It's as been a while since this movie was released, sometime around December 2019. Back then I was eager to watch it but some circumstances prevailed, stopping me from watching this movie and wiping the idea completely out of my mind until now.
Gemini Man is a movie above Henry Brogan. A soldier, a warrior, and a secret agent, who is an excellent sniper. One that the secret agency he works for, acknowledged as efficient and effective.
Everything seemed to be going well for Henry until he decided to retire due to some personal issues. So, he was sent on a last mission, to terminate a" Bio-terrorist" in a moving train.
After completing the mission, he soon realized that he had been lied to and that the man he was sent to kill was not a terrorist or a bad guy, he was simply a scientist working on a project for Gemini, an agency that raised and trained Henry to become a killer.
So he begins to investigate the true nature of his last mission and this prompts him to become a target of Gemini agency, which sends out a hit squad to neutralize Henry. After their horrific failure, they decide to unveil their secret Gemini project, one that is sure to eliminate the most Dangerous and skilled soldier, Henry Brogan.
Cast
The movie had a wild and interesting cast, starting from the famed William Smith, to Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong, Clive Owen, and a bunch of other skilled actors. And even though Will smith was the sole proprietor or main character of this movie, I just wouldn't be doing justice to this movie if I didn't commend Benedict Wong for his exceptional performance as Baron, a friend and former co-worker of Henry Brogan (Will smith). His happy nature and hilarious one-liners did wonders for the movie which if you asked me, was already a hundred and one percent too serious( which is still a good thing).
CGI/Animation.
This section is one that truly amazes me in this movie. Back in 2019 when the trailer for this movie first aired I was really excited to see the movie as I was, and I'm still a Will Smith fan. The trailer showed not just incredible action sequences, but also two William Smith! Which to me at the moment was just exactly what I needed. But after watching the movie, I have to say in all honesty, "I am not impressed". Firstly, I would still like to commend the CGI artist and the animation experts on their relentless effort in making sure that Will smith's look-alike was bottom-line believable. But, I feel like they focused way too much on making the CGI character look a lot like William Smith and in doing so opened a lot of CGI loopholes. What do I mean by CGI loopholes, to me it's basically when I can tell CGI portions of a film without much stress. And this makes the movie a little bit unsettling for me. Apart from the fact that I already know that the movie is heavily dependent on CGI, the lookalike image is a clear giveaway. A lot of other scenes stood out as fake too, especially the fight scenes. The only time I remotely believe the CGI, is when the young William Smith stays in one particular spot and just talks. I know the producers were trying to achieve something out of this world with this movie but I would still say without a doubt in my mind that Matrix did it better. As their use of CGI blended much better and easier with the live acting.
The Plot.
The plot is the only positive part of this movie because I truly believe Will Smith was not at his hundred percent but was still able to tell a story that captured my imagination and fancy. The story of a man so hunted by his past that he can't sleep or look himself in the mirror. He avoids every bit of his past and escapes for solitude until his past starts chasing after him in the form of a clone sent to kill him. The movie truly spoke to me, as I realized that self-reflection is truly a key to happiness.
Final thoughts.
I feel Will Smith over the years, has told stories that are more intriguing and fascinating than this but, Gemini man truly is the most technologically innovative in terms of production technology. Born from a single idea to unite the past and present together. In such a way that it tells the story of an identity crisis, struggle, survival, science, confrontation, forgiveness, love, and acceptance. Knowing that we all have ghosts that hunt our sleep, a reflection of ourselves in the mirror that we don't want to see, and a past that shames our very present nature ..and the more we run, the close we get to them until we are finally standing face to face. Gemini man tells all this and more, that's why I recommend it to you, not just because it teaches something meaningful but because it goes beyond to present itself as an entertaining movie, one that deserves to be watched with a bowl of popcorn and an ice cold drink. 💯
