STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE

MOVIE
Gemini Man
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong
Director Ang Lee
Review Ray Chan


THE script for Gemini Man was first bandied around in 1997, when the likes of Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford and Tom Cruise were touted as possible leads.
    And the fact that it’s taken so long for a movie to materialise turns out to be a blessing, for it allows the story to be told using the most advanced 3D technology available, transforming this action/adventure offering into an almighty visual spectacle.
    Gemini Man casts Will Smith as two characters: Henry Brogan, a retired hitman who just wants to spend the rest of his days in a sleepy fishing village, and Junior, a younger clone of himself who has been tasked with hunting him down and killing him after his assassin agency turns against him.
    The whole novelty of the movie revolves round the two versions of the same actor, who are so equally matched that their fight scenes together end up being brutal stalemates.
    But can you imagine how poorly this would have looked if it had been filmed two decades ago? The current special effects repository available to director Ang Lee ensures that the clone looks truly like a genuine fresh prince from Bel-Aire, while the high frame rates employed make the action scenes shine in all their glory.
    Everything is clear and incandescent, whether it’s a rooftop shootout, spectacularly choreographed parkour ballets or a motorcycle chase in broad daylight, or a savage brawl in skull-lined catacombs lit only by the flashlight on a gun.
    Groundbreaking graphics aside, Smith plays the older and wiser protagonist well, reinforcing his status as a more-than-capable A-list actor, while benefiting from strong supporting roles by Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Benedict Wong.
    The let-down is the script in general, which is composed of oft-risible dialogue, cursory characterisation, and tired international espionage plots: while the premise may have been fresh in the 90s, it's now weary to see yet another adventure of a once-decorated hero pursued by his former government employers.
    Still, it’s a fun bit of popcorn entertainment, with the storyline pretty much conveyed in a linear style that doesn’t shoot off into various tangents that require the viewer to work hard in piecing them together.
    The tricks and tech make this movie worth the price of admission alone, even if the substance doesn’t quite approach the grandeur of the style.

#geminiman  #nrccommunications