The One (2001)

“The Multiverse, every universe in it, is irrational, sloppy. I try to make it rational. I try to make it neat. You call it murder. How can I murder myself 123 times? I just took those wasted energies and transferred them to one container: me. What if that is our fate? To unite with ourselves, to be unified forever. To be one. I will be The One.” – Yulaw

Number of Times Seen – Twice (1 Jan 2002 and 23 Mar 2019)

Brief Synopsis – A cop is recruited by a multi-universe task force to try and stop another version of himself that has gone on a rampage across the dimensions killing every version of himself in order to become more powerful.

My Take on it – This is a film that I saw when it originally came out and thought it was ok.

The movie actually has a really intriguing premise yet they waste it by making this an action sci-fi film instead of going the dramatic route which would have made things much more interesting and thrilling.

Jet Li is fine in the lead role and he is a superb martial artist who is able to give us some great choreographed action scenes.

The ones where he must fight himself are especially enjoyable to watch.

The supporting cast is also great with Delroy Lindo, Jason Statham and Carla Gugino in roles which are developed well enough for us actually to care about what will happen to them despite the fact that the full potential is wasted.

They do a nice job of explaining the science of the plot quite simplistically which is important for moving the story along despite the fact that it’s still far from perfect.

This movie has lots of holes in the plot which take away from the full enjoyment of things especially when one is seeking to see something with a more poignant impact than just a martial arts film.

Bottom Line – Great premise that is wasted on a action sci-fi film because it isn’t able to utilize the full impact of the idea that would work much better as a drama or thriller. Li is fine in the action scenes and is able to give us some great choreographed scenes of martial arts battles especially when he fights himself. The supporting cast is also great because they give us Lindo, Statham and Gugino in roles where we can care about even if this film wastes its full potential. The science is explained simplistically which helps make things work even better even if this film is far from perfect. There are some big plot holes here that take away from the enjoyment of things if one seeks something more than just an action packed martial arts flick.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Filmed in 2001 but supposedly set well into Earth’s future, in the first Earth-universe scene at the Earth-prison (about 20 minutes into the movie), just before Law (Jet Li) attacks the prison guards transferring a prisoner, a prison TV airs a news channel reporting this Earth’s US Gov’t is likely to enact “Universal Health Care” for its citizens . . . little did the movie’s producers know that in just nine years, the Obama Administration would pass the Affordable Care Act. (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (5/10)