Gemini Man 3D Movie Review

Gemini Man 3D Movie Review

Written By: Krista Strom


3D

Gemini Man is another enjoyable 3D film by Ang Lee. Ang Lee is a filmmaker who has been at the cutting edge of 3D technology, and this film is no different. Not only does this movie boast 120 fps high frame rate (120 FPS is only available in a few locations , most locations  are 60 FPS) , but it also has an entirely digital human character in the role of younger Will Smith. So how well do these special effects pay off? I would say in terms of the 3D and the high frame rate, the result is a very crisp and clear image. At times, it even felt a bit too clean. Many shots in the movie look fantastic in 3D . Several under water shots really make you feel like you are in the water with the actor with multiple layers of bubbles in multiple layers of 3D . Many scenes with guns looked very impressive in 3D as they popped out of the screen and went far into negative space.  The movie uses diagonal shots in fun ways and the curved train really looks nice in 3D. The action sequence in the empty store was especially strong in 3D. The 3D is bright, colorful, sharp and was never an issue even in scenes with low light. One moment in a close combat fight with a knife was very cool to watch in 3D. Overall, Ang Lee is an absolute master of 3D filmmaking and I would highly recommend seeing this film in 3D and in High Frame rate, just to get the full experience. This film didn’t quite live up to Life of Pi in my opinion but it’s clear that Ang Lee is basically just competing against himself at this point. 


Final Verdict: Great 3D


Movie

Gemini Man is about the sniper Henry, (Will Smith) who wants to retire from his job. Unfortunately for Henry, he ends up with a target on his back. The catch is, the person who's hunting him, (Junior) turns out to be a younger version of himself. 

This is ostensibly an action movie, but it’s almost border lining on psychological horror. There are a lot of aspects to the plot that are deeply disturbing if you think about them. Though to be fair, this is not necessarily a story you’re supposed to think deeply about – it’s mostly just an excuse to watch Will Smith fight himself. For what it’s worth, the story does a good job of maintaining excitement and high stakes throughout the film, making it a fun watching experience despite the moral ambiguity. The story deals with complex topics such as human cloning, ptsd, the military industrial complex, abuse, and more, but it doesn’t delve too much into the nuance of these topics. The film keeps a somewhat morally simplistic view. It never comes off as being too preachy. The film allows the viewers to draw their own conclusions, but it also doesn’t leave a lot of room for grey area.

Visually I think this form of “heightened reality” might exist somewhere in the uncanny valley – incredibly realistic but not quite there, resulting in it feeling slightly unsettling. But in the context of the movie, this actually fits. Will Smith’s character himself feels unsettled by the things he’s experienced, so it makes sense that that feeling is reflected within the visuals. It does seem to add to the “real but unreal” feeling of the story. “Seeing a ghost” seems like an accurate description. As for the digital character of young Will Smith, I thought the effects were okay. He does at minimum look like a human, though whether he looks definitely like Will Smith or more like “Will Smith adjacent” kind of varies from shot to shot. This slight variation in quality was more distracting than anything else, though I expect this technology will rapidly improve in the coming years. Much like the visuals, the resolution to the story seems a bit “too clean” and ironically, lacking in realism. I have a feeling that if a similar thing were to take place in reality ( which scarily it very well could ) the ramifications would be a lot messier. 

Ultimately I thought Gemini Man was a great cinematic experience and a well crafted emotional journey. Though the story does has its faults it’s still a great film. 


Final Verdict: 8/10


3Dor2D.com audio podcasts can be found on:

3Dor2D.com Podcast RSS Feed Link is below:

http://www.3dor2d.com/podcast/?format=rss


You can also watch this podcast via Youtube below ⬇️ 👇:

Please Subscribe to 3Dor2D on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/3dor2d


Official Website :

https://www.paramount.com/movies/gemini-man

© 2019 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.