Ang Lee's latest visually-expressive venture Gemini Man not only wastes one Will Smith but two versions of the megastar actor in a dull and underwhelming action spectacle. Shot on 120fps HFR and 3D is the film’s most fascinating and striking attribute, however both are thoroughly hit and miss. The news leading up to the release admitting that no theatre chain in the United States could showcase Gemini Man in the way Lee envisioned is a massive cause for concern — not only for the director but audiences alike. Both are ultimately cheated in terms of artist credibility and the hard-working cash coming from their pockets, respectively. It does beg the question: why on earth was it shot in this specific manner when the studio knows. their most integral domestic audience would never see it? Paramount have undeniably failed Lee and audiences with false promises, and the result on screen is even worse.

The CGI de-ageing technique courtesy of motion capture impresses on the first look in small snippets and stages of footage, yet as soon as the film unravels and the gimmick is implemented to an integral stage, the effects begin to crack. Shots from a distance look horrible; anything with motion equally looks both shoddy and unrealistic with the relentless HFR and editing. The CGI never really stood a chance of believability. The 3D, aside from one instance in the film’s last few minutes, is nothing short of pointless. It adds absolutely zilch in terms of entertainment value nor visually striking bravado to heighten the experience as a whole.

The film has one rather memorable and engaging ride of a motorcycle chase in Columbia, where the characters engage in a state of Bike-Fu. It is an entertaining tidbit, but only really stands as the sole inclusion of any set piece. From that specific moment on, the film declines — not only with horrible writing and uneventful plotting. On the whole, there’s no charisma or engagement for an audience to care. Smith puts forward classic 101 emotional routines, for not one but two characters, and before long it pains to care. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is thrown in for the ride with nothing to do aside from providing expositional moments or flat instigation the film is desperately crying out for. The less said about Clive Owen's performance, the better. The aching American accent, the lacking depth or intrigue — it goes on and on without an inkling of sentiment or prowess and ends with a blink of the eye.

Gemini Man is all flash and no weight. The CGI and complete conviction of state-of-the-art technology is a massive waste of time that nobody can enjoy. Said effects are wasted on a film that does not remotely push the boundaries to what audiences have seen or will even see arguably this year. Much like Lee's previous film and much of the last few years of Smith's filmography, Gemini Man will be forgotten in the very moment it is brought up in discussion — a deeply hollow, uneventful, glib bore that serves no real purpose aside from providing poor execution.

Gemini Man is released October 10, 2019.

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