MY 700TH REVIEW and what a great one!! I think Forrest Gump might be one of the best films of all time

Rating: 10/10 (3 July 2008)

It had been a little while since I watched Forrest Gump and it wasn't but a few minutes before everything I loved about it came flooding back and by the time the credits rolled and I had dried my tears I realized that I think this is quite possibly the best film ever made. It may be my favourite movie of all time and for good reason because it is stone cold brilliant in every way and deserved everything from awards to box office glory that it received. Previously I have stated that JFK is my favourite film and in a complete league of it's own and now I state that Forrest Gump belongs in that category of elite films. The story is infamous and brilliant and touching and disturbing and covers every aspect of genre you can think of. The cast is absolutely brilliant. The direction is stunning and the special effects are unlike anything you will ever see. Director Robert Zemeckis is a brilliant director and has directed his way through many of my personal all time favourites including the Back To The Future Trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and What Lies Beneath. The thing about his story telling is that it's completely unique, there is something completely and utterly different about his films and Forrest Gump is truly the pinnacle of that talent. He seems to know his cast and surrounds himself with the best performances possible.
Tom Hanks is a brilliant actor, there is no doubt about it. But he gives the absolute performance of his career as Forrest Gump, a man who is not quite as smart as the average person and yet pure of heart and indeed in many ways smarter than all of us. Hanks makes this character his own, no one could ever play Gump. His tone and body language and everything just embodies the character and it is one of the best performances in film history. Robin Wright Penn plays Forrest's true love and the romance is far beyond just your average romance. Penn is good although I'm not sure she lives up to the rest of the cast. She does do a great job at being versatile and playing her character through the decades and through the different situations in history from Southern girl to Hippie to mother. The chemistry between her and Hanks is undeniable mostly because of the story that makes their love so important to Gump. Gary Sinise is undeniably amazing in his role as Lt Dan Taylor. I don't know who got the Academy Award that year in the category he was nominated for but he was robbed!! His performance is ground breaking and creates one of the best characters in film history. Him and Hanks are just incredible together. Mykelti Williamson, in a bit of a smaller role, is also brilliant as Bubba, Forrest's best good friend in the army. His character is short lived but pivotal and he does an amazing job. I wish I could cover the rest of this amazing cast which includes Sally Field in an amazing role as Forrest's mama. This cast is truly one of the best ever period.
What else can I say about Forrest Gump? Beautiful romance, action, drama, laughing, crying, life and death, I mean there isn't anything this movie doesn't give you. It's just this brilliant epic journey that just makes you appreciate life and tells history from a completely different perspective. I've seen this film many, many times and yet for the last half hour of the movie I sat there and watched it bawling my eyes out. It isn't many movies that ever make me cry and it is even less that a movie I have seen so many times can do that. If you haven't seen Forrest Gump you're missing out on a film experience unlike any other and an absolute classic the minute it was released. I understand they are looking at turning the second novel, a sequel, into a film and because I want to revisit these characters I would love a chance to see it but I don't think it could ever live up to this original classic and if the entire original cast including director Robert Zemeckis won't do it...DON'T DO IT...see this movie now or again. 10+/10