Gemini Man

The intention here was to elevate a simple theme like that of a Van Damme movie to the level of a clever, emotional action drama with a social subtext, with the help of a top scriptwriter and “artistic” director. And it didn’t really work. The digitally rejuvenated Will Smith is a WTF character – he’s supposed to go through an intense internal struggle requiring a quality acting performance and, paradoxically, delivers the worst “acting” of the movie with his Shrek-like facial expressions. Despite its ambitious plan, the film is also dragged down by unrealistic digital action scenes that are reminiscent of a Fast & Furious theme park. And that’s too bad, since it had such a promising start with the still cool Will and nice chemistry between him and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. (11/26/2019)

I didn’t believe Hollywood was still able to produce pure action blockbusters like this. Despite all the inevitable changes during its production, this is clearly a Bruckheimer premise from the 90s in its full glory, at the centre of which there is a protagonist who’s exceptionally proficient in the liquidation of villains, a potentially romantic line that is fully pushed aside, and a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top, but without the burden of a social or political context. The narrative creates a simple hyperreality where only the two sides of the conflict exist, and everything else is unimportant. Using pure images and digital effects, Ang Lee emphasises this concept to create an alternative world that I had no trouble accepting and let myself be absorbed in at least at the level of a proper action experience. The action itself is not static or forced, but fairly diverse in the way it moves the plot forward, and the digital look is not painful to watch – it actually fits into the concept. Actually, there’s not that much action, it relies more on the interactions of the characters, who direct an otherwise simple story. This is not revolutionary genre nonsense, the story is too standard for that and the way it develops some of the motifs is unoriginal and telegraphic, but I was impressed by the old-fashioned feel and, after a long time, Lee gave me 3D comfort where I can see a promising visual future (though I understand that many viewers won’t like this hyperrealistic style). Personally, I expected it to be considerably funnier in a 90s way – all that seriousness didn’t work on me at times. (10/15/2019)

Oscar-winning Ang Lee delivers a 90's style actioner, and even though the critics are grumbling, I think it's great. Will Smith is the ultimate assassin and he's just about to retire, but before he does he has to face his own younger clone who wants to take him out without hesitation. The story is interesting, but doesn't dazzle that much, which in this case I don't mind because the action scenes are almost revolutionary and technically precise. The intense music, the amazing cinematography, the utmost professionalism and precision of the two Wills captivated me with every moment and the scene with the motorbikes is one of the best I've seen in the cinema this year, but the fight in the catacombs or the rotating machine gun with lasers is also great. The acting, the action and the technical aspects of the film are impeccable and if that's enough for you, you'll be royally entertained like me. 80% (10/15/2019)

What happens to me lately is that I watch actors that I really liked as a kid in movies side by side with their own kids that look just like them in ‘90s. Kind of deja vu but it is like that. It is so evident in Gemini Man for example that it was filmed by someone experienced and that Ang Lee proved himself already during the ‘90s. As far as contemporary movies go it is more of a routine flick than something worth remembering. Action scenes are good, special effects are OK, dialogues not so good and story line is at the level of a five-year old. But OK, Hollywood wants it that way, and therefore I’m rating it with 3 stars and I think that after a few months I will forget all about the Gemini Man without a single regret. (08/17/2020)

For how seriously it takes itself, Gemini Man isn't a particularly sophisticated spectacle, and though I secretly wished it would, the third corner of the Will Smith cinematic triangle of I Am Legend + I, Robot + ? certainly didn't come into being. Aside from the strange script, which seemed to set the stage for a surprising twist several times but ultimately let it go, the gimmicks were also strange. I don't mean the rejuvenated Will Smith, who is really perfect (What's next? Can we look forward to Buster Keaton slapstick?), but as for the rest – a lot of the shots look so disturbingly digital... The motorbike chase is fine, but sometimes something catches the eyes (you just have to wonder what it would be like with a stunt madman like Tom Cruise with no need for digital doubles and motorbikes), the man-on-man fights look more like robot-on-robot fights... And any directorial ideas? When I remember how originally Ang Lee once envisioned the comic book Hulk(yes, I really likedit), here I have to say: no glory. (10/12/2019)