GEMINI MAN
A battle of Wills
RELEASED OUT NOW!
2019 | 12 | Blu-ray (4K, standard)/ DVD/download
Director Ang Lee
Cast Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong
Few directors have had careers as eclectic as Ang Lee’s. The multi-Oscar-winner has dabbled in martial arts, Jane Austen, supposedly unfilmable literary novels and even a Marvel adaptation. But he’s never got round to making a generic ’90s action movie – until now…
High concept to its core, Gemini Man sees Will Smith’s 50-something government assassin preparing to hang up his rifle, only to run into a younger clone of himself with orders to retire him permanently. Alas, in its plot and pacing the film feels 20 years out of date, the sort of leaden, by-the-numbers actioner that would never have got through Jerry Bruckheimer’s quality control back in the day. (Ironically, he’s producer here.)
The impressive CG that allows Smith to double as his Fresh Prince-era self is the only modern thing it offers; although the story did come first, the script is basically an excuse to road-test some state of the art de-ageing effects. Looper made much more of a similar premise by asking Joseph Gordon-Levitt to pretend to be Bruce Willis, so unleashing such a sophisticated box of tricks feels unnecessary at times.
Ultimately, Lee seems unsure whether he’s making a serious thriller or a silly popcorn movie. If he had just redone Face/Off with two Will Smiths, Gemini Man would have been a lot more fun.
Extras “The Future Is Now” (19 minutes) is the standout featurette, an in-depth look at the groundbreaking performance capture tech that took years off Smith; the attention the effects team paid to the star’s features (even the pores in his skin) is mind-boggling. There’s a similarly detailed doc on Gemini Man’s action sequences, plus four briefer, fluffier featurettes packed with soundbites about how clever the movie (allegedly) is. The Blu-ray and download are rounded out by an alternative opening (six minutes) and two deleted scenes. The 4K disc adds a visual effects progression. Richard Edwards