‘Gemini Man’ is watchable but mostly forgettable

BY Ron and Leigh

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, the sum is less than the total of the parts. In “Gemini Man” the Hollywood buzz is all about director Ang Lee creating a computer-generated character (not motion capture) co-staring as a younger version of Will Smith’s starring role. Unless a total CGI geek, this is not the reason to see this movie.

The IMAX version is shot at 120 frames per second versus the typical 24. The digital innovation is interesting (yawn), but not compelling by any means. What’s more relevant is that Will Smith fans should enjoy this movie for the action character they expect to see. He chases bad guys and bad guys chase him. Along the way, the extended fight scenes are inventive and well-choreographed, especially those involving a motorcycle, as seen in the trailers.

There is no connection with this movie to the ill-fated 1976 TV show of the same name. In this film version, Smith plays Henry Brogan, an assassin with 72 kills. He works for the government’s Defense International Agency (DIA). Announcing his retirement, the men in black aren’t comfortable with this loose end, “The last plan was like the Hindenburg colliding with the Titanic.” A new dramatic plan is unveiled.

“Guys like Henry are born to become collateral damage,” says the brass. So, Henry suddenly finds himself pursued by a mysterious killer that understands his every move. In one exchange, Henry discovers he’s being hunted by a twenty-something version of himself. “Junior” is just as perplexed, “He knew every move of mine before I made it.”

Henry needs to find out why he’s being targeted and who is the creator of this fresh prince. Aided by trusted agents Danny (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Baron (Benedict Wong), who are both credible and likable, they elude the pursuit of rogue agent Clay Verris (Clive Owen) and his nefarious operation. We’ve seen this type of movie before and many of the scenes are predictable, but Smith shows why he’s still a bankable star.

You might say this is the ultimate battle of Wills. Marveling at the technology, Smith asked late night TV host Stephen Colbert what he thought about the two characters. Colbert asked, “How did they make you look so old?” That’s not the response Smith was seeking, but there were a lot of green screens involved in making this movie.

The epic battles take place in the U.S., Columbia, Belgium and Hungary, so the cinematographers make the best of the travelogue scenery. Smith gets the best lines, such as when he confronts Verris, “Why not just make a whole army full of them?” Verris responds, “Why not? You should be flattered.” Smith retorts, “You should be dead.”

There really isn’t a lot of moralizing about the serious issue of clones, other than to get to the next action sequence and to the final battle scenes. This movie, by Ang Lee, from “Life of Pi,” is not that smart or deep, so if you take it as serious philosophy or simply dumb fun, you might not enjoy the film as much as we did.

From 2003 to 2010 Nicholas Cage was attached to the project that didn’t happen. The original scripts were written for Clint Eastwood, Johnny Depp and Mel Gibson, but each time, it fell apart. This picture is mostly forgettable, but Smith makes it watchable, so it’s not a bad way to ingest a bucket of popcorn on a Saturday afternoon.

“Gemini Man” is 117 minutes and rated PG-13 for violence, action and brief strong language. Sure, we’d have some advice to our younger clones, but if we know us, and we do, our younger selves wouldn’t listen anyway. Yet, if we created our own cloning business, would we be our own boss?

This sci-fi action thriller is slick entertainment with complex action sequences, a marquee star and some flashy digital movie magic. Or, as Will Smith might view it, “It’s all any genie could wish for.” It might not be the movie Ang Lee was striving for, but for Smith and his fans, if there’s a Will there’s a way.

Ron’s Rating: B
Leigh’s Rating: B