I typically address the technical elements of a film later in my reviews, as aspects like story, characters, and the defining feature of each genre—action in an action movie, comedy in a comedy—are usually more important. However, given the extensive marketing campaign emphasizing Gemini Man's "groundbreaking innovations," I’ll discuss those now. Even after considering it for some time, my experience with the high frame rate is still somewhat jarring. For those unfamiliar, HFR captures more frames per second, which adds detail and creates a smoother image—a quality that can be quite distracting. I always turn off motion smoothing on my TV because of this unsettling feeling that something isn’t quite right. This isn't about speed, despite what some people will incorrectly assume regarding the film. The action isn’t faster; it simply appears to be so. With 2.5 times more detail (the standard frame rate is 24 FPS), movements are easier to follow, creating the illusion of increased speed. In reality, that's just how it feels. When characters are engaged in dialogue and there's no action, it actually looks better. However, the action sequences themselves are inconsistent. Some moments look incredible, but it’s clear this technology requires more time to reach its full potential. Car chases, motorbike pursuits, and shooting scenes are beautifully filmed, but hand-to-hand combat is often off-putting. Furthermore, Ang Lee uses a significant amount of CGI in many of these sequences, which makes some fights look quite strange. HFR isn’t the only technical element people will be talking about; there's also that younger version of Will Smith. Honestly, it doesn’t really work for me. Those who criticized The Lion King (2019) for its animals lacking emotional expression are sure to dislike this attempt at recreating a young Will Smith—if they don’t, society is truly hypocritical. Like the action sequences with HFR, the digital de-aging is inconsistent. There are moments where scenes featuring younger Will Smith look remarkably realistic; in some close-ups, it's nearly impossible to distinguish him from his older self. However, this realism isn't maintained throughout the entire movie. Primarily, young Henry displays very little emotion (aside from one poignant crying scene), seemingly intended to simplify the VFX team’s job. Even with a relatively still and expressionless face, his eyes appear doll-like, his eyebrows move oddly, and his forehead seems strange. Ultimately, it's difficult to suspend disbelief and accept him as a digital character. I consistently felt like I was watching a combination of CGI, motion capture, and other technologies. In a few years, if Gemini Man receives a remake or another film attempts something similar, the results will likely look near-perfect. Right now, it feels more like a distraction than an achievement. Combined with the already flawed HFR, this creates a visually striking but ultimately distracting movie. And if you were hoping the story would redeem it… It’s quite bad. The plot is generic, predictable, and filled with what I consider to be almost offensive exposition. This is definitely one of the most exposition-heavy screenplays I've encountered in recent years. I lost track of how many times a character begins explaining something obvious to another person. A screenplay’s worst offense is treating its audience like children. The plot revolves around characters repeatedly asking each other what happened, what’s happening, and what will happen next. We already know from the trailer that Will Smith is being hunted by a younger version of himself—a clone. Imagine how many ways you can convey to someone that there's an individual exactly like them. Now, just insert all those sentences into a character's dialogue during a single scene. It’s laughably bad; there are no surprises! The film ends abruptly, completely disregarding the only potentially interesting plot point (which is still very predictable) by failing to develop it further than one brief sequence. If not for the truly exceptional cast (Will Smith delivers an impeccable performance, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Benedict Wong also give great performances), Gemini Man would easily be among the worst movies of the year. I want to acknowledge Lorne Balfe's score, which is the only technical aspect worthy of praise. Overall, Ang Lee’s attempt at a groundbreaking film falls short. It’s still quite far from achieving that goal. The 60 FPS HFR and the younger version of Will Smith are occasionally breathtaking, but both these elements need years of refinement to work seamlessly. Currently, they only serve as frustrating distractions. However, Gemini Man's biggest problem is its screenplay, which not only treats the audience with disrespect but also lacks any element of surprise or originality; it’s as generic and predictable as it could be. The incredibly talented cast, a spectacular score from Lorne Balfe, and a few noteworthy action sequences prevent this technological misfire from completely missing its mark. Rating: C-

Source on TMDB