Gemini Man (2019 Film) Review
Henry Brogan is an elite 51-year-old assassin who's ready to call it quits after completing his 72nd job. His plans get turned upside down when he becomes the target of a mysterious operative who can seemingly predict his every move. To his horror, Brogan soon learns that the man who's trying to kill him is a younger, faster, cloned version of himself.
Will Smith stars as both Henry Brogan and Junior, the cloned version of Henry. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who plays Navy veteran Dani Zakarweski, and Benedict Wong, who plays skilled pilot Baron, join Smith. The trio set out to destroy the GEMINI program, which is run by Clive Owen's Clayton "Clay" Varris.
"Gemini Man" was directed by Ang Lee, the Academy Award-winning director behind films such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Brokeback Mountain," and "Life of Pi." Jerry Bruckheimer, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger produced the film. David Benioff, Billy Ray, and Darren Lemke all co-wrote the script. Paramount Pictures distributed "Gemini Man."
Overall Thoughts
"Gemini Man" is a curious failure as an action film and writing that disappoints me. The trailers for this weren't the best, but who can rely on trailers to accurately reflect the quality of the advertised product these days? Ang Lee, as I outlined in his credits, is an experienced and lauded filmmaker, so the knowledge that this film is as underwhelming as it is baffles me.
Lee shot "Gemini Man" digitally at 120 FPS (Frames Per Second) and aimed to show it in 3D on a 4K projector in theaters. The mistake in this is that no theater in America can play a film this way. I often criticize directors for putting more effort behind the look of the film, rather than the characters and story, but this is the next level of that issue. Not only did Lee spend more time with the technical designs, but he also did so in a way that most people won't view it in his intended form, practically wasting his effort. Maybe Lee's playing the long game. Maybe theaters will get an upgrade and this film will be re-released because it'll then be able to play in its intended form. As of right now, however, it feels like a wasted effort on the Lee's part.
I watched this film on a regular screen, in the standard 24 FPS. "Gemini Man" likely needs this advanced format because when the action sequences play out, they're remarkably slow. Characters move around, shooting weapons, reacting to danger, and it all feels like it's in a stage of slow motion. It's so noticeable that I sensed characters could've easily escaped harm's way. The other problem is that we were shown most of these sequences in the trailers. There's nothing impressive or new that these characters do in combat. Henry snipping a moving target from a few kilometers away is not something we haven't seen before.
Will Smith plays a slightly twisted version of himself in the film. Henry is essentially Smith with military skills, but so is the biological clone Junior, who behaves more so like Smith now instead of Smith when he was in his early 20s. Everything in Junior's body language and speech feels like current Will Smith. Just because he uses terms like "ma'am," it's not enough to make us believe Smith has de-aged himself. The de-aging effects are standard. We've seen it so much lately that it's not outstanding, though it is not poorly rendered. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong, and Clive Owen play caricatures of different roles we've seen before. Winstead's the snappy and talkative female, Wong's the friendly yet tough pilot, and Owen's the company director who likes to monologue. Nothing in the story made them remotely interesting. Winstead and Wong just get along with Smith's Henry just because the script says so. There's no chemistry between the actors and it's a shame to see such talent wasted.
Evidently, "Gemini Man" is a concept writer Darren Lemke came up with back in 1997, one that has endured for the last twenty-two years and has finally been made into a film. This knowledge explains a lot. How so? Because the story is one we've seen before. While the filmmakers waited for CGI to get to where it's at today, they failed to evolve the story over time. What would've been called original or innovative back then is now dull and uninspired. The not-so subtle product placement and the out-of-place one-liners do not benefit the film at all. Nor does the globetrotting element, which is taken for granted. This film moves so fast from one location to another that it's hard to appreciate the effort taken to showcase the featured beauty.
Occasionally, "Gemini Man" does have its upsides. I may have slightly written off Will Smith's performance earlier, but he does have some effective acting moments, particularly as Junior. When Henry and Junior come together, I was convinced that the two were separate entities and Smith does improvise some humorous exchanges between the two. The dialogue can contain some intelligence. Clive Owen's Clayton has a monologue about why he's making clones, ones that feel no emotion, and training them to be soldiers. His belief is well founded and you almost agree with his perspective. On the cinematography side, there are a few neat camera tricks, including an impressive one-shot that follows Henry on a motorcycle through tight alleys, traffic, and over cityscapes.
I watched this film on a regular screen, in the standard 24 FPS. "Gemini Man" likely needs this advanced format because when the action sequences play out, they're remarkably slow. Characters move around, shooting weapons, reacting to danger, and it all feels like it's in a stage of slow motion. It's so noticeable that I sensed characters could've easily escaped harm's way. The other problem is that we were shown most of these sequences in the trailers. There's nothing impressive or new that these characters do in combat. Henry snipping a moving target from a few kilometers away is not something we haven't seen before.
Evidently, "Gemini Man" is a concept writer Darren Lemke came up with back in 1997, one that has endured for the last twenty-two years and has finally been made into a film. This knowledge explains a lot. How so? Because the story is one we've seen before. While the filmmakers waited for CGI to get to where it's at today, they failed to evolve the story over time. What would've been called original or innovative back then is now dull and uninspired. The not-so subtle product placement and the out-of-place one-liners do not benefit the film at all. Nor does the globetrotting element, which is taken for granted. This film moves so fast from one location to another that it's hard to appreciate the effort taken to showcase the featured beauty.
Occasionally, "Gemini Man" does have its upsides. I may have slightly written off Will Smith's performance earlier, but he does have some effective acting moments, particularly as Junior. When Henry and Junior come together, I was convinced that the two were separate entities and Smith does improvise some humorous exchanges between the two. The dialogue can contain some intelligence. Clive Owen's Clayton has a monologue about why he's making clones, ones that feel no emotion, and training them to be soldiers. His belief is well founded and you almost agree with his perspective. On the cinematography side, there are a few neat camera tricks, including an impressive one-shot that follows Henry on a motorcycle through tight alleys, traffic, and over cityscapes.
Rating: ★½
Conclusion
As good as these few elements are, it's not enough to make "Gemini Man" a good movie. The script and characters are passé, the actors are often uninspired, and most severely, the film fails to deliver on its biggest selling point: the action sequences. This is certainly the most disappointing film Ang Lee has directed since 2003's "Hulk." I still look forward to see what he does next. I only hope that whatever it is, it isn't made for a very exclusive theatrical format.
This has been my review of “Gemini Man." I hope you enjoyed it. Have you seen the film? If you have, share your thoughts in the comments below. Should you feel inclined, feel free to recommend a film for me to review next. Thank you for reading, I'm Dallin, your resident film fanatic, and I'll return soon with another review.
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