Forrest Gump Review

Rating: 10/10 (2 April 2019)

"My momma always said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." - Forrest Gump
Who doesn't love Forrest Gump? He is, like, one of the most innocent human beings on the planet. He may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he has gone on to achieve greatness that most of us couldn't even imagine he could do. Emotionally uplifting, often funny, and inspiring, this movie still retains the magic and positive feeling that Forrest left on millions of Americans when it came out 25 years ago.
Based on the novel by Winston Groom, it follows Forrest Gump, a simple-minded Alabama guy who has a heart of gold, as the story chronicles Forrest's life that spans through four decades; from his childhood years, to him being a top college running-back, to him serving in Vietnam, becoming a star ping pong player, owning a successful shrimp company, and going on a 3-year cross-country marathon. While that's going on, he also witnesses and, unintentionally, influences certain key events in the second half of the 20th century American history. However, there's one thing that he truly cares about more than all of the achievements that he has made in his life, and that's his childhood sweetheart, Jenny, who, unlike Forrest, has since been living a self-destructive lifestyle and never reciprocates his feelings for her.
An excellently told story that shows us the world through the eyes of Forrest and how, simply for being at the right place at the right time, he achieves all sorts of accomplishments that no one thought he could do. It does takes some liberties from the novel and there are some parts that feel a tad bit sentimental at times. However, the focus still remains on our main character.
The overall look of the film is fantastic. Aside from being excellently-directed, the cinematography is great, the music fits the time periods, and the editing moves at a steady pace. The visual effects, surprisingly, even for the time, are pretty impressive, particularly when Forrest meets famous historical figures like JFK, John Lennon, and Richard Nixon. What they did was they took archive footages of these historical figures and digitally integrate Tom Hanks as Forrest into the footage seamlessly, as if Forrest is actually there interacting with these historical figures. Another one, in particular, involves Lt. Dan after he loses both his legs. This was done by wrapping blue fabric and "roto-painting" around Gary Sinise's legs and then digitally remove them through CG. These effects were done a mere one year after Jurassic Park, which was considered a major game changer in the visual effects department, and while Forrest Gump isn't really a major game changer in that department and there are some small blemishes here and there, still I can't deny that these were impressive for the time; it still looks good though.
The performances from the full cast are all excellent. Tom Hanks is the heart and soul of this movie; he delivers a strong and hypnotizing performance as a guy who is gullible, but very likable. Gary Sinise is outstanding as Lt. Dan, Forrest's lieutenant during Vietnam who loses his legs during an ambush and has became a cynical and bitter cripple who feels that he should carry on his family tradition of dying in a American war, until he finds his purpose again when he joins Forrest in the shrimp business, Robin Wright is great as Forrest's love interest, Jenny, who lives a self-destructive lifestyle due to being sexually abused as a child to the point where she becomes a drug addict and nearly commits suicide, Sally Field is also good as Forrest's loving and caring mother, and Mykelti Williamson is great as Forrest's war buddy, Bubba.
Overall, Forrest Gump is just as impactful as it was in 1994. Dealing with themes of love, friendship, redemption, and destiny, it's one of my all time favorites and has inspired countless people to follow their dreams, live life to the fullest, and to find their destiny. As Forrest would say, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Highly mandatory for any movie buff.
"That's all I have to say about that." - Forrest Gump
Final Verdict: 10/10 with the Epic Seal of Awesomeness.