Called “visually stunning” (Yolanda Machado, GQ) and “a true breakthrough for action cinema” (Max Evry, ComingSoon.net), director Ang Lee’s action-packed thrill ride GEMINI MAN arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD January 14, 2020 from Paramount Home Entertainment. Here is my review.
Will Smith stars as retired hitman Henry Brogan, forced on the run by a young, highly skilled operative who will stop at nothing to eliminate his target. Now on a race around the globe, Henry must outsmart the mysterious assassin at every step – but how far will he go once they finally come face to face? Packed with epic fight scenes and groundbreaking visual effects, GEMINI MAN is the future of action movies.
Review – Excerpt from Sean Atkins’ Review
Will Smith and Ang Lee have put their stamps on Hollywood time after time in years past, but this feels more like an exercise in what not to do in an age where Hollywood is adjusting in various areas, formats, and genres. While Gemini Man had the opportunity to buck the current trends and go against the flow in a good way, it has nothing to add and, more importantly, can’t muster up enough entertainment to be worth your time or money. Fifteen minutes into the movie, a colleague sitting next to me leaned over and whispered, “They should’ve called this The Boring Supremacy.” And after sitting through this nearly two hour “action thriller,” I couldn’t agree more.
Right after an all too familiar opening action sequence, it becomes quite clear what audiences are in for. Yes, you’re seeing a Will Smith action thriller, but it feels like an action movie straight out of the nineties (complete with the Jerry Bruckheimer production logo before the movie starts). That can be a good thing, and we’ve seen positive examples of that in recent years. But if you have a ho-hum story and laughable dialogue, then no amount of action sequences can save your mundane movie, Gemini Man. A combination of Will Smith and director Ang Lee not only makes for a decent chance for a winning formula, but also a comeback formula here given that both big Hollywood names are due for redemption given their recent track records. But alas, Gemini Man is not that comeback. (read Sean’s full review HERE)
Special Features Reviewed by Keven Skinner
- Alternate Opening
- Deleted Scenes
- The Genesis of Gemini Man
- Facing Your Younger Self
- The Future Is Now
- Setting the Action
- Next Level Detail
- The Vision of Ang Lee
- Visual Effects Progression presented by WETA—In 60FPS, Ultra HD and High Dynamic Range. ONLY AVAILABLE ON 4K ULTRA HD DISC
GEMINI MAN is the first ever Dolby Vision high frame rate disc to be released. Also, in a first for Paramount, the 4K Ultra HD disc is encoded in 60FPS (frames-per-second) for exceptional sharpness and clarity vs. the standard 24FPS – excerpt from the initial press release.
Yeah so here’s the deal. Gemini Man is one of the most stacked 4K Blu-rays ever released. Period. It is jampacked with an unbelievable array of bonus features, including a must-see WETA walkthrough included on the actual 4K disc.
Gemini Man is stunning. Breathtaking. The special effects and cameras are SO CRISP and SO CLEAN that I felt like I was watching what has to be the most sharp movie experience that I’ve ever had at home. The sound was incredible and the high frame rate was spectacular, unlike anything else I’ve ever seen in a home release. I know there are some haters, but damn guys… Gemini Man looks good. Very good. The problem is that the movie absolutely sucks. So much. I fell asleep three times and had to rewind this stupid movie each and every time to see what I had missed. Turns out – NOT MUCH!
But this isn’t about the movie – this is about the 4K Blu-ray and if you dug Gemini Man in theaters (who are you?) then you MUST have this 4K Blu-ray package. It is literally the sharpest blu-ray ever released from the studio so it’s going to look dope if you have the right TV. For one shit paced slog fest, Gemini Man sure looked DAMN GOOD being such a stinking pile of garbage.
Rating: 2/5