Rating: 
Summary: unusually good despite the bad
Review: The movie has plenty of weak spots, notably the mostly lame humor and stiff acting of most (although I don't find that Li's acting was bad at all), but the idea behind it is solid as far as sci-fi goes. The selling point, of course, is the fighting. Unlike many movies you actually get to see something interesting: Jet Li uses Bagua Zhang, a form of "internal" martial arts from the mid-1800s. It involves very evasive and unusual movements and its trademark circle walking (which is what he's doing practicing at his home). The final fight scenes between the two Jet Li characters is where you can really see the good Jet Li putting it to use against the bad Jet Li, who is using an other rarely seen internal martial art style called Xingyi (spellings vary). Oh, the one liner delivered by the nurse (the actress who plays Frazier Crane's agent on the TV show Frazier)is a killer. I love everthing that actress does, she hits a better comedy note out of that one line than all the other attempts at humor in the movie combined. Finally, the attempts at touching moments aren't so bad (the ending outcome for the good Jet Li is a cute idea).
Rating: 
Summary: There Can Be Only One
Review: There isn't one universe, but many. They run parallel to one another, make up a multiverse. In those different realities, there isn't just one you, but many. Each is unique, with different lives, and each helps keep a balance that makes us all "normal." Now what do you suppose would happen if you could potentially kill all those other versions of "you," forcing the multiverse to distribute the energies amongst the rest of "you" existing out there? Would it make this you stronger, faster, smarter, with abilities well beyond normal "men?" And what would happen if you did it again and again, attempting to become "the one?" When I watch a Jet Li film, I'm not sure exactly what to expect from him. Sometimes his moves range in the realms of normal mean, and sometimes his moves go well beyond that. In movies like Legend of the Swordsman and Black Mask, he's shown us that he can not only do the amazing, but that he can do it convincingly. And that's why, in The One, I found myself appeased even in the slightest. The storyline itself was one that hinged on a premise that nobody really knows how to answer. It posed to the cast a dilemma, asking what would happen if someone actually managed to become "the one." Some hinted that it would undo everything, too, and some hinted that it would perhaps make that one be able to accomplish everything. And that motivation, the becoming of something almost godlike, was what drove the killing forward. I liked that, and I liked the fact that each killing made Jet Li more efficient as the story progressed. Unfortunately the good comes with the bad, and someone spiked my time with a little too much drama, not enough action, and some "time cop" like action along the way. The development of the marriage in the main Jet Li's worked well at first, but it started sucking a lot of time away from the person we all wanted to see; the Jet Li with a need to kill. In order to stop what we wanted to happen from happening, we were also told that the multiverse is policed and those police drop in, burn some time, and don't really work out that well, either. They liked to talk for some reason, sometimes doing a little of this and a little of that, but mostly taking away from the action that the movie started showing me and abruptly took away. So, that was a downside. Yes, somewhere along the way something went wrong. I'm not sure why it happened and why the movie didn't simply cut out the middle of the film, but it didn't. So, I'm left with the feeling that Jet Li can do anything, even make a bad movie better, and that's why this one scored what it did.
Rating:
Summary: What happened?
Review: This movie has a great concept and it has Jet Li. How in the world could it have turned out so badly? The concept is a pretty cool one. There's not just one universe, see; there's a 'multiverse'. (SF readers will already have their own list of favorite alternative-universe novels. One of mine is James Hogan's _Paths to Otherwhere_.) It's possible for people in one universe to access the others via wormholes. And for some reason, whenever one version of a person gets killed, all of that version's 'energy' gets redistributed over the ones who are still alive. There's something of a plot based on this idea. There are 125 versions of Jet Li in the multiverse. One of him -- formerly a member of the elite corps that protects the multiverse from untoward interference -- has killed 123 of the others. The two that are left, sharing as they do the energy formerly parcelled out among all 125, are now really really fast and really really strong. And the bad one is trying to kill the good one, and thus become (drum roll, please) the One. Okay, it's not going to pass muster with most SF readers. But with a good screenplay and the right production, it could have been a good movie; _Timecop_ suffered from similar logical problems and yet turned out to be a fine film. This one doesn't have a good screenplay or the right production. What it _does_ have is Jet Li, which is why I gave it three stars. The guy is amazing to watch. Unfortunately, there's not enough martial-arts stuff to sustain fans who are _watching_ it for the martial-arts stuff. And there's not enough of anything else to sustain fans who are watching it for any other reason. It's one big Duhh after another. Is there, for example, any good reason why _these_ two Jet Lis look exactly alike (when we've already seen, via a computer-screen summary of the previous murders, that the _other_ 123 Jet Lis range from blonde to dreadlocked)? And given this exact similarity, is there any good reason for the 'good' Jet Li _deliberately_ to change into an outfit exactly like the 'bad' Jet Li's so that they'll be almost impossible to tell apart? I'd forgive all this stuff if the plot development were even remotely interesting. It's not. An excellent idea suffering from poor execution, then, and a dismal waste of a world-class martial artist. I won't say there's _nothing_ enjoyable about this flick, but it sure isn't the SF film it claims to be. _The One_ wants desperately to be the next _Matrix_. Well, it just goes to show you -- there's more to a successful SF/cyberthriller than cool special effects, even if they _are_ copied from John Gaeta.
