The plot: Evil Jet Li learns that if he kills all the Good Jet Li doubles in the multiverse, he will steal their life energy and become a god.
As far as silly B movies go, the concept certainly has promise. It promises that someone will attempt to explain this absurd plot to the hero with a straight face. It promises that there will be non-stop violence. It promises that half of Los Angeles will be destroyed as Evil Jet Li goes on a rampage. But, mostly, it promises that there will be a showdown between Good Jet Li and Evil Jet Li. Probably in a factory, and probably with a countdown of some kind.
Yes, you do get the showdown. That's probably worth 2 points right there. And I like some of the actors, so that's another bonus point. But this is a terrible movie. It's made for 12 year olds who think that professional wrestling is too intellectual. I guess I'm partly to blame for feeling so disappointed in this film, because I didn't realize it's rated PG-13. That should have been a major warning sign. I saw Jason Statham's name and assumed it'd be a violent free-for-all.
The other major problem with this film is that it's seriously dated. It rips off The Matrix's action sequences, which is actually kind of jarring when you're watching this in 2022. It's like when you're watching a comedy released a few years ago, and the people speak almost entirely in catchphrases that had already started to become dated and unfunny. Or suddenly realizing that a early 2000s film's soundtrack consists entirely of nu metal.
The sad thing is that I probably would have liked this film a lot better if it had been made another 10 years earlier. In the mid-1990s, this film would have probably starred starred Rutger Hauer or Lance Henriksen (or both if we were really lucky). These guys could sell an absurd plot. If Rutger Hauer tells you that an alternate universe version of you is hunting you down, you don't waste time arguing with him. You get in his car and leave the city.
In this film, that role mostly went to Delroy Lindo, who I think was a good choice. The problem, though, is that you need to own the movie if you're going to pull this off. You can't just be charismatic and passionate. You have to steal every scene in the movie. Without Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty, what would Blade Runner be? It'd be an above-average science fiction film remembered for its set design and direction. With Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty? A masterpiece. Now, you believe in those replicants.
Jason Statham is not really the best choice to tell someone that their evil twin from another dimension is hunting them down, but with the right script and director, I think that could be a really funny movie. This isn't really that movie. The direction and writing were quite poor, and Statham would need a really weird person to work off of so that his bizarre warnings come off as the sane person. So, it would pretty much have to co-star Henry Rollins.
If all you're looking for is to kill 90 minutes on Netflix, it's possible this will work. It won't punish you for looking away from the screen and concentrating on something else for a few minutes. And you get to see two superpowered versions of Jet Li fight each other in a climactic battle. But I'm not sure why you'd choose this movie when there are so many better choices.
As far as silly B movies go, the concept certainly has promise. It promises that someone will attempt to explain this absurd plot to the hero with a straight face. It promises that there will be non-stop violence. It promises that half of Los Angeles will be destroyed as Evil Jet Li goes on a rampage. But, mostly, it promises that there will be a showdown between Good Jet Li and Evil Jet Li. Probably in a factory, and probably with a countdown of some kind.
Yes, you do get the showdown. That's probably worth 2 points right there. And I like some of the actors, so that's another bonus point. But this is a terrible movie. It's made for 12 year olds who think that professional wrestling is too intellectual. I guess I'm partly to blame for feeling so disappointed in this film, because I didn't realize it's rated PG-13. That should have been a major warning sign. I saw Jason Statham's name and assumed it'd be a violent free-for-all.
The other major problem with this film is that it's seriously dated. It rips off The Matrix's action sequences, which is actually kind of jarring when you're watching this in 2022. It's like when you're watching a comedy released a few years ago, and the people speak almost entirely in catchphrases that had already started to become dated and unfunny. Or suddenly realizing that a early 2000s film's soundtrack consists entirely of nu metal.
The sad thing is that I probably would have liked this film a lot better if it had been made another 10 years earlier. In the mid-1990s, this film would have probably starred starred Rutger Hauer or Lance Henriksen (or both if we were really lucky). These guys could sell an absurd plot. If Rutger Hauer tells you that an alternate universe version of you is hunting you down, you don't waste time arguing with him. You get in his car and leave the city.
In this film, that role mostly went to Delroy Lindo, who I think was a good choice. The problem, though, is that you need to own the movie if you're going to pull this off. You can't just be charismatic and passionate. You have to steal every scene in the movie. Without Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty, what would Blade Runner be? It'd be an above-average science fiction film remembered for its set design and direction. With Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty? A masterpiece. Now, you believe in those replicants.
Jason Statham is not really the best choice to tell someone that their evil twin from another dimension is hunting them down, but with the right script and director, I think that could be a really funny movie. This isn't really that movie. The direction and writing were quite poor, and Statham would need a really weird person to work off of so that his bizarre warnings come off as the sane person. So, it would pretty much have to co-star Henry Rollins.
If all you're looking for is to kill 90 minutes on Netflix, it's possible this will work. It won't punish you for looking away from the screen and concentrating on something else for a few minutes. And you get to see two superpowered versions of Jet Li fight each other in a climactic battle. But I'm not sure why you'd choose this movie when there are so many better choices.