HERE

'Here' does get points for its creative filmmaking, but ultimately comes across as boring. For the entire run time, we are static on the same location; the camera never moves. The editing with the comic book-like panelling showing different decades shows promise, but it falls flat. There is no substance here, the story is void, and any emotion is lost because we are situated so far away from the actors' faces. Cinema has close-ups for a reason: so we can see and relate to what the characters are going through. But because of the unmoving camera here, it's hard to connect with anything that's shown on screen. The gimmick of the film wears off instantly, and you're left with 100 minutes of emptiness. The film also struggles to flesh out any of the characters we meet, even the main family. There are at least 4 different couples we follow during 'Here's' run time, and none of them are engaging.

'Here' is the reunion of 'Forrest Gump' actors Tom Hanks and Robin Wright with the film's director Robert Zemeckis. This is a reunion 30 years in the making - and what a disappointing event it is. The two actors have very little to do and their reunion is purely a marketing ploy.

'Here' also features de-aging effects and instead of post-production CGI effects uses real-time AI. Firstly, it never looks good; Paul Bettany plays Tom Hanks' father and there is never a moment where Bettany does not look like the younger of the two. Secondly, we are just coming out of an actors' strike that was largely centred around the use of AI, and this is just a prime example of why we shouldn't use AI in motion pictures.

For a graphic novel so acclaimed and a 'Forrest Gump' reunion, 'Here' should not have turned out this bland and forgettable. There are some good ideas here, but it appears the filmmakers didn't look past those ideas to give us a compelling story.