Tom Hanks has reached the point in his career where he can do anything he wants. It’s a milestone that only a few iconic actors reach (Hugh Grant is almost there) but nobody is really doing it like Hanks, who has played a toy maker, a greedy music manager, and Walt Disney himself, so there isn’t much he can’t do, and that includes de-aging himself.
Here, Hanks’ latest collaboration with director Robert Zemeckis , is based on the graphic novel of the same name which focuses on one central location over hundreds of years. There is just one camera angle throughout the entire movie as viewers watch the evolution of both the house itself and the people in it. You might cry, not for the flood of memories, but because of the soulless incarnation of a CGI Hanks.
Look, there is no way around this: if you want younger actors, cast them. You don’t need to go to all this tech trouble. But Hanks is Hanks, as mentioned previously, and he does what he wants, so we get to see Teen Tom and Robin Wright thanks to the magic (or horror) of de-aging technology. People seem torn about…this whole thing:
Very curious to see how it hits and full theatrical narrative, but consider my interest piqued. Having said that, the de-aging still feels Uncanny Valley-esque (Hanks’ gruff older voice through the young face is very strange) https://t.co/y1MpjFQCbf
— Geoffy Likes Apples (@geoff1106) June 26, 2024
Why is this technology seemingly getting worse? https://t.co/1CQQJ4yMgZ
— kurt. (@thedurtster) June 26, 2024
Kind of a cool concept just immediately undermined by Zemeckis' whole thing lmao https://t.co/AS4autdxkE
— Mitchell Allen (@mitchmakemovies) June 26, 2024
somewhere between “it’s cool that we can still burn corpo money on strange projects” and “this looks boring as shit for a feature film and also zemeckis has been ass for as long as i’ve been alive” https://t.co/XtbkczEIWT
— brandyn (@mmdogfood) June 26, 2024
If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve guessed this movie was made by A.I. https://t.co/nKPhXuznM4
— Brendan Cassidy (@BrendanJCassidy) June 26, 2024
This looks….atrocious? You get one gimmick per movie. Either you can have uncanny valley de-aging or you can have one camera shot for the whole time. You don’t get both. https://t.co/xlnRfFBpyj
— Amanda BW (@amandabw425) June 26, 2024
I actually said "oh motherfucker!" out loud when I got to the end of the trailer and realized I 'd almost certainly just watched the final scene of the movie.
I got Zemeckis'd AGAIN https://t.co/ZeSbaJxza4
— Sprat (@Spratlinger) June 26, 2024
nothing screams "waste of carbon footprint" like using anti-aging technology on Robin Wright https://t.co/S43grNy6Ab
— Bryan Duff (@bryanevansduff) June 26, 2024
Luckily, other people were into it, or at least more on board than before.
Gonna go ahead and give this a "we're so back" https://t.co/c089r3LLEx
— QQ (@HeylKatme) June 26, 2024
i am way too intrigued to be dismissive of it https://t.co/apA4IpBkIs
— ana (@pelicinema) June 26, 2024
Holy shit I love this graphic novel. I can’t believe they’re making a movie of it. If you haven’t read it, it’s gorgeous and wonderful and I’d never think it would become a film https://t.co/GsA98EMVP6
— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) June 26, 2024
A master of complex, sophisticated, beautifully choreographed shots is… locking down the camera for an entire film. I love how Zemeckis constantly experiments with how he tells a story. I can’t wait for this. https://t.co/OzwFrFR2yT
— Shannon Tindle (@ShannonTindle_1) June 26, 2024
This technology will make society's ultimate dream of a THE MONEY PIT 2 come to fruition. https://t.co/dIQvmU9GSJ
— Rob Williams (@Robwilliams71) June 26, 2024
It appears that, just like other Zemeckis films, this one could be a timeless masterpiece or an offensive attempt at cinema. Only you can decide!
Here hits theaters on November 15th.
