Occasionally there are new developments within film that may have far-reaching consequences for the medium. Consider, for example, the introduction of sound, color and CGI. Still, filmmakers continue to look for new technical improvements to push the experience even further. As a film viewer, I am always curious whether something could possibly mean a next step. James Cameron previously announced that the following Avatar films would use a higher frame rate. Current films are shown in 24 images per second (24fps) and many consider this the look of film.
That speed dates back to the time that a cameraman had to crank the film through the camera by hand and that was a speed that was manageable. The result is a moving image that is actually jerky and does not feel like what your eyes see in real life. A higher frame rate approximates reality more, but what is the impact of this on the film experience? Cinema visitors could experience that a few years ago with The Hobbit trilogy. The films were shown in 48fps and it divided viewers. Some thought it felt like you were watching a soap opera, where costumes didn’t really look real. Others (including myself) saw the benefits. You are able to follow action much better because it is fluid.
Director Ang Lee previously made Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk and shot it in 3D and 120fps. That film was not shown in the cinema over where I am. His latest film Gemini Man is however, if you do proper research to see it close to the way Ang Lee intended. Although the IMAX cinemas show the film in a higher frame rate, they are only limited in 60fps. If you want to see it in 120fps, the Dolby Cinema rooms are the only option (they show it in 2K instead of 4K though). Yesterday morning I visited the film in a Dolby Cinema to experience this new format with my own eyes.
However, that higher frame rate is not the only new thing. Will Smith plays two roles here, a 51-year-old and a 21-year-old version, but for the younger version no use has been made of the “de-aging” techniques used in, for example, the Marvel films. Here the young version of Will Smith is completely digital, like Star Wars tried to do before. The digital Leia and Grand Moff Tarkin did not yet were on the other side of the “uncanny valley”, so they looked a bit scary and the question is whether Lee succeeded here.
The story revolves around Henry Brogan (Will Smith), who is used as a sniper by the government. He has killed many people over the years and because he feels that he is starting to lose his edge he wants to stop. However, that is easier said than done and it does not take long before he becomes a target himself and comes face to face with one of the best snipers there is: a younger version of himself.
The story itself is not very special, but the film contains some nice action scenes. But because the format and a complete CGI version of an actor are new, those are the things you will watch this film for. The higher frame rate will still divide the opinions just as it was with The Hobbit. In scenes that take place during the day, the effect of smooth movements is most striking and it is perhaps best to compare it to the demos that you see at the elcetronics store on TV’s of high-resolution images. The 120 images per second make the whole film feel look more realistic, but nowhere did I feel like I was looking at sets.
Regarding the CGI version of Will Smith, I have to conclude that we are very close to convincingly copying a person in the computer. The quality of the character seems to differ between different scenes, but for the most part the young version convinces. The emotions are realistic and many details are accurate. For example, you see when the character talks that the corners of his lips stick together occasionally. Yet there are small moments where the face seems to be just a little too stiff. Still, I think that if this character were an unknown actor and you didn’t know, you wouldn’t doubt that this is a real person. So much more realistic compared to what the Star Wars films tried to do before. Is Gemini Man a must-see? If you want to go purely for the story, then this is a typical action film. But if you are curious and want to know if this could be the possible future of film, then this film is definitely worth a visit to the cinema.
[score6]
I do like Ang Lee but Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk sucked as I think it’s his worst film. While I can understand that he’s trying to find new ways to tell stories, there’s no point in doing any of these gimmicks if you don’t have a good story to tell. He just needs to go back to make films that mean something. Not these bloated gimmick films.
Yeah, this movie seems to suffer because not enough time was spent on building up the emotional side of the story. It’s a really interesting concept which a lot more could have been done with.
I didn’t realise the younger Will wasn’t created with de-aging tech! That’s actually really interesting.
I liked the movie enough, it just didn’t bring anything new (plot-wise) to the table. The action scenes were pretty cool, though.
Yeah, they could have gone that way (just look how amazing it worked in Captain Marvel), but this is impressive.
Yeah, I liked the action scenes, especially when only the young version is on the bike and using it as a weapon.