You know that line about being your own worst enemy? Imagine actually having to fight a younger version of yourself. Someone who thinks like you, moves like you and knows your history as well as you do. This may sound ludicrous but it’s the premise of the upcoming Ang Lee sci-fi action thriller Gemini Man. When Henry (Will Smith), an over the hill hitman faces a younger version of himself due to an experiment he took part in 25 years ago he faces his toughest opponent yet.
One of the things that worries me about this trailer is the fact the younger Will Smith looks unconvincing to say the least. For some reason, studios keep trying to make their actors look younger but the technology just isn’t there yet. The younger version often looks odd, it’s hard to describe why but your eyes immediately notice something’s off. The funny thing is a lot of motion capture performances such as the apes in the Planet of the Apes franchise look more convincing than these younger versions of actors we’ve come to know and love over the course of their careers.
The Gemini Man trailer immediately makes me wonder whether the CGI Scorsese will use for his upcoming gangster film The Irishman will look any better. One of the reasons for the huge budget for the upcoming Netflix feature was its use of CGI to make Robert De Niro and Al Pacino look younger in certain scenes. Let’s hope they’ll look better than the examples we’ve seen thus far.
Gemini Man is directed by Ang Lee and stars Will Smith, Clive Owen, Mary Elizaeth Winstead, Benedict Wong, Linda Emond and Theodora Miranne. It will be released on October 11th, 2019 in the U.K. and October 4th, 2019 in the U.S. For international release dates click here.
Do you think you would be able to outsmart your younger self? Let us know in the comments!
Does content like this matter to you?
Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.