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The One (Superbit Collection)

The One (Superbit Collection)

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: One Reason
Review: First off, I am not sure what makes this a "special edition" since it seems to be the only addition available.

That said, there is only one reason to watch this movie, and that is the special effects, which I believe set the standard for future films in the admittedly small "nearly-omnipotent-beings-beating-down-on-mere-mortals" genre. Seriously, some of these fight scenes are really fun, particularly the first couple, but the actual martial arts are rather bland, and the final fight scene between good Jet and bad Jet is the most boring of the movie.

As for plot, it's a fun and interesting concept, left mostly undeveloped, yet strangely overexploited; way too many "travel between universes" sequences.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: AN ACTION PACKED MOVIE!
Review: THIS MOVIE CONTAINS MANY ACTION MOVES FROM THE ACTION STAR, JET LI. HE HAS AN EVIL TWIN THAT IS HIS WORST ENEMY. HE MUST FIGHT HIS EVIL TWIN BETWEEN DIFFERENT UNIVERSES. THIS IS A MUST-SEE MOVIE AND YOU'LL DEFINITELY WANT TO ADD THIS MOVIE TO YOUR COLLECTION!!!!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: So-So
Review: Comparing this movie to Highlander (B grade sci-fi
at best) is accurate. Despite some very good talent, this
is a B movie 'at best'. Not even as good as Kiss of the Dragon and I wasn't thrilled with that either. Jet should not only have
taken a part in The Matrix sequals (that was a great big 'no-brainer', Jet)- he should have done it for a song, instead of worrying about what he'd get paid. Even worse, he stared in a movie that was a Matrix wanna-be, presumptuosly called 'The One'!?! I've seen about 20 of his movies, so I feel entitled to give a strong opinion. This movie is borderline embarrasing. I'd definitly recommend seeing this before buying it.
On a positive note: we learn that Jet can do a sci-fi movie, and is that he is quite a formidable bad guy when he wants to be (I skipped his first 'evil' role in Lethal Weapon4).
I love Jet and hope his managers will exercise more wisdom in his future endeavors.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: This movie was cool but not as ridicously cool as the Matrix
Review: The one was kind of confusing the first time I saw it. But when I saw it at home on dvd, it was alot better. The special effects were good. But sorry, nothing tops the matrix. There were actually alot of funny parts in the movie to me. The last fight scene at the end was the best of the movie that was hype.I wasn't really feelin the rock 'n' roll music thing though.
But the movie overall was really cool. If you like the matrix you'll be sure to like the one.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Of Jet Li's U.S. star vehicles, this one's the best so far.
Review: I'm being a bit generous with my rating this time. Jet Li's previous two Hollywood outings, Romeo Must Die and Kiss of the Dragon, are so incredibly bad that I've kept my expectations low.
Happily, The One delivers in much grander style than any Li film since Lethal Weapon 4. Is it a cinematic masterpiece? No. Is it an emotional tour de force? Negative. But is it enjoyable, and does it deliver excitement and entertainment? I would definitely say so.

I was originally suspicious of the PG-13 rating. Action films and the PG-13 rating don't tend to mix well. But director James Wong (Final Destination) is imaginative enough that the PG-13's usual restrictions aren't a big hurdle for him. Though some of the special effects and production design look quite cheesy (the "wormhole" device looks like a Zoom drum machine!), the whole package is delivered with enough sense of fun to make you suspend disbelief.

Li hasn't quite overcome his linguistic limitations, but Wong was smart to evoke in Li the villainy that had made his Lethal Weapon 4 turn so interesting. And freed of the pretensions towards condescending, Oriental mystical nonsense (as in Romeo Must Die and Kiss of the Dragon), we can relate to Li's character much more. Carla Gugino doesn't exactly get the deepest role here, but she's very likeable and provides Li with his first believable love interest, and Delroy Lindo just steals the show with a hilarious, surprising dual-role appearance. His second entrance is easily the funniest moment in the film. And Jason Statham manages to make us forget those awful Guy Ritchie movies from which he came.

The script moves along briskly and the pacing is tight, the fight sequences very well staged and shot, with extra marks going to the slam-bang sound effects. Sure, some of the techniques look similar to The Matrix, but they're still fun to watch.

