#MovieMonday: Gemini Man Review: Counting the Popcorn is More Interesting Than This Movie

Joker, a film that cost USD$70 million to make, was released on 3 October 2019, while Gemini Man, a film with Will Smith that cost a whopping USD$158 million to make, was out just last Thursday.

Fast forward to today, and people are still talking about Joker.

Gemini Man? Simi lai de? Men born between 21 May to 21 June ah?

The lacklustre response to the movie, despite its strong marketing (I remember seeing its poster everywhere), is a testimonial that even if you’ve a superstar and a high budget, results aren’t guaranteed.

But honestly speaking, is it that bad?

Is counting the number of popcorn in your tub more interesting?

Let’s find out.

But before that…simi is Gemini Man?

Gemini Man, a Film That Took More than 20 Years to Develop

The idea for the film was conceived more than 20 years ago. In 1997, a screenwriter came out with an idea of an aging government hitman being hunted by his own clone.

Back then, they’ve already toyed with the idea of using CG to create the young clone, and several actors were considered, including popular ones like Brad Pitt, Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage.

However, there was no progress as the technology back then wasn’t good enough to recreate a realistic  young Brad Pitt.

Fast-forward to 2016 and we all know what’s happened: cars can drive by themselves, Facebook can predict what we want and Nick Fury can look young again.

So in came Will Smith, who’s now at the correct age of 51.

The film’s directed by the legendary Ang Lee, and is produced by another legend, Jerry Bruckheimer.

Everything looks perfect: a script that waited twenty years to be filmed, starring a superstar and helmed by legendary producers.

Nothing can go wrong, right?

Wrong.

Online Reviews That Showed No Mercy

Here’s the trailer that stars Will Smith and…Will Smith.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been so disinterested in a trailer before. Even the recommended YouTube video of an influencer complaining about the lack of seats in a bus looks more interesting.

And here’s what critics are saying:

25% approval rating in Rotten Tomatoes for a film that’s directed by Ang Lee?

I’d actually watch it just to see how bad it can be.

And indeed, it’s bad.

Predictable Plot, Try-to-Hard Actions That’s Suitable Only on the Small Screen

The premise of the movie is simple: old man retires as a hitman and is hunted by his clone who’s much younger.

The end.

Okay, there are more to it but that’s basically a one-line summary that suffices. It’ll be perfect for a Black Mirror episode.

The plot is pretty much predictable, and it seems like the production team is only focused on one thing: the visuals.

Everything looks goody: the young Will Smith looks almost identical to his older self, the action scenes are fast-paced and rather cool, and the dialogue is beautifully constructed.

But here’s the thing: the entire movie seems to be made for Will Smith.

I can almost hear what the production team has said:

Producer A: I think if we add a twist here in this part, it’ll throw the viewers off. You know, like those Goody Feed videos with a plot twist.

Producer B: Will Will Smith be there? Or the young Will Smith be there? Can we show off the young Smith’s tears?

Producer A: We need a compelling story—

Producer B: How about we add a scar on the young Smith?

Producer A: That’s not related to the story—

Producer CB: Good. Let’s make the young Smith cry. Tears on a CG-ed face will look good

All producers clapped.

There’s nothing wrong with focusing on the aesthetics, but when the plot is compromised, everything’s wrong.

In order to turn this film into a visual-fest for Will Smith’s fans, the film is even shot in 120 fps. For the layman, it means the film can be played at slow motion without looking jerky; but it’s actually pretty unnecessary for normal movement, if not there won’t be much of a motion blur which is needed to show movement.

It might look more realistic, but our brain and eyes are used to 24 fps film; in other words, they’re just trying too hard.

If you’re a Will Smith’s fan, then this movie might be for you. If not, I’d  suggest that you buy a tub of popcorn and just spend two hours counting them. That would’ve been much more interesting.

Rating: 1/5