Does anyone remember the days when Will Smith was THE man? He was someone that people would rush to the theater to see since he was just that good and that popular. These days it’s kind of hard to get excited about seeing him in anything, especially following After Earth and a few other movies that were a bit underwhelming. But maybe Gemini Man can be redemptive and give his career a boost that he really needs.
Let’s be honest here, Will Smith is a great actor. He’s got the kind of resume that many people would love to have since he’s been a prominent character throughout show business for many years. But somewhere along the line things started happening that kind of tripped him up and made it nearly impossible to come back all the way. He’s still been talked about and has still been on the mind of those that have idolized him for so long, but too often it’s been said that he’s just not the same person he used to, the same funny, wisecracking and still very dramatic individual that we all came to know and love on the Fresh Prince show. Since those days he’s proved that he could be funny, dramatic, and everything in-between without much effort, but somehow during the years that skill has been headed in an obscure direction that people just can’t or don’t want to follow. Maybe though, just maybe, this upcoming film, Gemini Man, will be able to bring some people back to the fold.
Rebecca Rubin of Variety gives a pretty good account of the movie and what it’s about and goes into how this is a treat for moviegoers as well as those involved in the movie. The basic premise of the movie seems to be that Will Smith, the current version, is an assassin that’s particularly good at what he does, of course. But somehow a clone has been made of him that is just as good as he is, with the same skill and ability without the benefit of experience. This doesn’t seem to matter however as the younger self is able to move as he does, anticipate his movements, and defeat his every attempt to kill him with an uncanny ability he can’t understand until he realizes what’s happened. At that point the two must find a way to coexist in order to find out who wants the older assassin dead and thereby find and eliminate them. Being directed by Ang Lee it would seem that this movie is going to be charged and very action-packed as well as very dramatic in some ways that will only make the action that much more potent.
If you read Amy Nicholson’s piece in Variety concerning Will Smith’s career you’ll see he’s a very serious student of show business and has learned a great deal throughout his time in front of the camera. But then you might wonder why he seemed to flop so readily so many times and possibly think that he’s about as close to being washed up as he can possibly be. Before that thought solidifies however think of it this way; he’s made his mistakes along the way, just like anyone, but then again he’s made some truly memorable moments as well. Smith has definitely leaned into some movies that didn’t seem to have a lot of chances when it came to doing much of anything at the box office, but his star power has never waned so badly that he might have been better off just considering retirement. Giving this guy a chance has been the order of the day for a long time since it’s been seen that he can still deliver and that he’s still willing to learn now and again since the wisdom of any individual in this world is to realize that you’ll learn something every day if you give yourself the chance.
The hope is that Smith has learned from his past mistakes and will make Gemini Man into something that will easily surpass those few projects he’s done as of late. The only downside to this of course is that so many people are bound to be looking at his performance as the Genie in the live action Aladdin movie that it might stand a chance of overshadowing anything he does in Gemini Man. That seems like a risk that might have been taken without really thinking about it, but hopefully it might be that people will look past the one role and put faith in another one performed by an actor that has been proven throughout the years and seen as entirely capable of showing us some of the best and most energetic acting when it comes action and drama films alike. It’s not time to give up on Will Smith, not yet.
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