing substantive to add to the beloved story of Pinocchio's quest to become a real boy and the unfinished quality of some of the movie's effects shots further reduce its odds of ever developing the long-lasting appeal of its source material.
3 Forrest Gump (1994)
Though Zemeckis' film adaptation changed things about Winston Groom's novel Forrest Gump to make the title character more likable, there are a number of things about the movie that have aged poorly. While some of the Oscar-winning effects that seamlessly integrated Forrest Gump into a number of historical events remain impressive, his characteristic lack of commentary on any of the issues surrounding those events has proven to be as frustrating as it is charming. Zemeckis' deft hand with the drama and Hanks' full-bodied commitment to the character made them more than worthy of their Oscars, but Forrest Gump diminishes in comparison to many of the other hits of either's career.
This is not to suggest that the film has no commendable aspects to its legacy, however. Actor Gary Sinise has commented on how Forrest Gump has positively impacted the public's perception of war veterans and, in tandem with Hanks' performance, Eric Roth's Oscar-wining screenplay helps make the story of Forrest Gump's life infinitely quotable. However, the counter-culture surrounding the Vietnam War is one of the real-life movements that the film successfully turns into comedic entertainment even though that results in it overlooking the full extent of its cultural significance.
2 The Polar Express (2004)
The Polar Express is Zemeckis' adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg's children's book of the same name and a much more accomplished example than Pinocchio of the director's skills in making films for kids as well as combining live-action performances with animation. Like Pinocchio, it's one of Zemeckis' rotten-rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes, but the bulk of its criticism revolves around the imperfections of the then-pioneering all-motion-capture format that it uses. Though the famous dead-eyed effect of early motion capture dated The Polar Express the moment it was released, its visual blemishes have become less notable as time has ed while its strong festive atmosphere has endured.
Hanks easily racks up most of The Polar Express as, through a mixture of motion-capture performances and voice acting, he plays six different characters, including the narrator and the Conductor of the titular train that takes children to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. His energetic performances help to make the film feel robust and like it's designed to hold up under the scrutiny of annual viewings over a lifetime. It may be relatively young compared to some of the classic holiday movies, but The Polar Express has proven itself to be a more timeless experience than many critics had first thought.
1 Cast Away (2000)
A film that is exhaustive in its details, Cast Away was Hanks' first time producing a feature film, and though the movie dazzles the audience with elegant long takes and luxuriously rich sound design, it is all in service of Hanks' central performance and many of the major plot developments in the film are communicated entirely through Hanks' silent reactions to events.
Similarly, as he did on many of Zemeckis' best movies, composer Alan Silvestri crafted a beautiful score, but it doesn't come into the film until over 90 minutes have gone by. Cast Away is one of Robert Zemeckis' most restrained films, featuring one of Tom Hanks' most demanding roles, and the reliance that the film has on Hanks' performance is more than lived up to. By removing Hanks' character from the social and historical aspects that have made Forrest Gump's re-evaluation over time so complex, Zemeckis was able to focus more effectively on the relatable human qualities of the protagonist, and it resulted in their best collaboration to date.
