Review: 'Gemini Man' doubles-down on dull

Paramount Pictures, 2019.

More of Will Smith ends up equating to more of the same in "Gemini Man," a lame sci-fi thriller that doubles down on dull.

Grade: C-

Will Smith isn't half the star he used to be...sure he appears on-screen as an older and younger version of himself in "Gemini Man," but an army of Will Smith's couldn't carry this dead weight.

As himself now (older Smith), he plays master assassin, Henry Brogan, who is the best there ever was. He's nearing retirement and slowing down a bit, that is until he becomes entangled in some plot involving corrupt agents (Clive Owen and Linda Emond) and another friendly agent (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who was assigned to keep an eye on him. Things go from bad to worse for Henry when he begins being hunted by an assassin who is just as good, just as smart, just as strong...but a tad younger, and it's the only other person that could possibly take him down...and that's because this younger man is also Henry Brogan, a youthful clone to be exact.

What could have been a neat sci-fi premise gets lost in a whirlwind of action-picture clichés, and there is still something...missing...from the CG-generated performance. I'm not quite sure it's as good as the filmmakers would like you to believe. And it's a definite head-scratcher that the said clone doesn't even show up until about the half-way point of the film...at which point you won't care one bit about Henry, or this world that he lives in.

"Gemini Man" is too focused on tricks to deliver any real treats. It's a massive letdown and another in a string of Will Smith flops. It's not entirely his fault this time around. His younger and older selves deserve far better.

Grade: C-

Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi.
Run Time: 1 hour 57 minutes.
Rated PG-13.

Starring: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Douglas Hodge, Benedict Wong, Theodora Miranne.

Directed by Ang Lee ("Life of Pi," "Brokeback Mountain," "Hulk," "Crouching Tiger, HIdden Dragon," "Sense and Sensibility").

"Gemini Man" is in theaters everywhere on Friday, October 11th, 2019.