Rating: 
Summary: good beginning but what a bad movie this was
Review: this movie was good at the beginning where Li kills himself, but another him in another dimension with some great freeze/stop effects and they he kicks them aside, mix in a little Drowning Pool and its all good, but then it just bores out with its lame pace and its wooden dialouge and characters, to the stricter sense, this should of been a hell of a lot more funner and better. though the end battle with Li and Li is great and thats what boasts it up to a two star rating. Carla Gugino, Jason Statham, Steve Rankin and Delroy Lindo also star, in which they cant save this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Some Special Effects Should Be Outlawed
Review: Okay SOME special effects help a movie along, but when the entire movie is made of special effects that's a different story. Especially when they're BAD special effects. This movie was predictable, flaky and pathetic. Jet Li's martial art skills were diminished by this film's cheap special effects. I didn't care for Mr. Li's bland acting performance either. He is NO Jackie Chan and I mean that in every way. At least Jackie's movies and stunts move the story along. The stunts in the this film were to cover up for bad dialogue, a TERRIBLE script and even laughable characters. I got this movie pre-viewed and I'd give it away for free. I'd caterogize that part where he smashed the motorcyles together the WORST SPECIAL EFFECTS JOB I'VE SEEN. It was clear that most shots were at night so we wouldn't see the cords and strings and everything else they had holding objects up. Please! Skip this if you have any appreciation for decent films.
Rating: 
Summary: Combines hard music with hard aciton
Review: Popular rock songs are played during some of the really fast paced action scenes. This makes the movie even more entertaining. Also, there is the right amount of slow action special effects used. The use of bullet speed is not overdone like in many other movies. Before I saw this video, I honestly expected it to suck. Fortunately, it is really a great movie. It has a lot of replay value. You'll want to watch it more than once.
Rating:
Summary: Jet Li vs Jet Li for the multiverse championship
Review: What else could a guy ask for really? Not only do you have Jet Li doing his martial arts thing, which he does better than anyone else working in movies today, but he finally faces a worthy opponent (himself); then there's the gorgeous Carla Gugino, who has long been one of my favorite actresses; throw in a visionary, science fiction storyline, all kinds of explosions, some pretty darn impressive CGI, and you've got yourself a movie I will gladly pay to watch. But it gets better. The story comes from the minds of X-Files legends Glen Morgan and James Wong, with Wong directing and Morgan serving as co-producer of the story they co-wrote. Best of all, though, we get to see Jet Li portray a bad guy, and that is something you just don't want to miss. Jet Li plays both of the characters at the heart of this story. The universe of The One is not even a universe, it's a multiverse, with versions of each person existing simultaneously in each universe; all these different versions of "you" are connected somehow, and the power vacuum left by the death of one "you" is not lost but is shared equally among all of the other versions of "you." Travel between the universes is possible through wormholes, and such travel is strictly policed. When one agent discovers that he can become more powerful by killing one of his counterparts elsewhere, he becomes a renegade who knocks off 123 versions of himself to become almost all-powerful. Lawless (the bad Jet Li) makes a spectacular escape from the universe cops and comes after the one remaining version of himself out there, Gabe Law (the good Jet Li). Gabe has naturally been gaining in power and strength himself all this time, and this fact plus his martial arts background makes Gabe a force to be reckoned with. The movie builds to the ultimate confrontation between these two selves, a nice twist on the struggle between good and evil. I, for the most part, like my martial arts displays realistic and natural; if you're going to use wires and allow for all sorts of superhuman abilities, you'd better do an impressive job with the special effects. Consider that job done in The One. Using such devices as different film speed and CGI animation, this movie's special effects are quite impressive; Wong avoids the kind of excess you find in many a Matrix clone. There are a couple of scenes in which the animation does not look real for a moment or two, but one can easily overlook this because the things that the souped up version of Jet Li does pretty much rock the house. The fight scenes are in no way diminished by the use of the old hidden wire technique, and you walk away from this movie knowing you have gotten your money's worth of entertainment. The DVD adds a plethora of special features on the making of the movie, including a commentary by Wong and crew, some good looks at the fight choreography work of Cory Yuen, a really cool animation sequence of one action scene using G.I. Joe-type figures, and another look at all of the faces of Jet Li that go to form the funniest part of the movie - as Lawless' crimes are detailed, we are shown photos of all the incredibly diverse and oftentimes hilarious guises of Jet Li's character across the multiverse. I think The One is a fantastic, action-packed winner. Just accept the premise of the whole multiverse idea; it works quite well so long as you don't let yourself ponder over the implications and questions the whole concept raises in your mind. If you find yourself overanalyzing the movie's premise, just think about how gorgeous Carla Gugino is - that's the strategy I employed, and I must say it worked quite well indeed.
Rating:
Summary: what a waste
Review: A movie that had the right start but fails to finish properly.Not really that flash of a movie thats why i gave it two stars star.
Rating:
Summary: Stealing the power of the universes one by one.
Review: I wanted to like this movie, I really did....I saw a lot of hype around this movie prior to it's release, and it looked pretty good. I didn't get the chance to see it in theaters, but I saw it on DVD, and I don't think it lived up to the hype. The story involves alternate universes in that one particular individual has found a way to travel to alternate time lines, kill himself in these alternate time lines, and increase his own power by doing so. He is being persued by agents from an agency that regulates this type of travel and such. The action is great, and the special effects look amazing, but the story seemed to be lacking. I'm accustomed to this from HK action type movies, but seeing as how this was a Hollywood release, I guess I expected a little more. Lots of bang, but not a lot of substance.
Rating:
Summary: snore......sleep....
Review: ...this movie [had] some bad action. Ill tell you what, ill have sly and jean claud conjuer up a better action movie than this, and they'd being doing this with there hopes and dreams. First off, this is NOT "the One" for you. the high wire flying action is pathetic, and the acting is as about as good as pokemon. I tell you what, i've never heard jet li say more than "i will revenge his death!" and in this movie, he's re-citing the whole...cuantium physics-reactor-space-star trek theory. god man, do not waste your hard earned money. jet li will be good, when he does his own stunts.
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