Gemini Man Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray version of "Gemini Man" offers a technically proficient 1080p 24fps viewing experience, delivering sharp, clean visuals that stand out at the format's peak capabilities. The clarity in the details is exceptional, with facial textures, including pores, hairs, and blood, presented with impressive definition, ensuring an immersive and visually stunning experience. The digitally de-aged Will Smith, although sometimes falling into the uncanny valley, still shows finely intricate features. Colors are refined and neutral, with excellent contrast that adds depth to essential tones and support hues alike. Black levels are deep and inky, while shadow detail remains comprehensive without any loss.

Despite some minor shortcomings compared to the 4K UHD 60fps Dolby Vision version, this Blu-ray still impresses with its robust detail levels across facial features, clothing, and scenic landscapes. The CGI effects for the younger Will Smith occasionally suffer under the limitations of the 1080p resolution, sometimes resembling a digital mask rather than blending seamlessly. Lighting effects also reveal some CGI imperfections, especially in full daylight scenes. Nevertheless, the Blu-ray disc masterfully handles dark scenes and action sequences, notably during the underground fight with Henry and his clone, ensuring there is no crush or other digital artifacting. Overall, the Blu-ray presentation holds its own, even if it’s a step down from the 4K version.

The Dolby Atmos track of the "Gemini Man" Blu-ray is an audio marvel, consistently delivering a superior, immersive sound experience. The soundstage is active, with precise positioning of elements that enrich the atmosphere. The attention to environmental details is remarkable, vividly capturing the wind whistling through the grass, and the subtle operation of a weapon's bolt. Dialogue is crisply centered and well-balanced, maintaining intelligibility throughout the dynamically shifting action sequences.

Action scenes are where the Dolby Atmos mix excels most, with explosive highlights that resonate with depth and clarity. Concussive blasts of gunfire and grenade explosions create a powerful auditory impact, highlighted in sequences such as Henry's confrontations. Low-end detail is exceptional, with moments like a missile strike featuring seat-rumbling impact and rich depth. Surround and overhead channels are employed effectively, generating an enveloping soundscape where elements like motorcycles and footfalls dynamically traverse the room.

Overall, the Dolby Atmos soundtrack of "Gemini Man" stands out as a stellar component of the Blu-ray's presentation. Each channel is utilized to craft a fully integrated and immersive audio experience, making every action scene engaging and lifelike. The meticulous layering of environmental sounds, music clarity, and robust LFE ensures that viewers are placed right in the midst of the on-screen events.

The Blu-ray release of "Gemini Man" offers an impressive array of extras that delve deeply into the film's production and technological achievements. Highlighted by an alternate opening and deleted scenes, these extras provide viewers a richer understanding of the movie's development. Notably, the featurettes examine the groundbreaking technology used to de-age Will Smith, providing detailed insights from key contributors like Jerry Bruckheimer, Ang Lee, and Smith himself. Fans and cinephiles will appreciate the thorough exploration of action choreography, set designs, and the revolutionary high frame rate format.

Extras included in this disc:

• Alternate Opening: Unused introductory sequence.
• Deleted Scenes: Includes "I Found a Plane for Us" and "Original Yuri Scene."
• The Genesis of Gemini Man: Insight into the project's development and technology.
• Facing Your Younger Self: Exploration of themes and acting challenges.
• The Future Is Now: Detailed look at de-aging technology.
• Setting the Action: Breakdown of action scenes and shooting locales.
• Next Level Detail: Focus on the catacombs set piece.
• The Vision of Ang Lee: Discussion on high frame rate technology.

Ang Lee’s Gemini Man attempts to pioneer new visual territories with its groundbreaking use of 120 frames per second (fps) cinematography, but the film’s technical achievements come at the cost of narrative depth. Utilizing advanced digital cameras for a hyperrealistic feel, the movie is available in different frame rates depending on the viewing medium, though the 4K UHD version supports up to 60 fps in 2D. These impressive visuals, however, do little to mask a plot that remains shallow and largely unengaging. Will Smith plays Henry Brogan, an elite government assassin facing off against a younger clone of himself, crafted via digital de-aging techniques. Despite the intriguing premise and Smith’s charismatic performance, the film’s storyline fails to transcend its action-oriented roots, remaining a predictable and formulaic chase thriller.

The film does include some technically proficient and visually stunning sequences, notably a captivating motorcycle fight scene where Smith's character is pitted against his younger doppelgänger. Ang Lee's adept direction shines through in these moments, blending broad visibility with intimate close-ups to fully immerse the viewer in the frenetic action. While these scenes are impressively choreographed and executed, they ultimately overshadow the film's attempts at deeper emotional and character-driven storytelling. The dramatic elements, although present, are constrained by a lackluster script that doesn't fully explore its characters’ potential complexities.

Overall, Gemini Man is an ambitious project that showcases Ang Lee’s visionary approach to filmmaking. Still, it struggles to balance its groundbreaking visual style with substantial narrative content. The movie undeniably offers a spectacle when viewed in higher frame rates but feels hollow at its core. Ultimately, it reveals the limitations of even the most advanced cinematic technologies in compensating for a weak script and underdeveloped characters.

"Gemini Man" has been heralded as a groundbreaking technological effort by director Ang Lee, leveraging high frame rate technology to deliver visually stunning sequences. However, the film stumbles in its narrative execution, failing to complement its technological prowess with a compelling story. Will Smith leads a solid cast including Clive Owen, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Benedict Wong, but their performances are anchored to a script that many find lacking in depth. The 1080p Blu-ray transfer, though solid with its Dolby Atmos audio track, does not capture the full extent of the high-frame-rate experience available in the 4K UHD version. This often leaves the Blu-ray feeling like a lesser counterpart despite its technical adequacy.

Technically, the Blu-ray offers a high-quality audiovisual experience, presented in a traditional 24p format with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core) audio mix is impressive across both Blu-ray and UHD formats, ensuring robust soundscapes that enhance the action sequences. The Blu-ray features a range of subtitles including English, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and more, catering to a diverse audience. Additional features are satisfactory though not exhaustive, providing insight into the film's production without overwhelming the viewer.

Conclusion: For a film that has been in pre-production for almost two decades (so long that Harrison Ford, Clint Eastwood and even Nic Cage were once attached as the leads), I was expecting something a bit “more” if you know what I mean. The movie is a technological marvel as Ang Lee has really pushed the limits of high frame rate technology, but the story is just a paper thin framework for him to hang all of the technology on, and my enjoyment suffered as a result. I won’t lie. The 4K UHD disc is not going to be for everyone, and even though it was a marvel to watch, I guiltily enjoyed the Blu-ray more, as it felt like a real movie to me, rather than a soap opera tech experiment. That being said, both discs are reference material for their particular formats and the stunning audio mix is present on both discs.

Technical Specifications:

Starring: Will Smith, Clive Owen, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong, Douglass Hodge, Ralph Brown
Directed by: Ang Lee
Written by: David Benioff, Billy Ray, Darren Lemke
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), Spanish, French (Canadian), French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Thai DD 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, Dutch, Korean, Malay, Mandarin (Simplified), Thai
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 117 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: January 14th, 2020

Recommendation: Decent Watch