On the surface, everything about “Here” would suggest that it’s an incoming Oscar juggernaut. After all, it’s from Robert Zemeckis, the man responsible for the Best Picture Oscar-winning “Forrest Gump,” with the newer film reuniting him with the two leads of that 1994 film. To boot, Zemeckis has, as late as Denzel Washington in the 2012 film “Flight,” been responsible for major Oscar-nominated performances. Let us also not forget the Best Visual Effects Oscars his films have repeatedly won. With all of this in mind, plus “Here’s” mid-November launch (perfect for award season) and introspective sweeping scope, all signs would seem to point to “Here” being an incoming juggernaut.
However, the potential Oscar future for “Here” is a little more complicated than it seems. What might appear on paper like a surefire awards season titan could struggle with key problems plaguing several modern Zemeckis movies. “Forrest Gump” was the last Zemeckis movie nominated for Best Picture. “Cast Away” and “Flight” are his only post-1994 films to deliver Oscar-nominated performances. Only a handful of additional post-1994 Zemeckis titles – including “Contact,” “The Polar Express,“ and “Allied“ – have received any Oscar nominations at all. From 1985 to 1994, Zemeckis changed the game of populist cinema and visual effects techniques. Since then, he has delivered some critically acclaimed box-office hits. However, his more modern films have often struggled to garner significant awards attention.
This is especially true of his output after 2012, which has mainly come up short at the box office. Titles like “The Walk” and “Welcome to Marwen” once looked like – and were promoted as – big awards season players. However, they failed to secure any Oscar nominations or translate their visual effects-oriented storytelling into big box office results. This sets an ominous precedent for “Here.” After all, the movie is hinging its entire marketing campaign on digitally de-aged Robin Wright and Tom Hanks inhabiting a primarily digital version of a suburban house. That mixture of human drama and hefty VFX work defined both “The Walk” and “Welcome to Marwen.”
As the critic behind the richly entertaining podcast “This Had Oscar Buzz” pointed out, the year “Nightmare Alley” scored a Best Picture nomination, a movie with lots of buzz from craft communities can build up enough momentum to get into the Oscars’ most prestigious category. It’s not inconceivable to imagine “Here” being hailed as enough of a visual effects game-changer to become a Best Picture contender. However, this is another area where “Here” faces an uphill climb. For starters, “Forrest Gump” was the last Zemeckis movie to get a Best Visual Effects nomination. None of his features are rendered entirely in motion capture, and neither are 2010s dramas built heavily on CGI, like “Welcome to Marwen,” which broke into this category.
More urgently, “Here” is a movie prominently using A.I. in its digital effects wizardry. Specifically, a new A.I. technology was developed, allowing the drastic digital de-aging of actors to occur right on the set so that performers and crew members could see how the characters looked. The history of digital de-aging in movies is one based on artificial intelligence software. In 2019, “The Irishman” especially made heavy use of such tech. “Here” is the elevation of A.I.’s presence in modern VFX-heavy movies rather than the sudden introduction of this tech into big-screen entertainment.
However, the world of 2024 is not the world of 2019. Five years ago, A.I. could be used as a garnish in digital de-aging techniques to help make things look realistic. Today, studio executives and tech billionaires are salivating at the mouth about replacing artists with A.I. programs. This reality even informed much of the grievances informing the 2023 labor strikes in Hollywood. In May of this year, Columbia Pictures head Tom Rothman eagerly boasted that “Here” was “a super cool use of A.I., which shows its value, when used properly, as a tool in creativity.” This statement may make the project sound like the wrong kind of relevancy to crafts communities voting on the Oscars.
Plus, while “The Irishman” received a Visual Effects nomination at the 92nd Academy Awards, other movies built heavily on digitally de-aging people have often been given the cold shoulder by the Academy. In the last five years, “Gemini Man,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” “The Flash,“ and “The Adam Project“ all failed to secure Best Visual Effects – let alone Best Picture – nominations. If “Here“ is going to ride a wave of technological appreciation to above-the-line Oscar nominations, it has a tough road ahead.
