Critics' reviews for Tom Hanks' new movie, Here, have arrived, but they are not so great. Based on the 2014 graphic novel by Richard McGuire, Here tells the story of multiple generations of couples and families who have lived in the same house spanning centuries. Killers of the Flower Moon screenwriter Eric Roth co-wrote the film with Oscar-winning filmmaker, Robert Zemeckis, who also produced and directed the film. Here stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in lead roles, reuniting onscreen for the first time since co-starring in Zemeckis' 1994 movie Forrest Gump, along with Paul Bettany and Kelly Reilly.

The first reviews for Here are in, and critics have found themselves generally unimpressed with the Forrest Gump reunion. The Daily Beast called the Robert Zemeckis movie "an embarrassment." IndieWire echos the same sentiment, calling out the director for wasting "a de-aged Tom Hanks and Robin Wright." IGN points out that the movie lacks "some of the things that make it a movie," while The Hollywood Reporter accuses it of boxing in its lead stars. UPI expresses that the film "lacks heart."

Why Here Reviews Are So Poor

Critics Say Technology Overshadows Characters & Storytelling

The Daily Beast backed its argument by explaining that the film failed to take advantage of its unique concept that it "seems designed to investigate" nor does it play with "the tension between what's inside and outside its frame." Instead, the director is "most concerned with depicting the totality of modern life in a sole structure." Variety explained that while "there are deep thoughts to be found down such rabbit holes" and while Here "roughly" points in the "right direction," it gets distracted with "a handful of far shallower threads," namely the "disappointed generic lives of four families."

Other stars bringing the core four families and their friends to life include Michelle Dockery, Leslie Zemeckis, Jonathan Aris, Joel Oulette, and Daniel Betts.

On a technical level, Deadline praised the director's effort to mix "the newest filmmaking technologies" with "relatable stories" but instead of sending "its century-plus cast of characters back in time," the director "lets time come to them on a single piece of land." The review further argued that by placing the camera "in a stable position" to capture the characters' lives, Here would have made a "great theatrical piece with the opportunity for dazzling changes of scenery." However, the film took "the cinematic route" instead, which countered its effort.

Here Continues A Dismal Critical Streak For Robert Zemeckis

He Has Made A Series Of Rotten Tomatoes Flops

At the time of writing, 12 reviews have been aggregated for Here on Rotten Tomatoes, earning it a firmly Rotten score of 25%. While it will almost certainly fluctuate as more reviews are added, it is low enough that it will likely remain Rotten. This continues a dismal critical record for recent Robert Zemeckis movies, as he has not received a Fresh score for one of his directorial efforts since 2016 with his Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard war movie Allied, which just barely ed the Fresh threshold with a 60% score. Below, see how his follow-up movies have fared:

If its score remains unchanged, the new Tom Hanks movie will be cemented as the worst score yet of this poorly reviewed run for Zemeckis. It will also be the worst score for any movie he has ever directed, though he has earned lower scores for projects he produced or executive produced, including Thirteen Ghosts (19%), Ghost Ship (15%), Gothika (15%), Tales From the Crypt Presents Bordello of Blood (14%), The Reaping (8%), and 2001's Ritual (0%). Zemeckis also developed the story for Bordello of Blood with his frequent collaborator Bob Gale.

Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale collaborated on a number of other projects, including the Back to the Future trilogy, Used Cars, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, and the television series Tales from the Crypt and Amazing Stories.

This negative reception for Here is of a piece with how Zemeckis' technological experiments have landed with critics in recent years. While he became known as a special effects innovator with well-reviewed early classics including 1984's Back to the Future (93%), 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit (96%), and even Forrest Gump (76%), all of which are Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, his experiments with modern CGI have grown increasingly more alienating to critics. This began with 2004's The Polar Express (56%) but quickly spread with titles including A Christmas Carol (52%), Welcome to Marwen, and the live-action remake of Pinocchio.

Our Take On The Here Reviews

It's A Bold Experiment With Flaws

Given the way it is presented in the Here trailer, the new movie boasts a very ambitious premise. The "tree house" idea of planting the camera in the center of a single home is very intriguing, which also means that the expectations for this experiment may be too high. What critics generally agree on is that the film's focus is on the technology that brings it to the screen rather than its core characters, which seems to have distracted the movie from telling a humanly relatable story with emotional impact.

[Robert Zemeckis is] a filmmaker who is known for pushing boundaries...

Here is a bold experiment by the director and A-list actors, but it's not even close to Forrest Gump's approach to time. The film seems to have lost its way while toying with new technologies and experimental filmmaking methods. It makes sense for a filmmaker who is known for pushing boundaries to focus on innovation and changing the way stories are told. Sadly, it seems that Here is not perfect.

There are things to learn from the experiment, but without filmmakers like Zemeckis, who are curious and restless about trying, there will be no progress made. Here is a needed experiment, even though it may seem like a failure in many ways.

Source: Various (see above)