The One (2001)

Christmas Gift

My son had been looking for this video for a long time. Thank you for your promptness in sending the video. To date he has not viewed the video, but if problems occur, I will let you know. December 27, 2007

A Good Concept Not Realized

When I first saw `The One' on VHS is was introduced with its own trailer. Thank goodness, otherwise we'd never figure out the plot from the disconnected screenplay.

`The One' is an interesting concept which combines everything we loved about `The Terminator', `Time Cop,' `The Matrix,' `Sliders' and more. Just like `Sliders' technology has made it possible to travel between alternate universes. Super criminal Jet Li illegally travels from universe to universe with the sole purpose of murdering himself so he can be the one Jet Li.

Hot on his trail are supercops Delroy Lindo and Jason Statham (with a bad American accent).

The idea of sci-fi and Jet Li as both hero and villain is intriguing.

However `The One' falls short of its goal due to several road blocks.

Poor dialogue. The disconnected screenplay has characters doing and saying things which make no sense and add nothing to further the story. All the characters seem rather calm even though they are fighting for their lives.

Characters' actions make no sense. As with the dialogue it becomes lost as we see characters drift from scene to scene without purpose or awareness. For example the LAPD Jet Li after witnessing a climatic shootout with himself, simply returns home to his wife Carla Gugino as if it is a normal day. You'd think the police would want each of their officers to provide a statement and the shootout would be headline news. Later Li goes to the hospital for a brain scan where at least 5 of his fellow officers go to hangout for no reason.

Lindo and Statham also have a pointless existence as they have been hunting Li for 2 years and have witnessed his incredible feats. Yet they calmly ask Li to drop his gun and put his hands on his head. Since Li can dodge bullets, you'd think these two would have realized he's not coming quietly.

Bad casting. While Li is a martial arts legend his broken English makes it impossible for us to see him as the good husband cop. The over use of `Matrix' style fight sequences with computer animation negate Li's use of martial arts which makes us question why Li was cast at all.

Lindo and Statham come off like Laurel and Hardy as they too seem to take their roles as if they were mere delivery men.

`The One' does have some good sci-fi and fight sequences in the beginning but it carries too much baggage which prevents us from enjoying it, thanks to B gen-x director James Wong.
November 21, 2007

THIS MOVIE ROCKS!

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie from the edge of my seat! I want a part two! I want more! The soundtrack rocked, the story rocked, the actors rocked! This movie totally rocked, man! A must have for any collector of the Science Fiction movie genre.

By the way, this was the first movie I ever saw Jet Li in. I am now a huge fan of his and not just because I weigh close to 300 pounds. August 15, 2007

the one of a kind for Jet Li

For a Jet Li movie, The One is most original, blending martial arts with a sci-fi environment and matrix-like effects. The idea is great, and you may fall in love with "the idea" more than the movie itself. Unfortunately, despite the martial arts, The One executes itself too poorly.

The most memorable element of the film is that there are 2 Jet Li's. Well, 123 to be exact from 123 different universes, but it comes down to the last 2, and the "evil" Jet Li charcater is obsessed with becoming "the one". If he kills off the good Jet Li character, he will become invincibly powerful, though he is nearly there. Near the end, the final fight is good Li vs bad, a decent fight that lasts 7 minutes, but uses the matrix like effects in the fight poorly. They kinda look cool at first, but if you get too much into it visually, it just looks pretty weak and breaks up the flow of the martial arts styles throughout the fight.

I have to say the rest of the cast is pretty dull, except maybe Delroy Lindo and Jason Statham, who play 2 agents from the alternate universe trying to stop the evil Li character. For Jason Statham fans, he's got a pretty large role in The One, but don't expect his character to know how to fight like in the Transporter movies.

The acting is rather weak too, and again, the movie relies a lot off of visual effects, and most just don't do the justice if you have seen the matrix one too many times. There is a scene where the evil Li character picks up 2 motorcycles and knocks around some cops with them, that actually looked pretty neat.

The originality of this movie, the martial arts, and the good Jet Li vs bad Jet Li still give this movie a 4 stars. I absoultely loved this movie when it first came out, because I thought oh who cool this is for Jet Li. Its pretty cool, but don't go watching this in too much detail or you'll ruin the experience. May 17, 2007

Farcical fantasy

Jet Li possesses incredible martial art skills but outside of being a vehicle to demonstrate his prowess, "The One" is a ridiculous action fantasy. Besides some decent special effects and a good musical score. the film has few redeeming qualities.

The premise of the movie is that there are multiple parallel universes called multiverses. Travel is prohibited between them and is policed by an authority called the MVA. Li, a former MVA agent Gabriel Yulaw killed another version of himself on a different universe, in the line of duty and discovered an increase in his strength. He then proceeded to destroy an additional 122 versions of himself in other universes, each time increasing his strength, with the goal of becoming the supreme being ("the one").

The last survivng version of Li is Los Angeles sheriff's deputy, Gabe Law, who also has become more powerful. Yulaw travels to L.A. to eliminate the last version of himself, a formidible adversary. He is being pursued by MVA agents played by Delroy Lindo and Jason Stratham who are commissioned to stop him. It is postulated that the destruction of deputy Law will upset the workings of the universe or make Yulaw totally invulnerable. March 7, 2007

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