Ang Lee's 'Gemini Man' (Will Smith)

[terry78]

Does he?

 

[Boy Scout]

Quite. But there are some shots where it looks fine, so there’s a chance it’ll look convincing once they’re finished with post-production.

They honestly might have over-corrected. Like many have already pointed out, Smith really hasn’t aged that much since Prince.

 

[Gold Samurai]

Anyone notice mary elizabeth winstead in the back? Could she be working with the bad guys?

 

[Pennywise]

Anyone notice mary elizabeth winstead in the back? Could she be working with the bad guys?

She originally works with Clive Owen apparently, but then decides to turn against him and work with the older Will Smith.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Good premise and Lee is a powerhouse director... But some of the CGI deaging looked iffy through this trailer.

 

[Hunter Rider]

I quite liked the trailer, the action is clean and crisply shot, the film feels more low key than I was expecting, like an oldschool two hander, I'm interested.

 

[Sawyer]

This doesn’t look good.

The de-aged Smith looks blatantly fake half the time.

Ehhh... the only time I wasn't feeling it was in the opening, with Clive Owen treating him. Otherwise, it looks fine.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I am not one to harp on these things but there was some issues with the VFX with the face on younger Will in the trailer at times. That said... This is Ang Lee doing an action thriller. I am expecting the finished film to be rather flawless.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Pennywise]

Gemini Man Footage First Impressions: Will Smith and VFX Are At Their Best, but High Framerate Causes Worry - IGN

The sci-fi epic Gemini Man has been trapped in development hell for over two decades since it was originally conceived in 1997, but the film is finally coming to fruition now that technology, seemingly, has caught up to its high-concept premise. Directed by Academy Award-winner Ang Lee, the new Paramount Pictures movie stars Will Smith as an aging hitman (Brogen) facing off with a younger clone of himself (Junior), and pushes the bounds of known filmmaking technology to execute on that advanced sci-fi idea.

But will the finished film actually work in execution as much as in conception? That's what I set out to find out during a special footage presentation on the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles, where a select group of journalists, including myself, got a preview of a now-released behind the scenes featurette, three new clips, and a new trailer (which will be dropping on Thursday). Check out the new behind-the-scenes featurette of Gemini Man below

All the footage, shot digitally at an extra-high frame rate of 120 frames-per-second, was presented in 3D. The good news is that science-fiction action movie is delivering heavily on the "action," and the set pieces in this movie rival the impressive action sequences of last year's Mission: Impossible - Fallout. The first clip showcased the film’s fight scenes as Brogen comes face-to-face with Junior, and they’re quickly locked in an intense firefight with a grenade thrown in for fun. Fast and slick, Lee’s choice to swap smooth cinematography for shaky shots adds to the feel and intensity. The action choreography is flawless, and the 3D conversion makes it pop.

The second clip, taking place in what was referred to as the "Bone Room," really showed off Gemini Man’s technological achievements with young Smith and older Smith facing off up close. Brogen is analyzing Junior and trying to break down his genesis and why he’s being targeted. It’s strong work from both Smith (and Smith). We also got a taste of Smith’s dramatic performance, and it is on point. Again, the fight sequences are tight and executed with staggering accuracy. The digitally created Junior is immaculate. Punches land so convincingly, and look so natural, that it’s entirely believable that both versions of Smith are real to a breathtaking degree.

The third and final clip was less about action and gave the audience a chance to chew on more of the film’s dramatic performances with Smith’s Junior and his "father," Clive Owen’s Clay Verris, coming face to face. The tension is tightly wound and the scene proves Ang Lee’s ability to balance the spectacle with depth and pull impactful performances from his cast. These are complex characters delivered with skill. It bodes extremely well for the finished product.

