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Gemini Man review: Will Smith vs Will Smith vs a terrible script

Director Ang Lee’s combination of 3D and a high frame rate could have marked a minor technological milestone, if the film’s aggressively dated script didn’t make it so forgettable

Clarisse Loughrey

Tuesday 08 October 2019 21:56 BST

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Gemini Man - Trailer 2

Dir: Ang Lee. Starring: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen and Benedict Wong. 12A cert, 117 mins

Rejoice! We’ve reached the point where digital de-ageing is no longer actively terrifying. It’s now a mainstay in Marvel films, handily used in flashbacks, and a major selling point of Martin Scorsese’s upcoming Netflix epic The Irishman. So it was only a matter of time before someone made an entire film about it. Gemini Man marks the latest chapter in Ang Lee’s love affair with technological development, which began with Life of Pi’s photorealistic CGI tiger and continued with the combination of 120 frames per second (and extra-high frame rate) and 3D used in Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.

Lee reuses the latter technique in Gemini Man and, as ungainly as all this technology feels, there’s logic behind the process. While 3D muddies what we’re seeing onscreen, high frame rates add an uncomfortable amount of detail – the theory is that the two together can balance each other out. Although it’s a long way from being perfected, Gemini Man at least marks some sense of progression in this grand cinematic experiment. It’s a small milestone. Or, at least, it would be if the film’s aggressively dated script didn’t make it so forgettable.

We shouldn’t be surprised, since the project was first conceived in 1997, when names such as Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, and Arnold Schwarzenegger were being tossed around as potential leads. In the 2019 version, it’s Will Smith who stars as Henry Brogan, a 51-year-old (though he likes to say 50) government assassin settling down for retirement. Unfortunately, that peace is shattered when he becomes the target of his own government, who want him wiped off the board for knowing one too many things about their own corruption. The man they decide to send after Brogan is... him, only younger. Yes, it’s Smith vs Smith, as the taglines for this film excitedly proclaim, as Brogan comes face-to-face with his 23-year-old clone.

The star is a perfect match for this kind of hokum, to be fair. Both an electric entertainer and a master of sincerity, he has a charm that lets him get away with delivering lines like, “It’s not gun time, it’s coffee time.” He keeps the emotional beats recognisable, but also broad enough that they translate surprisingly well to his digitally younger self. Mini-Will looks pretty convincing if he’s not standing out in broad daylight for too long.

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Show all 27

1/2727 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Annie Hall (1977)

Original title: Anhedonia

Annie Hall began life as Anhedonia, which is the scientific term for the inability to experience pleasure. But the title Annie Hall was eventually settled on, inspired by actress Diane Keaton's real name, Diane Hall, and her nickname, Annie.

United Artists

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Dynasty (1981-89)

Original title: Oil

The hit series, which revolves around the family of an oil magnate, was originally supposed to be titled… wait for it… Oil. But it was then changed to Dynasty to compete with rival soap Dallas.

CBS Television Distribution

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Back to the Future (1985)

Original title: Spaceman from Pluto

Steven Spielberg genuinely thought the title Spaceman from Pluto was a joke suggestion, so it didn’t last long, and was soon replaced by the now iconic name Back to the Future. He contacted the Universal Studios head Sid Sheinberg who had suggested the Pluto title, with a message thanking him for sending his wonderful "joke" name, saying the office "got a kick out of it". Ouch.

Universal Pictures

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

The Breakfast Club (1985)

Original title: The Lunch Bunch

The original script for this classic high-school movie went by the very naff name The Lunch Bunch, but thanks to the son of one of director John Hughes's friends, who had a school detention class called The Breakfast Club, the title was changed.

Universal Pictures

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Fatal Attraction (1987)

Original title: Affairs of the Heart

The much friendlier sounding Affairs of the Heart wasn’t a great match for the psychological thriller that brought us the bunny boiler, and after it received a poor reception from audiences, the film’s title was changed to Fatal Attraction.

Paramount Pictures

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Licence to Kill (1989)

Original title: Licence Revoked

This Bond film was, at one time, called Licence Revoked, but test audiences associated the title too much with driving, so thankfully it was changed to something far punchier.

United Artists

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Saved by the Bell (1989-93)

Original title: Good Morning, Miss Bliss

NBC’s Good Morning Miss Bliss centred on Hayley Mills as the eponymous teacher but, after the comedy briefly moved to the Disney Channel and then back to NBC, it was re-tooled to focus on the teenage students instead, therefore taking on a new name: Saved By The Bell.

CBS Studios International

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Goodfellas (1990)

Original title: Wiseguy

The Scorsese classic is an adaptation of a mobster novel called Wiseguy, which was originally also the title of the film, but the name had to be changed because it had already been taken for an 80s TV series.

Warner Bros

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Pretty Woman (1990)

Original title: 3000

Originally a dark drama about class and sex work, Pretty Woman’s first title was 3,000 – the amount of money that Richard Gere's character Edward spends on a week of Vivian's (Julia Roberts) time. Disney changed the name as it came across as “too science-fictiony”, as well as the tone of the movie which was turned into a rom-com fairytale.

Buena Vista Pictures

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Friends (1994-2004)

Original title: Six of One

The beloved sitcom went through many different name changes, with all the following titles considered: Friends Like Us, Six of One, Across the Hall, Once Upon a Time in the West Village, and Insomnia Cafe. It’s now hard to imagine the show becoming such a monumental hit with any of those names.

Warner Bros Television Distribution

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Original title: Black Mask

Pulp Fiction was initially inspired by the detective crime stories in the seminal magazine Black Mask, hence its first name. The publication was a pulp magazine, which goes some way to explaining the new title.

