It's as if Wong and Morgan didn't think beyond the pitch session. It becomes painful to watch how quickly the duo squanders the story's potential.
The One (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:83
Fresh:11
Rotten:72
Average Rating:3.9/10
Consensus: The One plays out more like a video game than a movie and borrows freely from other, better sci-fi actioners like the The Matrix. Also, Jet Li's martial arts abilities are buried under the editing and special effects.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for intense action violence and some language
Runtime: 87 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Nov 2, 2001 Wide
Box Office: $43,905,746
Synopsis: THE ONE is based on the futuristic premise that there is more than one universe: there are many parallel universes, each of which contain a slightly different version of every person who has ever... THE ONE is based on the futuristic premise that there is more than one universe: there are many parallel universes, each of which contain a slightly different version of every person who has ever lived. Yulaw (Jet Li) is a rogue agent from the Multiverse Bureau of Intelligence who has learned that, by traveling from one parallel universe to another and killing the alternate versions of himself, he gains his counterparts's strength, speed and intelligence. After killing one hundred and twenty-three parallel versions of himself, Yulaw has gained almost unstoppable power--and there is only one version of himself left, Gabriel Law (Jet Li), a Los Angeles cop. Yulaw travels to the universe that houses his nemesis, followed by a pair of agents intent on stopping him from killing Gabe and either gaining near-Godlike powers, or destroying the fabric of all existence. Gabe is confused to find himself being hunted and shot at by himself, but with the help of his wife, T.K. (Carla Gugino), and the Multiverse cops (Delroy Lindo and Jason Statham), Gabe engages Yulaw in a series of spectacular fights to become the One. Glen Morgan and James Wong, creators of FINAL DESTINATION and several memorable episodes of THE X-FILES, direct this mind-bending martial-arts extravaganza. [More]
Starring: Jet Li, Carla Gugino, Delroy Lindo, Jason Statham
Starring: Jet Li, Carla Gugino, Delroy Lindo, Jason Statham, James Morrison, Tucker Smallwood, Mark Borchardt
Director: James Wong
Director: James Wong
Screenwriter: James Wong, Glen Morgan
Producer: Steven Chasman, Glen Morgan
Composer: Trevor Rabin
Studio: Columbia Pictures
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Release:
Mar 31, 2009
Reviews for The One
I'm happy to report that Jet Li's fourth American film crosses the finish line as far and away the best of them.
I like Jet, but...this particular "Version" of the idea deletes nearly all ripe tangents.
Eighty minutes of dreck for seven snappy minutes of Jet Li going mano-a-mano with himself? I want more.
"The One" is pure pulp junk and Wong embraces it as such, rushing through the mundane details of establishing characters and defining motivation to leap into action...
If popcorn-picture auteur John Carpenter made martial arts flicks, they'd be just like "The One" -- an unabashedly cheesy, B-grade sci-fi amusement park ride.
The One's script is just awful -- from premise to storyline to dialogue.
A dimwitted parallel-universe slugfest that sets a new low for a Hollywood martial arts extravaganza built around a major star.
Fans of The Matrix will hold their noses, as will those who put down sparring Arnold Schwarzeneggers in The 6th Day (now looking better).
I got a kick out of the old-fashioned stunt work sprinkled with “Matrix” like action and wire-work a la “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
Morgan and Wong lose sight of what makes Li such an appealing star in the first place: his natural athletic ability.
Offers brainless high-tech action without interesting dialogue, characters, motivation or texture.
This sci-fi/martial arts hybrid has the stale aura of a product assembled out of bits of other action movies.
With a plot constructed more like a video game than a drama, there's hardly any room for character development.
We watch good Jet battle evil Jet ... and the difference between the characters boils down to... blank and slightly less blank.
Don't worry about Jet Li. He can take care of himself. His latest American movie, however, needs triage.
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