Robert Zemeckis' Here Is A Harsh Reality 39 Years After Back To The Future

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Here

Robert Zemeckis' Here has finally been released, but the film is a reminder of a harsh reality 39 years after Back to the Future. While Robert Zemeckis has directed all kinds of beloved movies like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, and Cast Away, Back to the Future is arguably the director's most popular and influential work. The fingerprints of Back to the Future can still be seen 39 years after the film's 1985 release, with one aspect of Here calling back to Robert Zemeckis' iconic time travel movie.

2024's Here is the newest movie from director Robert Zemeckis, with the film acting as a Forrest Gump reunion due to Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and Robert Zemeckis all working together again. Here is built on some interesting gimmicks, with the film focusing on a singular house that is shown throughout the decades. Here utilizes only one camera angle throughout, making for a truly unique viewing experience. However, Robert Zemeckis' Here has been panned by critics and audiences alike, although very few have pointed out the tragic parallel that Here has with Back to the Future.

Here Uses De-Aging Technology Instead Of Practical Aging Effects Like Back To The Future

Different Approaches To The Same Goal

Since Here focuses on the same characters across multiple decades, the film uses a lot of digital de-aging technology on its actors. Tom Hanks and Robin Wright's characters are seen as high schoolers and keep appearing until they are elderly, with the movie having to show what they look like after changes that have occurred across the better half of a century. Here attempts to make Hanks and Wright appear younger than they actually are for the vast majority of the movie, with there only being a few scenes where the aging technology is used to make the actors appear older.

Why Tom Hanks' Here Uses Panels To Show Different Eras (& Why They Don't Work)

2024's Here has multiple gimmicks, and while the single camera shot is the most popular one, the continued use of panels is possibly the strangest.

This isn't the first time that Robert Zemeckis has attempted to change the ages of actors, with this most famously happening in Back to the Future. However, in the 1985 classic and its two sequels, the actors are covered in practical aging effects. The effects used to make actors like Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson look older are some of the most acclaimed parts of the film, with Back to the Future's makeup being groundbreaking in the 1980s and 1990s.

Back To The Future's Aging Effects Are Superior To Here's De-Aging Technology

Even Though Its 39 Years Older

Despite Here having nearly four decades to improve on Back to the Future, the aging effects in Robert Zemeckis' 1985 film are still much better. Here and Back to the Future approach their aging effects in very different ways, with Here using its aging technology to make actors appear younger for most of the film, while Back to the Future uses its makeup to make the actors appear older. Back to the Future's approach is far superior, as, while it is used sparingly, it is far more convincing than those seen in Here.

Here's de-aging technology just makes all of the actors look like they have plastic skin, and since audiences already know what these actors looked like when they were young, it seems very odd. On top of that, the de-aging effects don't help mask the fact that the actors move like they are older people. Back to the Future didn't have this problem. Audiences didn't know what these actors would look like when they got old, and young people can always just pretend to move like they are older. These factors and more led to the makeup being one of the most praised parts of the trilogy.

Here's Reliance On De-Aging Technology Is The Exact Opposite Of Back To The Future's Approach

Here Doesn't Use It Sparingly Enough

The biggest disparity in the aging approaches between Here and Back to the Future is how often they used them. In Back to the Future, the makeup effects are used sparingly. The actors are only in old age makeup during the 1985 scenes that make up the beginning and end of Back to the Future. The bulk of the movie takes place in 1955, meaning that all of the actors just look like they naturally do.

Robin Wright and Tom Hanks as Margaret and Richard in Here

Why The Camera Only Moves Once In Here & What It Means

In the 2024 drama, Here, the camera moves only once during the entire movie, and as you might expect, it moves at one of the most pivotal moments.

Here, however, has Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and the other actors in their de-aged or aged-up states for the vast majority of the movie. There are very few scenes in which the actors are allowed to just be themselves, making the whole film feel artificial. This makes it incredibly hard to engage with the human aspect of Here, something that Back to the Future didn't have to worry about.

Here is an objective and formal description for the movie Here (2024): Directed by Robert Zemeckis, this film is an exploration of time and memory, unraveling the intertwined lives and stories of families across generations in a New England setting.

Director Robert Zemeckis

Release Date November 1, 2024

Studio(s) MiraMax , Playtone , ImageMovers

Distributor(s) TriStar Pictures

Writers Robert Zemeckis , Eric Roth

Cast Tom Hanks , Robin Wright , Paul Bettany , Kelly Reilly , Albie Salter , Michelle Dockery , Gwilym Lee , Nicholas Pinnock , Nikki Amuka-Bird , Cache Vanderpuye , Keith Bartlett , Daniel Betts , Leslie Zemeckis , Alfie Todd , Ellis Grunsell , Zsa Zsa Zemeckis , Teddy Russell , Finn Guegan , Callum Macreadie , Lauren McQueen , Grace Lyra , Jemima Macintyre , Billie Gadsdon , Beau Gadsdon , Harry Marcus , Diego Scott , Logan Challis , Albie Mander , Eloísa Ferreira , Eliza Daley , Elodie Crapper , Faith Delaney

Character(s) Richard , Margaret , Al , Rose , Jimmy , Pauline Harter , John Harter , Devon Harris , Helen Harris , Justin Harris , Benjamin Franklin , William Franklin , Elizabeth Franklin , Billy Franklin , Young Richard , Vanessa

Runtime 104 Minutes

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