Here, the film that brings together Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, is massacred by the US press

The new Robert Zemeckis was presented this weekend in Los Angeles.

For more than 30 years, each film of Robert Zemeckis was an event. Always at the forefront of visual effects and storytelling, the American filmmaker boasts a remarkable CV, from the trilogy Back to the futurepassing through Who wants Roger Rabbit's skin?, Forrest Gump, Contact Or Alone in the world.

Its inspiration began to decline with the transition to the 21st century, but it still produced good films with great cinematic moments, like Flight Or The Walk. But in recent years, things have become very complicated for good old Bob who has two big failures: Sacred Witchesreleased directly on HBO Max in 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, and its disappointing live action remake of Pinocchio for Disney+.

Despite these disillusionments, Zemeckis still retains the confidence of the big studios, in particular thanks to the unwavering support of Tom Hankswho is the star of his new film, Here – The most beautiful years of our liveswhich will benefit from a theatrical release with a budget of $50 million. Robin Wright is also there, as are screenwriter Eric Roth, cinematographer Don Burgess and composer Alan Silvestri. Either the team of Forrest Gump. What is there to hope for a return to form from the 72-year-old director?

Contradicting the test projections that leaked last year, the first opinions from the American press are hardly reassuring. Presented in Los Angles as part of the AFI FEST (organized by the American Film Institute), Here did not really appeal to the critics who were able to attend its screening. Adapted from the comic strip of the same name by Richard McGuire, the film tells the story of a place through the ages and eras, where generations of men and women parade from prehistoric times to the present day.

“The concept is incredibly ambitious. The execution is worthy of a dinner show“, bluntly summarizes the criticism of The Wrapqualifying Here of “bland meeting of Forrest Gump”. “Even when Zemeckis tries, at the end, to make us feel like people loved this house after spending their lives saying they hated it, it's not cathartic. It's empty and not convincing.”

Variety compares on his side Here has “a museum installation“, explaining that the concept of the fixed point of view camera does not work for a film. Nor do the special effects used to rejuvenate Tom Hanks and Robin Wright: “With this horrible face replacement technology, the actors look more like high-definition Sims than a younger version of themselves.”

“Don Burgess's camera doesn't leave its fixed shot in the living room until the very end, wandering around the house to show us the small suburb that surrounds it. But an obviously digital fake hummingbird reminds us that almost everything is synthetic in Here”, pushes it Hollywood Reporter.

Some critics, however, defend the film, which currently has a score of 31% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoesbut without much conviction, likeIndiewire : “If you have ever been or lived in a house and wondered who had been here before you, Here will resonate with you. But if you're not curious, then there's ultimately nothing, absolutely nothing, here for you.“.

Here will be released in France on November 6.