The trailer, set to be released this week, is more focused on showing off the dramatic beats in balance with the action, which does a better job of showcasing the strengths of the movie versus the first trailer, which was released three months ago. Take a look at newly-released images from Gemini Man below:

If that's the good news, the bad news is that, due to the frame rate, the image so crisp it becomes a distraction. For context, the industry standard for movie frame rates is 24 fps; Peter Jackson famously doubled that to 48 fps for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. While the visual style created by the significantly increased frame rate might appeal to some people, I found the visuals took too long to adjust to while watching the portions of footage we saw. It's always hard to judge a finished project based on small pieces in footage presentations, but my first impression after watching three scenes and the trailer is that I’m not entirely sure I like the stylistic choice.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer spoke to why it was important to the filmmaking team to shoot the movie in the higher-than-normal framerate. “What Ang Lee has done, visually, would be difficult to do at 24 frames," Bruckheimer said, "but he did it at 120 frames which means you see every little thing. It would’ve been much easier to do this at 24 frames because we can hide a lot. There’s a diffusion to it. When you see this film, it’s lifelike. It is unbelievable what Ang has accomplished. You have to give credit to Skydance, to David Ellison, and to Paramount for taking this huge leap because they laid down a lot of money, praying and hoping that Ang was right on this and I don’t even think he was sure about this himself, but he delivered.”

As for the inclusion of 3D in the movie, I’m not convinced that its use in Gemini Man adds enough positives. While it does elevate and adds depth to the content, there’s already more than enough there to be visually processing. It takes a movie that is already big and in your face and makes even more so. While Lee used 3D very effectively in Life of Pi -- it felt complementary to the film and it enhanced what was there -- here it felt more like icing on an already amply iced cake. Since we didn't get to view any footage in 2D, it's unclear if, comparatively, it does elevate the content. That said, it certainly doesn’t spoil the experience; it’s one of those cases in cinema where just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

While I'm not sold on the increased framerate or addition of 3D, I am sure what is on screen is undeniably impressive and Smith’s performance appears to be one of his best, at least judging by the footage we saw. When it comes to the performance, having Smith play opposite Smith was quite a risk, but it appears to have paid off. Casting the right actor in the right role is hard enough, but when you’ve got to cast the same actor in two opposing parts, that’s even harder. The strengths and the vulnerabilities of both characters are very different, and Smith plays to them like a conductor handles an orchestra - both are accomplished performances. Not only that, but Smith plays against himself with an ease and an intensity that works perfectly. Neither role is less than the other, or feels incomplete; it never feels hammy or like a novelty. It’s one (two?) of the most engaging elements of the movie as a whole.

 

[terry78]

It's like people that claim a game plays better in like 120 or something.

 

[Lencho01]

 

[terry78]

I'd say his face is too smooth but him being a clone it makes sense.

 

[Pennywise]

Here's another description of the footage:

Gemini Man Footage Description: How 120 FPS Works With Digital Will Smith

Paramount Pictures recently screened three scenes from Gemini Man, and here's a complete description of each one. Getting Gemini Man onto the big screen hasn't been easy; in fact, just getting the film out of development hell and into production has been quite a long and arduous journey. After spending years at Disney, the rights to Gemini Man, which was originally written by screenwriter Darren Lemke (who most recently co-wrote the script for DC's Shazam!), was ultimately acquired by Skydance in 2016.

Skydance and producer Jerry Bruckheimer then pushed the movie forward, bringing on Ang Lee to direct and Will Smith to star in the two lead roles: Henry, the aging assassin, and Junior, a 23-year-old clone of Henry who's been sent by the Gemini organization to kill him. Since then, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong, and Clive Owen, among others, have been brought on in supporting roles.

Related: Gemini Man Featurette Explores Groundbreaking Visual Effects

To note, it's taken Hollywood over 20 years to finally make Gemini Man, after multiple studios had gone through a revolving door of actors, writers, and directors, including people such as Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, and even Clint Eastwood, as well as Tony Scott as director and Game of Thrones' David Benioff as writer. But everything seemed to fall into place with Lee in the director's chair and Smith in front of the camera. So how did it all turn out? Does Gemini Manlive up to its full potential?

HENRY MEETS JUNIOR IN COLOMBIA

Taking place closer to the middle of the film, the first Gemini Man scene shown to press begins inside a house in Colombia. Henry wakes up and sees a man ("a sniper") running along the rooftop. He alerts Danny (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Baron (Benedict Wong) in a no-nonsense way, at which point Baron calls him a terrible house guest. Henry then lures Junior away from the house by walking down the street - but he keeps an eye on Junior by seeing his reflection in the pond.

A shootout begins in the streets when Henry fires his pistol, through his own jacket, at Junior. Henry then runs behind a parked car, and the camera focuses in on the car's side mirror to show where Junior is. After some more shots, Henry runs and takes cover behind a wall, at which point he takes out his own rifle. Junior makes a mistake and stands up, searching the area for Henry, which is when Henry sees Junior's face for the first time through the scope of his own weapon. Of course, seeing his younger self makes him hesitate, and so, Junior takes a shot at Henry first.

