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Gemini movie cast11/7/2023 ![]() ![]() Not that there was really much substance to the first half to begin with, but at least it involved some questions and choices to keep things interesting for a while. ![]() What should’ve been third-act twists wind up in the trailer and as midpoint reveals, leaving almost nothing of substance for the second half of the story. Likewise, we get almost no serious foundation for the moral struggle or decisions of the antagonist either, and his reversal happens way too easily and quickly. The film seems to think the moral objections are obvious enough that they don’t require further consideration or vocalization, but if that’s the case then there’s no real moral questions or themes in the film at all – it’s just “bad people do a bad thing, so someone should kill them.” But with a hero who was part of those bad people and who did a bunch of the bad things himself, such a black-and-white assumption about the issues doesn’t work. Meanwhile, there is no serious consideration of the ethical questions surrounding the film’s premise regarding how to make and train an “ultimate army,” other than having villains literally state the concept aloud so Smith or someone else can offer quick denouncements based on simplistic statements. We are supposed to forgive Smith and his antagonist for their own past, while ignoring the fact they go around slaughtering other people who are just another example of themselves. Meanwhile, he goes around killing pretty much everybody else who gets in his way, despite the fact they are all part of the same program and “path in life” which make Smith’s character sympathize with his antagonist and which serve as the “excuse” (read: audience buy-in) for his own character flaws. The restraint Smith shows toward his primary “antagonist” in the story is – as you can probably guess if you know anything at all about the movie – selfish in nature, considering who that person really is. It posits moral ambiguity for the lead character, without providing any good context or demonstration of his restraint in the face of his uncertainty about his path in life. It’s set in the present, but feels like it should’ve been set in the near-future. ![]() In other words, Gemini Man has several important ingredients demonstrating what you could and should be getting from future blockbuster film releases, in terms of immersive experiences through cutting-edge technologies, even though this particular movie is – in the final estimation – bad. which is the crucial ingredient the film lacks, and why it ultimately fails. Combining these elements with the positive aspects mentioned above regarding the cast, all Gemini Man needed was a good story to hold it all together and turn it into a win. It also features some top-notch action sequences pushing the envelop with new technologies you need to see to appreciate. However, it also contains a charming cast with terrific chemistry together who have fun moments together with enjoyable banter. It’s inconsistent, it doesn’t earn its emotional beats, it presents a shallow examination of its themes, and it feels like a movie made from a synopsis of an idea rather than a fully formed and finished story. Gemini Man is a bad story that makes no sense and fails all over the place. And what’s right with it? Well, also plenty. That could potentially help boost Gemini Man toward $300 million territory, which would look better even though it still puts the film well below profit territory.īesides the grim financial future, what else is wrong with Gemini Man? Plenty. There’s a chance, however, that the involvement of Alibaba Pictures will mean China gives the film a strong push when it opens there next weekend. And 2013 saw two big sci-fi would-be blockbusters from Smith, with the critically panned After Earth scoring $243 million and Men In Black III taking a terrific $624 million as well as positive reviews. The excellent 2015 release Concussion only took $48 million and faced mixed reviews, unfortunately, but the same year Smith had more financial success – but still mixed critical reactions – alongside Margot Robbie in the $159 million grossing Focus. In 2016, Smith's film Collateral Beauty did a modest $88 million despite horrible reviews, while Suicide Squad was a huge hit to the tune of $746 million in the face of negative critical reception. This year's Aladdin was a $1+ billion grosser and beloved by most audiences despite mixed reviews, and his 2017 Netflix movie Bright is among the streaming service's most-watched offerings of all time, even though critics definitely didn’t like that one. Will Smith’s box office and critical track record over the past decade has had some ups and downs, but he remains one of the few true movie stars of the modern age who is capable of opening films on his personal brand.
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