A well written, well acted, and well directed masterpiece with a great message

Rating: Null/10 (6 August 2011)

Rating: 9.5 /10
Teenagers often wonder which roads will bring them to success in life. Should I do what I am told to do? Or should I do what I want to do? Forrest Gump has the answer. Forrest Gump won Oscars awards for Best Picture, Best Actor(Tom Hanks), Best director(Robert Zemeckis), Film Editing, Visual Effects and Adapted Screenplay, winning over its competition, Pulp Fiction, in every category. What makes this masterpiece so successful?
Forrest Gump has it all: entertainment, comedy, and drama. It is both serious and funny, entertaining but thought provoking, powerful yet charming, and it could make you laugh and cry with equal degree of ease. Forrest Gump touches every human's emotions and inspires everyone in different ways.
Robert Zemeckis, known as the undisputed master of film technology, puts Winston Groom's novel to screen. He creates a masterpiece that combines the beauty of special effects and storytelling together. Adapted by Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth, This film follows the journey of a not-so-smart man Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) through 30 years of trails and tribulation, placing Forrest within historical moments of history. How does he do it? He simply does whatever he is told and goes wherever the wind blows him. As Forrest would say "Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you are gonna get" However, The audience can hardly say that Forrest Gump is just an idiot who does whatever he is told to do. In fact, in his innocence, he does what he feels he has to do, no matter the situations and people around him, guided only by his inner sense of right and wrong.
Throughout the journey of Forrest Gump, he meets different interesting people who are each valued very highly by Forrest. His mom, played by Sally Field, fought for his son in every way possible despite the fact that he is gifted with an IQ of just 75 and Jenny (Robin Wright), the love of Forrest's life, whom he met at school. There is also Bubba (Mykelti Williamson), Forrest's Vietnam War friend who dreams of owning a shrimp boat one day, and Lt. Dan (Gary Sinise) Forrest's lieutenant during his military service.
Robert Zemeckis uses the techniques of characterization and symbolization to express the message of Forrest Gump. The main characters in this film represent different types of people in our society. They are all different in terms of how they live their lives and travel towards their destinies. Forrest is the feather, floating in the air, with no direct route or known destination whatsoever. Jenny is more like the birds; she chooses her path with more awareness. While Lt. Dan is represented by legs, shoes, and roads; he knows what he is destined to do in life.
Robert Zemeckis, the director of the Back To The Future trilogy, once again accomplishes what he knows best: Special effects. The film covers a brief history of America for over a period of 30 years. Bringing this film credibility is the ability to place Forrest in history making events. These events range from Forrest teaching Elvis how to swing his hips to meeting Presidents for various accomplishments. These television clips are terrifically and creatively done in black and white by Zemeckis considering this is a 1996 film when Special effects haven't developed as much as they are today.
The camera work in this film is very beautifully done balancing a variety of camera techniques. For most of the film, the movie seems slow paced by the way camera work is done. The camera is kept very still but somewhat poetic and moves slowly as the film carries on. It symbolizes the calmness of Forrest's life that is always changing and moving along until he reaches his destiny. However, when the film calls for action, the camera shots do not disappoint. The shaky camera and close-ups showing the characters' emotions work well during action sequences. At one point in Forrest's life where he travels to many different places, Zemickis uses establishing shots to show all the different settings that take place in this film.
The actors' success in portraying their characters is a major factor in the film's awards. The on-screen chemistry between Tom Hanks and Robin Wright was phenomenal. Tom Hanks brings Forrest Gump into life and gives one of the best performances in his career. Gary Sinise is convincing as a man who is cheated by his own destiny. Eric Roth deservingly won Oscar for the beautiful screenplay he wrote which belongs in the company of sweet classics such as Rain man and Harvey. Forrest Gump could also be appreciated as a classic version of The curious case of Benjamin Button which has similar theme and message. Certainly, Forrest Gump deserves its place with all the classics in Film History.
The message of Forrest Gump is a life-changing advice for teenagers who are struggling with their lives out in the real world. Forrest Gump offers them a simple but straight-to-the-point advice. It doesn't matter who we are or what we do; whether we are stupid or smart, rich or poor, black or white. Forrest teaches us to do everything with the best of our abilities. Forrest is an ordinary guy like we all are. He is teased and bullied about his stupidity from those around him. But he, with a heart of gold and a low IQ, never gives up. He goes out there, lives his life, and puts effort in everything he does. If only we all do everything with effort, we will one day reach our destinies like Forrest did.