This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who
has seen any sort of “Gemini Man” marketing,
although the movie seems to think it is a
surprise, but they soon discover that the person
Henry’s being hunted by is a much younger
version of himself. “Junior” (a de-aged Smith) is
part of a shadowy program run by Varris called
Gemini. The construct of “he knows every move
I’m going to make” is an interesting one, but
this film barely does anything with it. It’s too
busy inexplicably continent hopping and giving
Winstead, Smith and Benedict Wong one-liners
even they can’t sell.
Lee once again is using the high frame rate he
deployed in “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk”
(which I liked more than most) but it’s even
more distracting this time around. The hyper
reality makes everything look somehow cheaper
and less cinematic and it detracts from some
of the genuinely well-choreographed action
set pieces. And while “Junior” does look pretty
good for a computer-generated approximation
of a 23-year-old Smith, it’s hard not to wish that
all the time and money spent on this gimmick
might have been put toward making sure the
script and story were at least engaging and
entertaining. As it stands, “Gemini Man” is a lot of
show, but there’s no life behind the eyes.
“Gemini Man,” a Paramount Pictures release, is
rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association
of America for “violence and action throughout,
and brief strong language.” Running time: 117
minutes. One star out of four.
MPAA Definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material
may be inappropriate for children under 13.