Even the domestic distributor of “Here,” which was largely financed by Miramax, could be a bit of a hurdle; Sony/TriStar Pictures is handling the feature’s North American release. After scoring two Best Picture nominations at the 86th Academy Awards – with “Captain Phillips” and “American Hustle” – movies from either of Sony’s two major film divisions (TriStar and Columbia) have only shown up at one subsequent Oscar ceremony; the 92nd Academy Awards made room for Columbia Pictures releases “Little Women” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”
This pair of Best Picture nominations was a tremendous triumph for the Tom Rothman era of Columbia Pictures, a sign that the studio was getting back on its feet creatively and financially. However, Sony’s big studios have failed to obtain Best Picture nominations since 2013. Even arthouse division Sony Pictures Classics has only scored a handful of post-2013 Best Picture nominations. That track record doesn’t bode well for “Here’s” Best Picture chances. Can the studio campaign the title properly and break its Oscar cold streak? The iffy critical reception of modern Zemeckis movies is already a tremendous albatross around “Here’s” neck. And Sony’s post-2013 Oscar woes don’t help matters one bit.
Despite these problems, awards season geeks’ eyes will be firmly placed on “Here” when it drops in mid-November, a strategic release date that often positions films for Oscar consideration. After all, no matter how many “Welcome to Marwen” he directs, Robert Zemeckis is still the “Back to the Future” guy. His movies consistently garner attention unless they’re as abysmal as that “Pinocchio” Disney+ remake from 2022. Combine that track record with a prime mid-November date and the reunion of Hanks and Wright, and “Here” has the ingredients to become a big awards season player. Only time will tell if it can overcome major historical hurdles to fulfill that potential.
On the surface, everything about “Here” would suggest that it’s an incoming Oscar juggernaut. After all, it’s from Robert Zemeckis, the man responsible for the Best Picture Oscar-winning “Forrest Gump,” with the newer film reuniting him with the two leads of that 1994 film. To boot, Zemeckis has, as late as Denzel Washington in the 2012 film “Flight,” been responsible for major Oscar-nominated performances. Let us also not forget the Best Visual Effects Oscars his films have repeatedly won. With all of this in mind, plus “Here’s” mid-November launch (perfect for award season) and introspective sweeping scope, which delves into [specific themes or narrative elements], all signs would seem to point to “Here” being an incoming juggernaut. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered the film industry and award season, potentially impacting the film’s Oscar prospects.
However, the potential Oscar future for “Here” is a little more complicated than it seems. What might appear on paper like a surefire awards season titan could struggle with key problems plaguing several modern Zemeckis movies. “Forrest Gump” was the last Zemeckis movie nominated for Best Picture. “Cast Away” and “Flight” are his only post-1994 films to deliver Oscar-nominated performances. Only a handful of additional post-1994 Zemeckis titles – including “Contact,” “The Polar Express,“ and “Allied“ – have received any Oscar nominations at all. From 1985 to 1994, Zemeckis changed the game of populist cinema and visual effects techniques. Since then, he has delivered some critically acclaimed box-office hits. However, his more modern films have often struggled to garner significant awards attention, despite some receiving positive critical reception.
This is particularly true for Zemeckis’ films post-2012, which have largely underperformed at the box office. Titles like “The Walk“ and “Welcome to Marwen“ were initially touted as potential big awards season players, but they failed to secure any Oscar nominations or translate their visual effects-oriented storytelling into significant box office results. This sets a cautionary tone for “Here.“ The film’s marketing campaign is heavily reliant on digitally de-aged Robin Wright and Tom Hanks inhabiting a primarily digital version of a suburban house, a blend of human drama and hefty VFX work that defined both “The Walk“ and “Welcome to Marwen.”
Do you think “Here” will bring Robert Zemeckis back to the Oscars? Or will it suffer the same critical reception and reaction from the industry as many of his latest films. Please let us know in the comments below or on Next Best Picture’s X account and be sure to check out Next Best Picture’s latest Oscar predictions here.
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