Their conflict carries into the courtyard of another building. We see two grenades being used at this point: the first of which is when Junior throws a grenade at Henry, who knocks it back using his hand. And the second is when Henry and Junior are in a standoff at the stairs - Henry on the second floor and Junior walking up from the ground floor, with a large mirror in the middle for them to use to see each other. Henry questions why Junior is after him, then he tosses a grenade down the staircase, only for Junior to shoot it back using his pistol.

HENRY VS. JUNIOR IN THE CATACOMBS

Later on in the film, Danny is captured by Junior and then taken down into what appears to be catacombs, in order to be used as bait for Henry. While they're walking through the area, she routinely calls out things - Junior's grenade, lighting, his gas mask, etc. - which we later find out is because she's talking to Henry using an earpiece. Not long after, Henry triggers the tripwire, purposefully, and gets the drop on Junior, using various tools at his disposal to overwhelm him.

It seems Junior doesn't realize that Henry is his older (read: original) self, and Henry begins listing off many, many things about himself that people don't know but Junior might, such as the fact that he hates cilantro and hunts animals on his birthday. Of course, things escalate and Junior tries to grab Henry's gun, which ultimately leads to an extended fight sequence, primarily utilizing hand-to-hand combat. It's quite a long take, and it's meant to showcase the technology behind the film, as Smith's Henry is clearly fighting his younger self, not anyone else.

JUNIOR CONFRONTS VARRIS
It's revealed that Clay Varris (Clive Owen) cloned Henry many years ago and raised him as his own son, thereby giving Junior all of Henry's abilities but without all of his pain. This particular scene has been played out in the Gemini Man trailers, in which Junior tells Varris that he "made a person out of another person." The scene begins with Junior entering Varris' office, presumably at Gemini's headquarters. Varris asks him why it's so difficult for him to "kill this man" - speaking about Smith's Henry. It doesn't take long for Junior to turn the tables on Varris, who reacts defensively, not apologizing for what he did. Varris calls his mistruths necessary lies. (He lied to Junior about Junior's parents dumping him at a local fire station when he was a baby, for instance.)

Paramount Pictures showcased these three scenes for various reasons, the number one being that they all highlight Gemini Man's technology. Ang Lee, along with visual effects studios Weta Digital, worked tirelessly to deliver a unique experience that pushes the boundaries of modern filmmaking. This is evident by Junior being a 100% digital character created through motion-capture (think: Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story); Will Smith isn't "de-aged" as has been common practice in recent blockbuster movies.

In that regard, Gemini Man is certainly impressive, but it's quite clear at times, especially during the fight in the catacombs, that Junior is a digital character; it's the quick movements the character makes and the unnatural ways the body contorts compared to Henry that gives it away. However, it seems that Lee's experiment with higher frame-rates in Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk has been nearly perfected for this film. It does feel like watching a real-life action sequence. Audiences are certainly in for an intriguing ride with Gemini Man, but whether or not they react positively to the film's new tech remains to be seen.

I enjoyed the featurette a lot more than the first trailer. Hope tomorrow's trailer is too!

 

[James.B]

International trailer

 

[Closerframe]

This is gonna flop harder than After Earth.

 

[TMP98]

Of course the trailer music in this is a Jaden Smith song, lmao

 

[CJ]

This is gonna flop harder than After Earth.

I disagree. This looks like a fun action flick, feels very 90's Will Smith. Enemy of the State, Bad Boys kind of stuff.

Music is awful though.

 

[terry78]

It's an action scifi flick, it already had my money regardless. I trust big Willie and Ang for now.

 

[MadVillainy]

This is gonna flop harder than After Earth.

That's just dumb. There is no evidence of that

 

[DarkKnight88]

This is gonna flop harder than After Earth.

A Smith named Jaden isn't in the lead role, so no.

 

[I Am The Knight]

Looks fun. Was that really a JS song?

 

[TMP98]

Looks fun. Was that really a JS song?

Yeah.

 

[Kev4000]

I hope that will have chances for best visual effects at best...
Trailer did Nothing to me.

 

[Mysteryman]

Given that Will just had his career high at the box office, I am not willing to bet against him.