Gemini Man

Gemini Man – Henry is an experienced government assassin whose latest hit turns out to be a scientist rather than the terrorist he was convinced he was. Realising he is now the target in a government conspiracy, he goes on the run with two other agents but they are soon tracked down. When Henry sees the man who has been sent to kill him, his whole world is turned upside down.

Gemini Man (2019) – Director: Ang Lee

By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60571154

Rating: 12

Running Length: 117 mins

Starring: Will Smith, Will Smith, Clive Owen

Genre: Action / Thriller

REVIEW: ‘GEMINI MAN’

If, like us, you have found yourself constantly asking the question ‘Who would win in a fight between an older Will Smith and a younger Will Smith?’ then boy, is ‘Gemini Man’ the movie for you! Older Will plays Henry, a seasoned and extraordinary assassin who has begun to feel the presence of his long-quashed conscience. When Henry’s latest hit turns out to not be a villain after all he realises that he has suddenly become embroiled in some form of dangerous government conspiracy. Thus begins his fight for survival, taking on a couple of agents – Danny (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who was assigned to keep tabs on him (now an expendable liability) and Baron (Benedict Wong) – Henry’s friend and former colleague.

Boiled down to set pieces and the like, ‘Gemini Man’ is a very good action flick with plenty of fight scenes and a sprinkling of moral dilemmas. But, if you are watching it for its specific Unique Selling Point of great CGI for younger Will, you may be disappointed. The quality of the CGI to ‘de-age’ Smith is certainly more favourable to the eye during darker lit scenes, but in brighter moments, the ‘uncanny valley’ aspect is jarring. Fatally the key moment fight scenes between the two of them is just plain bad, looking like they’ve been lifted straight from a 10 year old computer game. However, having said this, Will’s acting ability absolutely shines through, we can see Henry Junior’s thoughts, feelings and emotions in his facial expressions and, given the gravity of his predicament, there is rarely a time when he isn’t contemplating his place in the government assassin pecking order.

‘Gemini Man’ took 20 years to get to the big screen which normally means the movie is bad – thankfully this isn’t the case for this Will Smith vehicle although ‘disappointing’ is a state it flirts with throughout. If you can overlook the sometimes terrible CGI, what lies beneath is a very enjoyable action movie with well paced edge-of-your-seat fight scenes and enough Will Smith to see you through a pandemic.

CONTENT: IS ‘GEMINI MAN’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The movie opens with Henry assassinating his latest target. Nothing graphic is shown here but a few minutes later, the immediate aftermath is shown through someone’s phone camera. There is blood on the man’s headrest, he is slumped in his seat and there is a small amount of blood on his neck.

Henry talks about how a young girl was nearby when he took his shot and if he’d have missed even slightly, he would have killed her instead. This could cause anxiety for some kids who may feel vulnerable to the violent actions of others in their day to day lives.

An established, sympathetic character is assassinated along with a loved one and their bodies are dumped in the ocean. Another character is on the phone to a friend when they suddenly stop talking. It is confirmed shortly after that this character was killed.

An agent is threatened with torture, their attacked says ‘You can tell me now or you can tell me in 5 minutes minus your teeth’. However, the agent continues their fight and things do not go well for the attacker.

Henry has a fear of drowning, he tells someone about how at one point he is taken out on a boat, has weight tied to his feet and thrown overboard. He was able to tread water for a while but eventually drowned, he was then brought back on board and revived, the people doing this knew about his fear.

Soldiers attack a town, killing both enemy combatants and civilians, this lasts a few minutes but then it is revealed to not be what it seems.

Henry Jnr tells a female agent to remove her clothes in order for him to check she isn’t wearing any hidden surveillance devices. There is nothing at all sexual with this, he turns away as she undresses and then checks her in a very matter of fact way.

A character has a microchip removed from their arm, a knife makes a small cut before the camera cuts away, The character is not seen to suffer too much.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘GEMINI MAN’ FOR KIDS?

A very serviceable and exciting action film, ‘Gemini Man’ ticks plenty of boxes, especially if you’re a fan of its main star, however the CGI may leave you wanting. Due to some violence and the adult nature of the storyline, we feel this movie is appropriate for kids aged 10 and over.

Violence: 3/5 (exciting action sequences where the stakes are life-and-death. Fist fights are brutal but do not lead to much suffering. There is a brief blood spurt when a character is shot. A man is shot with bee venom which causes an allergic reaction, he is able to receive the antivenom and does not suffer for long)
Emotional Distress: 2/5 (an established ‘nice’ character is killed unexpectedly. A friend is briefly upset but the death isn’t lingered upon)
Fear Factor: 2/5 (some tense scenes where it is unclear how safe characters are)
Sexual Content: 0/5
Bad Language: 3/5 (Mostly mild cursing/blasphemy however there is some moderate language and someone mentions the the acronym AMF which stands for ‘Adios Mother F*****)
Dialogue: 3/5 (some dialogue relating to violence and torture. A character says ‘In 12 minutes, I’m putting a bullet in the back of her head’)
Other Notes: Deals with themes of government conspiracies, government assassins, questioning the chain of command, doubt, survival, listening to your enemy and morality.

Words by Laura Record