Miramax Films

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Titanic (1997)

Original title: The Ship of Dreams

In a line from the classic 1997 film, the older version of Rose says: "Titanic was called the ship of dreams, and it was, it really was." It was also the original title of the film, before the simpler name of Titanic was chosen.

20th Century Fox

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

That '70s Show (1998-2006)

Original title: Teenage Wasteland

Early ideas for the 70s sitcom’s name included Teenage Wasteland and The Kids Are Alright, but because the creators couldn’t get song title rights from The Who, they were forced to change the name of the show.

Carsey-Werner Distribution

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

American Pie (1999)

Original title: Teenage Sex Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Your Reader Will Love But the Executive Will Hate

It was a bold move from screenwriter Adam Herz when he submitted his spec script to studios under the title Teenage Sex Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Your Reader Will Love But The Executive Will Hate. But the risk paid off, with the film, eventually named American Pie, grossing nearly a quarter of a billion dollars worldwide.

Universal Pictures

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)

Original title: Dairy Queens

The black comedy was originally supposed to be called Dairy Queens. However, the company that owns fast food chain Dairy Queen apparently didn't love the idea of being associated with the movie, so they filed a lawsuit and, lo and behold, Drop Dead Gorgeous was born.

New Line Cinema

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

8 Simple Rules (2002-03)

Original title: 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter

This family sitcom originally had a longer name, but when star John Ritter – who played the concerned father in the show – suddenly died after filming the third episode of the second series, the show changed its format and name to 8 Simple Rules and Ritter’s death was written into the plot.

Buena Vista International Television

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Cars (2006)

Original title: Route 66

The animated hit was initially called Route 66 after the iconic road in America, but the title was changed to Cars to avoid confusion with a 60s TV show of the same name.

Buena Vista Pictures

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Hannah Montana (2006-11)

Original title: Alexis Texas

Miley Cyrus’s Disney comedy was originally called Alexis Texas but, because a porn actor shares the same name, it had to be changed in case children looked up the show’s title and accidentally found pornography.

Disney-ABC Domestic Television

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

The Big Bang Theory (2007-19)

Original title: Lenny, Penny and Kenny

The Big Bang Theory’s original rhyming title was forced to change after the character Kenny’s name switched to Sheldon, who was then brought to life by Jim Parsons.

Warner Bros Television Distribution

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Samantha Who? (2007-09)

Original title: Sam I Am

Clearance issues with the estate of Dr Seuss led ABC to change the name of its Christina Applegate-led show, as the original title, Sam I Am, drew on the first lines of Dr Seuss’s classic Green Eggs and Ham.

Disney – ABC Domestic Television

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

The Good Wife (2009-16)

Original title: Leave the Bastard

The Good Wife’s creators got a call from CBS pushing them to change the title just as it went into production. The network did actually consider Leave the Bastard, but ultimately decided to play it safe with The Good Wife.

CBS Television Distribution

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Shutter Island (2010)

Original title: Ashecliffe

Ashecliffe, the name of the hospital in Martin Scorcese’s thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was originally going to be the film’s title before it was changed to Shutter Island.

Paramount Pictures

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

New Girl (2011-18)

Original title: Chicks and Dicks

New Girl was initially pitched as "a young ensemble comedy about the sexual politics of men and women”, hence its original, provocative title: Chicks and Dicks. Not only did this name attract the wrong kind of attention, but New Girl better reflected the content of the sitcom, which ended up revolving around Zooey Deschanel’s Jess.

20th Television

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Original title: All You Need Is Kill

The Tom Cruise action movie was originally known as All You Need Is Kill, the title of the book on which the movie is based, but filmmakers changed the title because they felt the word "kill" was too problematic. "I think the word 'kill' in a title is very tricky in today's world…" producer Edwin Stoff said. “We see it enough in real newspaper headlines, and I don't think we need to see it when we're looking at a movie." After a lucklustre box office opening, the film's name was changed once again, in marketing and for home release, to Live, Die, Repeat.

Warner Bros Pictures

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Lovesick (2014-18)

Original title: Scrotal Recall

The relationship comedy drama starring Johnny Flynn was renamed after one series because, perhaps unsurprisingly, it was suffering from a lack of word of mouth, with people reluctant to say the word “scrotal”.

Clerkenwell Films

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Stranger Things (2016-)

Original title: Montauk

The original title of the Netflix hit was Montauk, as the plan had been for it to be set in a village of the same name in New York. However, when creators the Duffer brothers later relocated the show’s action to the fictional town of Hawkins in Indiana, the name changed to Stranger Things. Intriguingly, Montauk also happens to be the title of a short film which the Duffer brothers were accused of plagiarising.

Netflix

27 films and TV shows that were forced to change their title

Arrival (2017)

Original title: Story of Your Life

The sci-fi film starring Amy Adams originally went by the title of the novella it was based on, Story of Your Life, but because producer Shawn Levy thought it "sounds a bit like a One Direction song” and "multiword titles can be really problematic”, the movie changed its name to Arrival.

Paramount Pictures

Lee, too, is dedicated to not losing the audience to boredom. He makes bold choices with the camera work (there are some fun crash zooms) and there’s some smart fight choreography, thanks to stunt coordinator JJ Perry, who previously worked on John Wick: Chapter 2. The highlight is a thrilling chase sequence set in Colombia, involving a motorcycle used as a physical weapon. Yet there’s just no escaping how abysmal the majority of the dialogue is here, let alone the sequence where Smith’s partner-in-crime (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has to subject herself to a strip search for over-explained plot reasons – truly, a relic of the Nineties. Lee may not be short on tricks up his sleeve, but Gemini Man is far from an ideal home for them.

Gemini Man is released in UK cinemas on 11 October

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