5/2/2023 0 Comments Gemini movie![]() ![]() Because of the challenges around both effects, cinematographer Dion Beebe had to light scenes in a way that leaves backgrounds appearing detached from the characters in the foreground. The sheer amount of CGI required to accomplish the de-aged image of Smith, not to mention the HFR, makes almost every moment of Gemini Man difficult to watch. As it turns out, Verris has been a lousy father to Junior, and Brogan isn’t opposed to taking up the job as a symbolic, saw-it-coming-an-hour-ago second chance. Similarly, Brogan’s abandonment and daddy issues come to the fore as a reason for his self-imposed isolation and choice of métier. The action inevitably brings Brogan and Junior face-to-face with gunplay and motorcycle chases, and the symbolism of the protagonist meeting his younger self amid catacomb skulls couldn’t be more overt. They’re also joined by the chummy Baron (Benedict Wong), a pilot character underused as comic relief. “He’s the mirror you don’t want to look into,” says Danny (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a young agent who, when she’s not pointing out the obvious, helps Brogan escape the clutches of his double and the DIA. Of course, Brogan sees himself in Junior-a naive copy yet-uncorrupted by years of psychological compartmentalization. The writers heavy-handedly embed themes and symbolism into Gemini Man, reflecting the title with its use of mirrors, mortality, and fathers and sons. But the clone character is a hollow-eyed and dubious creation of CGI painting that only occasionally looks like a 20-year-old version of Smith. Verris has raised the resultant test tube baby as his own, even giving him a cute name, Junior. Owen is hammy as a cartoonish heavy whose “Gemini Project” has a solution to circumvent the reflection and morality that comes with old age: he creates “a new breed of soldier” by cloning Brogan. Anyway, Brogan’s plan to retire equates to trouble for his DIA overseers, namely his former associate, Clay Verris (Clive Owen). Even so, he somehow manages to be as cheery as most of Smith’s ‘90s-era characters. A lone wolf, Brogan has chronic nightmares about his countless victims, no personal relationships, and has started to develop a conscience. Smith stars as Henry Brogan, a 51-year-old assassin who recognizes that he’s past his prime for America’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Still, these visual bells and whistles fail to distract from Gemini Man ’s by-the-numbers screenplay by David Benioff, Billy Ray, and Darren Lemke-a story utterly devoid of surprises or any emotional consequence. ![]() Accordingly, this review refers to the standard 24 fps version. After watching Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) at 48 fps and finding myself unable to settle into the experience, it’s safe to say the result is jarring and even a hindrance, much like 3D, and not for me. The device is meant to make everything onscreen appear more realistic, though the images often end up looking like an episode of Masterpiece Theater. He once again (after Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk in 2016) shoots using a high frame rate (HFR), an unproven gimmick that enhances the typical frames per second (fps) from 24 to 60 or even 120 fps, depending on what’s offered by your local multiplex. If that wasn’t enough, Lee has even more technological tricks up his sleeve. It’s an effect employed by the MCU and even Martin Scorsese’s latest crime epic, yet it remains an imperfect tool that never quite convinces. The use of de-aging technology has supplied Gemini Man with an ample promotional tool, giving the Paramount Pictures promotional department a chance to Photoshop not just one but two Will Smith heads onto the movie poster. Together, they conjure the Hollywood heyday of John Woo here, delivering the sort of bullets-over-brains material filled with inane dialogue, obvious symbolism, operatic slow-motion shootouts, and motorcycle fights. Moreover, Jerry Bruckheimer, another ‘90s icon, serves as producer for director Ang Lee. Gemini Man strives to recapture Smith’s glory days with the uncanny special effect, while also supplying a throwback actioner similar to Bad Boys (1995). The actor plays both roles, the younger one rendered with de-aging computer animation to create a Fresh Prince of Bel Air -era performance-a nostalgic look, to be sure. He stars as a government hitman who, upon retirement, is targeted for execution by a younger clone of himself. Between his roles in Independence Day (1996) and Men in Black (1997), no blockbuster star was more prominent in the 1990s than Smith. In the tradition of outlandish shoot-em-ups such as Face/Off (1997), the movie pits a deadly hired gun against his mirror image. The spirit of the ‘90s is alive in Gemini Man, a high-concept action movie starring Will Smith. ![]()
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