"Gemini Man" is a Visually Whacky, but Tedious and Dull Sci-Fi Romp
By: Keaton Marcus
DISCLAIMER: IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 13, YOU MUST ASK YOUR PARENTS IF YOU ARE ALLOWED, IF THEY SAY NO…IT MEANS NO!
35/100 “sour”
I didn't know Ang Lee was capable of creating an inadequate film. Did you? Well, that flick is "Gemini Man", a visually arresting, but bothersome and tasteless high-tech sci-fi thriller starring Will Smith. In a concise opinion, it's an expensive dud that happens to occasionally impress audiences. Smith continues his career of solid performances, but that's not quite sufficient to put an end to his prolonged streak of mediocre movies. The idea is intriguing, they have a talented star, and a critical darling of a filmmaker--where did the production go wrong. A genuine place to start is that you don't believe anything, a couple supporting performances, the overuse of set-pieces and the poor execution of a somewhat usable premise. There's also the sad-but-true fact that filmmaker Ang Lee is becoming more and more obsessed with delivering big things budget-wise than screenplay wise. In the beginning, the little magic trick (you'll see in the premise) entertains you, but that particular gimmick begins to wear out it's welcome long before the picture closes.
A-lister Will Smith portrays the role of hitman Henry Brogan, who after a grueling 72 kills in the field, is ready to retire. On a supposed fishing trip in Georgia, Brogan flirts or at least tries to with a 20-something boathouse employee, soon before finding that she's a Defense Intelligence Agency operative named Danny Zakarweski (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), sent out to spy on the poor guy. Henry also finds that Clay Varris (Clive Owen seemingly begging to escape the movie), a biotech profiteer, wants him dead. It turns out that the assassin Clive sent, is a younger, 23-year-old clone of Henry Brogan (also portrayed by Smith, with some iffy CGI). Moviegoers can geek out all they want about an "epic battle" between Will Smith and himself, but it seems very different in the film, and not in a positive sense.
With Junior (the clone), Hollywood goes full freak-out on trying to make the Will from "The Fresh Prince of Belair" as realistic as possible. The end product looks a little curious, definitely impressive, but not quite human enough to satisfy cinemas. Nevertheless, Will Smith delivers undeniably strong performances as the two Brogans. The issue is, it's not worth your precious two hours to pay nearly ten dollars (more for refreshments) if the only reason to see the film is for Will Smith's performance. Your response is: what about the promising visual effects? Still not adequate. The movie itself is a ballistic mess produced by all-action no-brain Jerry Bruckheimer. As a critic, however, I do give a certain amount of credit for the chemistry between Will Smith and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, but that does not excuse the distinct lack of entertainment value.
That's right, this action film not only doesn't deliver on intelligence, from time to time, the urge to fall asleep takes over. Director Ang Lee assumes that the visual effects will hook audiences from the start, but honestly, "Gemini Man" could be used as an excuse to take a 119-minute nap. Whether it's a thrilling motorcycle chase in 120 frames-per-second or an excellent hand-to-hand combat scene in the catacombs, you realize that while this picture has its moments, there's no way that the sporadic pleasure is enough to the immeasurable fact: it's not a good movie. Fine, clone Will Smith, put in a high-frame-rate, audiences will get fatigued of "Gemini Man" either way.
The final opinion is: "Gemini Man" has sufficient visual splendor, as well as a game Will Smith, but the outcome is a high-concept, expensive sci-fi dud that suffers from poor execution, a tired screenplay and a lack of entertaining moments...$KIP IT