Haven't been here for years... all new and shiny these days.
Haven't been here for years... all new and shiny these days.
Member since:31.10.2000
Reviews:148
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Having recently joined the excellent www.dvdsontap.com, who charge a monthly fee rather than a set charge per rental, I have recently watched some DVD’s that I wouldn’t have forked out £3.50 to see but that sufficiently intrigued me to seem worth renting. Occasionally this approach can lead to discovering some remarkable films that, due to the whim of a studio or the fickle nature of cinema going public, may have slipped quietly from a deserved limelight. Unfortunately The One does not fall into this category and the indifferent reviews and unblindingly average takings are merely a reflection of a film that fails to live up to its hype or promise.
The One seems to have combined the TV Sliders with Highlander for its laughable premise and has tried to imitate the genre-defining Matrix in several of the action set pieces, the results are decidedly average. Where The Matrix slowly reveals its alternative reality, generating intrigue and suspense, The One reveals its pure hokum plot in an uninspired voice-over introduction. I don’t know when studios are going to realise that big dumb action movies have had their day, nowadays the audience expects a little more imagination and invention from the writers.
Interrupting my rant for a moment perhaps a little plot appraisal might be in order. The universe does not actually
exist as a singular entity but is just one of many, each different, collectively known as the multiverse. Each of these universes are subtly different, a fact made quite clear to the audience by Al Gore being announced as president in one of the universes. This is another example of the crass filmmaking; more intelligent direction may have used a similar ploy to demonstrate the difference in universes but would surely have used a little more subtlety. In The One we are treated to a close up of a TV broadcast for several seconds just to ensure that every last member of the audience is painfully aware that this is not the same as the world we live in.
Anyway I digress so back to that plot, the similarity of the universes also mean there’s another one of each of us, a doppelganger if you will, each sharing a collective mystical energy. So enough of the background and on with the story, Yulaw, the villian of the piece, has devoted his time to travelling to other universes to kill his other selves and thus divide the energy they possess among the remainders. After killing 123 of his alter egos, there are finally just two left and the film follows the exploits of Yulaw as he hunts down Gabe, his final unsuspecting self. To add to the fray Yulaw himself is being tracked by two multiverse agents in the guise of Jason Statham (Lock Stock) and Delroy Lindo (A Life Less Ordinary).
Leaving my disgust with the lousy plot aside, the film is clearly all about the action and with a martial art maestro like Jet Li this is unlikely to disappoint, especially when he spend much of the film fighting himself. Thankfully the action is entertaining and some of the set piece scenes were Li appears to fight at different speeds are masterfully done, impressive in an over-the-top way but not enough to rescue the film. Even the action cannot escape without criticism, as with previous Jet Li movies the director, James Wong, seems incapable of actually allowing the cameras to roll and film the stars brilliance, too often special effects and quick cutting camera shots, implemented to thrill the audience, have quite the opposite effect.
Sadly the films failings greatly outweigh its positive aspects, Li may well possess a balletic grace when fighting but his performance is considerably more cumbersome and wooden, (it is even pointed out in one of the extra features that he didn’t speak English a few years ago). This does not always ruin films, Christopher Lambert in the aforementioned Highlander spoke very little English at the time of filming and hardly produced a breathtaking performance, however an interesting plot and the presence of an ebullient Sean Connery did much to ensure that films classic status.
All of which deftly brings my to my next major criticism, the supporting cast, Statham impressed in Lock, Stock and the follow-up Snatch but here produces the worst attempt at an American accent I’ve ever been subjected to. Accent aside his character is little better, inexplicably meandering in and out of the plot initially as a homicidal thug before softening completely into almost saccharine sentimentality. His partner, played by Delroy Lindo, fares slightly better but is given precious little to work with bar the tired cliché of hunting an old partner who’s crossed the line. Carla Gugino plays the only other character of note and her sexy appearance in the opening scenes is the most impressive part of her performance, she and Li share very little chemistry, which undermines any semblance of credibility, the plot had desperately clung to.
Can I really advise anyone to watch this? Well no, not really, any of Li’s other films have equally impressive fight scenes and at least attempt a plot. This is bad Hollywood film making at its worst, dreadful plot, uninspired if not lazy direction and whilst the action is impressive in places it is often let down by thoughtless camera work. All in all one to avoid.
DVD Extras
More enjoyable than the film, the standard trailers and commentaries are enhanced with the presence of three interesting featurettes that go into more detail than most highlighting the work necessary to bring some of the action sequences to the screen. Scarily enough we learn that the film was actually written for The Rock which would probably have lead to a nomination for worst film of all time so we should be thankfully for small mercies...
Running Time: 87 mins Tomatometer Rating: 15% - A rating taken from the excellent www.rottentomatoes.com, an essential site for any self respecting movie buff.
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![The One [DVD] [2002]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78534567.jpg "The One [DVD] [2002]")
Nov 14th, 2002
(Nov 15th, 2002)
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