Shocking Truth: ‘Here’ Destroys ‘Gump’ Reunion with Boring Cosmic Chaos!

Recently, the film director Robert Zemeckis has been somewhat of an enigma. Known for directing popular films like the “Back to the Future” series, “Forrest Gump,” “Cast Away,” “Death Becomes Her,” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” Zemeckis has also produced a number of flops, including “The Polar Express,” “Beowulf,” “Welcome to Marwen,” and “Pinocchio.” Zemeckis, a fan of special effects and their potential for drama in film, consistently tries out new things, particularly with motion-capture technology. However, not all his experiments are successful, and many of his projects fall into the eerie uncanny valley. Despite his many attempts, he has yet to perfect it.

His latest film, the intergenerational family drama “Here,” is based on a 2014 graphic novel by Richard McGuire. The novel, which expanded from a six-page comic strip published in the comics anthology “Raw” in 1989, is an experiment in narrative, telling a family history spanning generations — and even centuries — all from a single point of view. In his innovative graphic novel, McGuire used frames within frames to visually represent different time periods within one panel.

In the film version of “Here,” Zemeckis retains the frames-within-frames concept as a transitional device, but the plot focuses more on temporal jumps while maintaining a stationary camera. The film features many characters from different time periods, starting from a Native American couple (Joel Oulette and Dannie McCallum) in pre-Columbian times, to a young Victorian-era family (Michelle Dockery and Gwilym Lee) in their modest Colonial home, and later includes the inventor of the La-Z-Boy recliner (David Fynn) and his lively wife (Ophelia Lovibond), who take over the home. The story also encompasses a contemporary Black family (Nicholas Pinnock, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Cache Vanderpuye) dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement.

The main narrative, however, revolves around a family that lived in the house for most of the 20th century: World War II veteran Al (Paul Bettany), his wife, Rose (Kelly Reilly), and then their son, Richard (Tom Hanks), and his wife, Margaret (Robin Wright). Yes, Hanks and Wright have been digitally de-aged — they first appear as teenagers — and no, it is not effective (something odd happens around Hanks’ de-aged mouth). Although the Hanks, Wright, and Zemeckis trio brings a semblance of a “Forrest Gump” reunion, one can’t help but question the need to de-age Hanks when his actual sons Colin and Truman could have been cast. Wright even has a daughter who bears a striking resemblance to her, Dylan Penn.

Just like Gump, “Here” merges major historical events with personal stories: Benjamin Franklin (Keith Bartlett) and his son William (Daniel Betts) lived in the Colonial mansion across the street; a pregnancy announcement coincides with the Beatles’ performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show”; and nearly every significant event, such as weddings, births, and breakups, occurs in this seemingly cursed living room.

Richard and Margaret’s story is understandable, entirely predictable, and utterly boring. They become parents as teenagers and move in with his family, he sacrifices his passion for art to get a regular job, she craves for her own space, etc… Ostensibly, their story is about navigating life’s highs and lows, but it eventually turns into a rather depressing tale about two people taking too long to pursue what truly makes them happy, and for her, it’s escaping from that house. But if she ever left, there would be no “Here.”

Over the years, the house changes owners, resulting in real estate agents continuously appearing and disappearing throughout the movie. By the end of the film, you half expect a home insurance company logo to pop up because the film feels like a long commercial for homeowners insurance. To be honest, there are 30-second advertisements that have evoked more emotions than “Here,” which is flat and pointless.

Richard and Margaret’s daughter Vanessa (Zsa Zsa Zemeckis) vanishes around the age of 16 and never returns, which is unfortunate, because the more intriguing story isn’t about the baby boomer parents but potentially how their Gen-X daughter or zoomer grandchildren might benefit from their generational wealth. However, “Here” avoids exploring any of the complexities surrounding that. Perhaps thinking about property values is a natural reflex when the unfolding story is so cloying and stale.

This year, other audacious projects have been undertaken by veteran filmmakers who have experimented with cinematic form and function in their own unique ways — including Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” and Kevin Costner’s “Horizon.” While their efforts are commendable, the results have all been disappointments, and “Here” is no different.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.