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The One (Special Edition)

The One (Special Edition)

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Yawn
Review: This was supposed to be the next "Matrix"?? This movie really is a waste of the celluloid they used for the film. The idea of multiple universes is very interesting. It's not a fresh idea, but interesting. But this film just didn't make it interesting. Jet Li is a great martial artist, but that doesn't make him a great actor. He is just not able to communicate any emotion. The fighting scenes were heavily treated with the matrix style slow motion, and in my opinion, that killed the movie for good. One of the reasons that make kung-fu movies fun to watch is how impressed we are with the physical skills the actors display. The Matrix did not make Keanu Reeves a kung-fu star, why? When you treat martial arts scenes with too much special effects, it just makes the fighting so much less impressive. You think to yourself, wow, cool effects, instead of, wow did you see how he did this and that?? This feels like the rough draft of a movie. Better just rent it and save the ticket money for something better.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Aw...aw....aweso....awesome
Review: This movie is the matrix and more. A lot more. A ton more. The special effects are outstanding, The martial arts scenes are like no movie i've ever seen before. Awesome acting, a completely unbalievable storyline(which is a good thing). OOOOOOHHHH don't get me started on the music. Complete heavy metal at all the right times. I don't understand the people who sad this had no amazing martial arts or special effects. They must have been thinking abou once upon a time in china or something. After I walked out of the movie theatre I realized how boreing the real world is.
I can't stand waiting until this movie comes out on DVD. I will buy it the second it comes out (...).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: 41/2 stars. Good Idea, but too busy in the plot. Still Good
Review: Dispite what others may think, I enjoyed this movie. I think the movie could have been a little less busy, but still good. There were times in the movie that you just wished it would get to a calm point where you could think about the plot and get a little rest from the fighting.

What I thought was cool about the movie was the focus on the Internal Martial Arts in this one - Hsing I and Bagua. Most movies use wushu or external based kung fu for their movies because they are more flashy, and marketable. There was a point in the movie when the characters were squaring off - the bad guy used Hsing I Chuan, while the good guy used another martial art and was getting beat up by the power of the Hsing I strikes. Then the good guy stopped using that other martial art and reverted to Bagua Zhang, and defeated the bad guy. Although I do not hold this event in high regard - as far as which martial art is better (Hsing I or bagua) - because in reality it is not the martial art a person practices, it is how much skill or "Kung Fu" he or she has and with which he/she applies it. I do find it very cool that they used these arts in the film. It's still worth the money to go see it if you are a kung fu movie fan.

Another interesting thing I'd like to mention is that the only other movie with Bagua or Hsing I in it is a movie from Hong Kong called, "In Honor of Dong Fong Xi."

That's my 2 cents.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: This movie is horrible
Review: Bad dialog, bad martial arts, bad special effects and no character development. I have almost lost all respect for Jet Li.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Okay for a bargain matinee
Review: There are some good fight scenes in this movie, especially the one where Jet Li fights his double in another universe in the last scene. The plot isn't bad, either, with the multiple universes and also the way people dematerialize and rematerialize in going thru the wormholes is pretty cool. One reviewer here said the fight scenes weren't very good; I disagree, while possibly not great, they were certainly above average, and I'd probably give them an 8 on a 10 scale. Li also uses some different kung-fu stylistic elements you may not have seen in his other movies. In any case, in the terms of the martial arts stuff, it's actually pretty good. Jet Li is amazingly fast, if nothing else. Several reviewers here said the plot was pretty lame, but I don't mind less than stellar plots in movies like this. If I want something more profound in a movie, I can always rent Citizen Kane. That's not why I go see martial arts movies. All in all, another good movie to showcase Li's considerable talents. Go see it at a bargain matinee.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 100 Times Better Than The Matrix
Review: THE ONE Starring Jet Li Is The Greatest Movie Ever. It Had Great Fighting, Good Acting, And A Good Theme. I Have just read some of the reviews and totally disagree. This is a great movie. Those of you who liked the Matrix Will Love This Movie.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: High Concept, Good Action
Review: A high concept film that offers the possibility of the existence of a number of parallel universes wherein a person actually exists in each as an individual entity, yet is linked to the others by a life force that enables one to draw power and strength from another, "The One," directed by James Wong, is ultimately a showcase for the martial arts prowess of Jet Li. Li plays the dual role of Yulaw, a former policeman of the "Multiverse," who at some point happened onto the fact that if his own counterpart in one universe dies, his strength is increased; and Gabriel, a member of the L.A.P.D., who knows nothing of the existence of Yulaw or the parallel universes until he finds himself suddenly and inexplicably being hunted down by an unknown predator. Gabriel, it seems, is the last of Yulaw's counterparts; and he has thus far disposed of one hundred, twenty-three others already. And, if the theory of the Multiverse proves to be true, with Gabriel's demise Yulaw will become a kind of god, invincible and unstoppable. But there is another theory that states that if such a thing in fact occurs, it will mean the destruction of the universe in which it transpires. So there is a lot on the line, with only two policemen from the Multiverse, Roedecker (Delroy Lindo) and Funsch (Jason Statham) on Yulaw's trail, hoping to stop him before it's too late.

