“Gemini Man” may be hit or miss in the story department, but its technical achievements can’t be disputed: Ang Lee’s latest movie, which stars a younger and older version of Will Smith, is the first to be filmed in 120 FPS in 4K 3D. There’s just one problem: not a single cinema in the US is equipped to deliver that level of resolution.
Moviegoers stateside will be limited to 2K screenings, which is the best that AMC’s top-tier theaters can afford. Paramount projected “Gemini Man” at the maximum frame rate and resolution at its premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre, but those who couldn’t attend and want the intended experience will have to do some traveling: “Only a few theaters in Asia are expected to replicate the experience.”
Lee told Polygon after a screening of Gemini Man that 120 fps 2K 3D felt like the necessary avenue to make “Junior,” Smith’s digital avatar, a soulful character who could also appear to beat the living crap out of a real actor in the film’s many fight sequences. He also knew going in that the format would not be accessible for many viewers because of location, time, or the sour taste left by previous HFR screenings.