Here - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Here



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
I’m getting to that point in my life where I start looking back at the memories I’ve made. The connections with people I’ve formed, and some of the regrets that have permeated a life full of joy in many ways. In a way, it’s interesting, as I never thought I’d get that point. In my childhood, I was obsessed with growing up and doing what I wanted to do, and in my 20s I had fun without even thinking about things. By the time I got to my 30s, I started settling down and thinking more seriously, but I really didn’t think I’d ever be “looking back” until I was this old man on my deathbed or something. I know, I know, we all know those 40s are when you have your mid-life crisis, but it just didn’t “click” in my head until it finally happened. Now I’m at that part of my life where I’ve experienced loss that seemed so far away even 5 years ago. I’ve had fun times that now seem like a distant memory even though it’s barely been 20 years. And more importantly, I look around me at the home and family I’ve built and start to treasure those moments that got me here. And in a way, that’s exactly what Robert Zemeckis’s Here is all about. Looking at life in a nonlinear way, and marveling how it brought you here.

Just as a heads up, Here is a very ambitious, but simultaneously oddly simplistic film; shot without a typical 3 arc narrative. Instead, it stems from a graphic novel by Richard McGuire and is completely (well 99.9% really) shot from a single lens, and a single angle, in a single room for the entire film. It chronicles the life and times of a singular house in an unknown part of America, created at the turn of the 20th century, and home to several families as they create their lives in it. While at first, the film seems to shift randomly throughout time (even going back to the prehistoric dinosaur age), it sort of hones in on a multi-generational family. With Richard (Tom Hanks) and Margaret (Robin Wright) acting as the center point for this love story.

As I said, Here does NOT have a traditional story, and doesn’t have much of a verbal narrative at all. Instead, it is a patchwork of interconnected vignettes showing the life of Richard, Margaret, their children, and even their parents, as they grow up in this little house. As such, I’m not really going to break down and review those portions, but rather go straight for the thematic elements that Zemeckis is going for. And that seems to focus on life, and how it both steals and gives to you. Each family has their trials and tribulations, but through those painful moments are threads of beauty and contentment. Richard has to deal with Margaret's depression over not leaving his father’s house (played by Paul Bettany), while Richard himself gives up his dreams and aspirations to pay for a family that he started way too young in life. Simultaneously there are several families (both in the past and the future) that come to the humble abode and leave their mark on it, just like Richard and Margaret do.

Don’t be shocked if you find the story disjointed and jumbled in many aspects. Because it really is. The vignettes tell nonlinear tales from time itself, bending in and over each other to interrupt each tale, only to jump to another one minutes later And in that aspect lies the ambition, but also the undoing of the movie. Zemeckis obviously had a massive vision for how this film would work out, and in many ways, he achieved that vision. You get to see all of the history of over 100 years in one location, one house, and ONE family in a sense, but at the same time, you feel left wanting. There is a sense of creative starvation from the audience by the time the film ends, and I can kind of understand why this film absolutely BOMBED at the box office. In many ways, it reminds me of Cloud Atlas, a film that tried to tell the story of one life over multiple tales, but lost the audience along the way. Here we’re telling the story of one house over many lives, and it too loses the audience. As a fan of more artistic films than just your typical fair, I really REALLY liked what Zemeckis was after. However, by the time the real narrative structure surrounding Margaret and Richard came to fruition, I was burnt out by the constant time-jumping and confusing imagery.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for thematic material, some suggestive material, brief strong language, and smoking.




Video:

Here is a lovely filmic experience, even though it spends 98% of its time in a single angle of a single room of a house. The video encode is phenomenal, giving this a rich and textured look from cinematographer Don Burgess’s typical “warm and homey” vibe. Rich mahogany brows stand out, as do pastels and 70s-style yellows. But the film DOES go a bit towards the fantastical side when we look way back into the past with the natives, or during Benjamin Franklin’s days with lush greens, blues, and varying shades of red clothing. Fine details and textures are stunning with great contrast and skin tones to boot (although a tad warmish). But the one thing that really stands out here is how GREAT the de-aging process looks for Tom Hanks and the rest of the main characters. I’m used to the poor CGI/AI face work on another person’s body that is the norm, but this is pretty good. But there are still seams and creases that show up every once in a while due to the real-life stage meeting with the CGI. It’s not shocking or anything, but on certain movements, you can see the “mask slip” just ever so slightly.









Audio:

Sony includes only a single 5.1 DTS-HD MA track on the whole disc (which is shocking, as Sony is notorious for cramming a ton of foreign language tracks on their movies), which sparkles in its limited capabilities. By limited I don’t mean that it is bad in any way, but being that this is a heavily dramatic film that relies nearly entirely on dialog, don’t go in expecting a surround sound extravaganza. Vocals are clean and clear as a bell, whether Paul Bettany is screaming, or a soft whisper between lovers is uttered. Scenes that rely on nature and the outdoor elements (for all of the 5 minutes they’re in the film) open up a bit more with the explosion of a rock or the rattling of carriage over the dirt roads. Bass isn’t exactly shocking, but that shouldn’t “shock” anyone considering how dialog-centric the film is. Panning effects are quite nice as the characters navigate the singular room, and overall this is fantastic for what it is. A simple 5.1 drama track.











Extras:

• How We Got Here (The Making of HERE)
• Deleted Scenes

Final Score:
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Here is what it is. A massively ambitious film trying to tell a story in a VERY simple way. I wanted to like the film way more than I actually did, and while I did have a lot of fun, I kind of understand how this is going to be a “love it or hate it” type of scenario for the average viewer. I’ve seen people gush over this film to no end online, as well as seeing people trash it brutally as well. While polarizing, I find it a fascinating watch and highly recommend people check it out for themselves, as it is going to be a highly personal thing in regards to whether you will love it or hate it. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great, but sadly there are only two extras on the disc, with a single 20-minute behind-the-scenes acting as the only meaty one. Check it out for sure, let me know what you think.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Written by: Eric Roth, Robert Zemeckis, Richard McGuire (Graphic Novel)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DVS
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 104 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: January 21st, 2025

Recommendation: Interesting, if not bizarre, watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I do like Tom Hanks and was not aware that he was in this movie. I will check it out.

I suspect this movie would have been better suited for the stage where the house (living room, etc) is the main star and actors just coming in and out depending on the time period.

The Script for this movie is based off a 2014 graphic novel by Richard McGuire, also named "Here". It maybe best for viewers of the movie to first check out that graphic novel first.