Chances are that most people looking at this by now have seen the movie at least one time, but for those who have not, Forrest Gump is the iconic 1994 movie directed by Robert Zemeckis (probably best known for directing the Back to the Future movies) and starring Tom Hanks as the titular Forrest Gump, basically telling the story of his life to random strangers while sitting on a bus stop in Georgia. Throughout the movie, we see that he was involved in many events throughout his life that allowed him to meet historical figures like JFK, President Johnson, and more. The movie is basically a history lesson of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, as told through the eyes and experiences of Forrest. The movie is notable for two things, the first being the almost seamless incorporation of Tom Hanks as Forrest into historical footage (basically an early version of the concept of Deep Fakes) in which it actually looks like Hanks belongs in the footage, and the second is Tom Hanks' wonderful portrayal of a developmentally disabled person. The movie also had a very strong supporting cast including Sally Field, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and a young Haley Joel Osment in his first movie role.
There have been many versions of the movie on physical media over the years. The Sapphire series edition blu-ray, which was released in 2009 includes all of the extras released on the 2001 DVD, including two different commentary tracks on the movie, the first one involving Zemeckis, producer Steve Starkey, and production designer Rick Carter, and the second one by Producer Wendy Finerman. The other legacy extra is the ability to play the "Musical Signposts of History" version of the movie. This is a series of sidebars hosted by former Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres, in which he discusses the trivia of the film's many songs, while Zemeckis and music producer Joel Sill (both in archived footage) talk about song inspirations. When enabled, the film turns off and switches to these sidebars before resuming. The bulk of the extras are included on the second disc which includes several new making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes which range from about 15 minutes in length to around 30 minutes in length. Then there is a 55-minute roundtable discussion with Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Eric Roth, and Robert Zemeckis discussing the film at the University of Southern California. Then the rest of the legacy extras are included which are basically a series of short featurettes that each run about 2 minutes, give or take, and the theatrical trailer. So, if you like watching bonus content, there is a lot here for you. And, the A/V quality of the blu-ray is wonderful.
Overall, the movie is awesome and holds up very well even 25+ years later. The role is one of Hanks' best, and he deserves all of the accolades he got for it. If you have not seen the movie, it is most definitely worth watching and if you already love the movie the bonus material you get makes picking up the blu-ray well worth it.
There have been many versions of the movie on physical media over the years. The Sapphire series edition blu-ray, which was released in 2009 includes all of the extras released on the 2001 DVD, including two different commentary tracks on the movie, the first one involving Zemeckis, producer Steve Starkey, and production designer Rick Carter, and the second one by Producer Wendy Finerman. The other legacy extra is the ability to play the "Musical Signposts of History" version of the movie. This is a series of sidebars hosted by former Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres, in which he discusses the trivia of the film's many songs, while Zemeckis and music producer Joel Sill (both in archived footage) talk about song inspirations. When enabled, the film turns off and switches to these sidebars before resuming. The bulk of the extras are included on the second disc which includes several new making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes which range from about 15 minutes in length to around 30 minutes in length. Then there is a 55-minute roundtable discussion with Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Eric Roth, and Robert Zemeckis discussing the film at the University of Southern California. Then the rest of the legacy extras are included which are basically a series of short featurettes that each run about 2 minutes, give or take, and the theatrical trailer. So, if you like watching bonus content, there is a lot here for you. And, the A/V quality of the blu-ray is wonderful.
Overall, the movie is awesome and holds up very well even 25+ years later. The role is one of Hanks' best, and he deserves all of the accolades he got for it. If you have not seen the movie, it is most definitely worth watching and if you already love the movie the bonus material you get makes picking up the blu-ray well worth it.
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