Wong has crafted a clever and fast-paced, action-packed adventure in which his star, Li, proves more than capable of maintaining the excitement, especially in the scenes in which he squares off with himself (with a nod of thanks to the F/X wizards-at-large). In this case, more is better, and "two" Li's equals twice the action, which is the name of the game in this movie. But though the action is plentiful-- and extremely well done and choreographed-- the story, even with it's interesting premise, never seems to be fully realized, or at least not up to it's potential. And the action is good, but it lacks the nuance and finesse of films like John Woo's "The Killer" or "Hard Boiled," and also the poetry that worked so well and enhanced the story of Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Still, with this film Wong moves very close to finding himself in the company of those great directors.

Jet Li has made a number of films, and certainly demonstrates here that he has that "star" quality; but though he has the looks and the moves, he does not possess the charismatic screen presence of a Jackie Chan or a Bruce Lee, and as an actor he has some definite room for improvement. He does put on a good show, however, and when the fight is on, he is riveting to watch, and after all, that was the intent of making this film in the first place. And in that respect, it certainly succeeds.

On the acting front, Carla Gugino gives a solid performance as T.K., Gabriel's wife, and though her supporting role is little more than a diversion between the action sequences, she is a welcome presence to the proceedings and makes the most of the screen time she is allotted. Most importantly, she makes T.K. believable, which adds some needed strength and emotional involvement to the story.

Lindo does a good job, as well, but his character, Roedecker, lacks the development that would've made him a more integral part of the story. The same can be said of Statham, also, and Funsch seems to be little more than a means by which to move the story along. Not a bad device, but it adds so much more to a film when the characters involved have some real life of their own in them.

The supporting cast includes Brandon Molale (Stygian Prisoner), Scott L. Schwartz (Prisoner) and Kim McKamy (Doctor). A film that seems to fly by as fast as Jet Li's feet and fists, "The One" is definitely an exciting experience and makes for some satisfying entertainment. It's a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of a movie, and the chances are pretty good that you're going to get exactly what you expected going in. For fans of Jet Li and the martial arts, it's going to be an especially thrilling ride; and for everyone else it's going to at least get the adrenaline flowing and the heart pumping a little faster for an hour-and-a-half or so, guaranteed. It's the magic of the movies.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Could have been the one
Review: I looked forward to this movie, because of the brilliant plot. Unfortunately, bad acting and cringe-inducing dialogue keep ruining a movie that keeps trying to get better. Just when it rises to its potential, we hear lame dialogue, delivered by a talent-less actor. Jet Li and a few of the supporting actors give good performances, but they should have asked for a script doctor and a new casting director.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: bland
Review: This movie is not that interesting. No new special effects or amazing martial arts. The idea of a "multiverse" is interesting, but the plot doesn't do much with it and the storyline isn't that creative. Don't waste your time with it!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: tedious
Review: Jet Li is inarguably a skilled martial artist and with another role like "Kiss of the Dragon" he could become a first rate action star, but this sci-fi chopsocky isn`t that film. Co-written and directed by James Wong ("Final Destination"), "The One" never succeeds in making the audience care about the outcome of the barrage of effects laden fight scenes and would have been better suited for life as a high concept video game than as a film. Li portrays Gabriel Yulaw, a villainous rogue agent from the MBI (that`s the Multiverse Bureau of Investigation, of course) who is traveling through parallel dimensions killing alternate universe versions of himself so that he can absorb their energy. After successfully offing 122 other versions of himself he enters our universe to kill his final doppelganger, a Los Angeles cop. Good Yulow and Bad Yulow then proceed to chase each other around Los Angeles for the film`s breathlessly paced eighty minutes while simultaneously being hunted by two other MBI agents and Good Yulow`s LA cop buddies. The film moves along at a rapid-fire pace but not so fast you don`t notice the numerous plot holes and contradictions in the script. All the usual double identity script clichés are brought out and quickly discarded as though Wong and co-writer/producer Glen Morgan couldn`t wait to get to the end either. All of this could easily be forgiven of course if you could just enjoy the kinetic energy of Li`s fight scenes but the numerous post-"Matrix" freeze-frames and wire tricks only serve to dilute his skills and quickly become tedious.


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