My biggest complaint is the ending. Won't give it away here, but emotionally, it's a complete let down. Gabe's reaction to the tragedy is not credible; the "final twist" feels incredibly forced, as if contriving to avoid a down ending; and the final prison fight looks gratuitous. Still, if you're an action fan, you would probably enjoy The One.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Disappointment isn't a big enough word
Review: After reading that Jet Li had turned down offers to star in the Matrix' upcoming sequels, I was intruiged at what this film could possibly have to offer that would be on par with that film's effects and (of course) martial arts production.

Sad to say, I was greatly underwhelmed by 'The One'. The concept (while fascinating) is handled in b-movie fashion with an above-average budget, with special emphasis placed on all the wrong things.

One of the reasons that 'Kiss Of The Dragon' was so effective was that they kept the slow-motion camera work to a minimum, leaving us to be entertained by Jet Li's naturally fast reflexes and superb choreography, not to mention a great soundtrack.

In 'The One', it's bad enough that the script is virtually non-existant, the action is far from Li's best, and the comic-book rendering of his fights detract from his greatest strength: real-time combat.

I laughed every time they brought the camera onto the 'tracking device', which they did 3 or 4 times at least. The director must have thought to get the most out of that particular effect by doing so, and the result is comical at best.

Especially bad is the final fight scene, which is overlong, and unimpressive. I can only hope that Jet Li either a) fires his agent, or b) picks a much better vehicle for his next film. It certainly won't get any worse than this.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The One
Review: This wasnt very a good film. It was OK. The fight scenes were pretty bad (Matrix-like with all the slow motion) and they looked VERY [poor]!

But the only reason I'm giving it a 3 is the fight scene between Jet Li and Jet Li and the killer soundtrack.
The soundtrack is awesome, with songs like; "Down With the Sickness" by Disturbed, and "Last Resort" by Papa Roach.

But however, do not, i repeat, DO NOT compare this with Jet Li's Chinese flicks (like the OUATIC SERIES, TWIN WARRIORS, AND FONG SAI YUK, and so on) or you will be VERY disappointed, cuz this movie is TERRIBLE compared to Jet's Chinese flicks. This would be a good film to compare with Jet's American flicks, however (KOTD,LW4, AND RMD).

So, if you wanna watch this expecting something like TWIN WARRIORS OR SOMETHING, well youll be very letdown. So watch this with an open mind and dont expect 2 much.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Original and interesting action movie.(SPOILER WARNING)
Review: Every once in a while someone films a movie that really does have a new take on its genre. Even if the general idea existed, it either was not, or could not, be done well on film before. James Cameron's _The Terminator_, Ridley Scott's _Alien_ and _Blade Runner_, Lucas' _Star Wars_, and Spielberg's _Jaws_ and _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_ all achieved this in one way or another.

_The One_ enters this select company both by virtue of originality (I have seen the general premise once or twice before, but never on film) and because even had someone attempted this before, it couldn't have been done as well.

The basic idea of _The One_ is that there are a large number of parallel dimensions, each with a slightly different history (in this one, George Bush became president; in another, it might have been Dole, Gore, or someone even less likely). In each of these universes exists a parallel version of ourselves, as we would be if we'd grown up there. In one of these universes, dimensional travel has been perfected; people can go from one to the other. And one of those people discovers that if he kills off his duplicates, he becomes stronger, faster, smarter; there is some kind of mystical connection between all these parallels, and the power of all is divided up among those that are left; accordingly, he's travelling through the dimensions, slowly eliminating all his parallel selves. The hero of our story is his last remaining duplicate, who has been trying to understand what has been happening to him recently.

Scenes involving such superhuman abilities simply couldn't be done well before this, and few actors other than Jet Li would be able to pull them off convincingly even with special-effects assistance. The pacing is excellent, the plotline fascinating (the bad guy's being chased by a couple of dimensional cops who have an additional concern beyond the fact that this guy's committing multiple homicides: according to some dimensional theory, if he succeeds in eliminating all the others, it will cause a cataclysm), and the action is simply top-notch.

The ending is surprising, and extremely cool. It leaves the possibility of a sequel open, but doesn't require one, either. Highly recommended. If action's your thing, this one will deliver.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Jet Lite!!!
Review: This is a very disappointing film for Jet Li.I'm shocked at how low brow the fights are,considering the talent and the huge budget they had.Too bad.I enjoyed the Wu Tang Clan's release of Yuen Woo Ping's early masterpiece `Shaolin Drunkard' much better. It had tons of extras and more believable action than this film-and that's not a good thing!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Disappointing Jet
Review: I was fairly disappointed. Good thing I rented this ONE, instead of buying it. I don't want to own it. Oh well.


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