Many films have dealt with the end of the world. Whether through plague, natural disasters, aliens, or some other malady, the apocalypse has been featured in cinema for decades. The science fiction film Project Gemini uses an ecosystem-obliterating plant virus that causes global destruction as its catalyst for action.
The eponymous Project Gemini (named, somewhat insultingly, after NASA'S second attempt at human spaceflight) is humanity’s last chance for survival. Harnessing the power of two ancient artifacts may be the key to the planet’s salvation, and soon we see a group of ragtag scientists, pilots, and other governmental officials launch into outer space to try to use these artifacts to start life over again on a new planet. Astronauts Steve (Egor Koreshkov) and David (Dmitry Frid) lead a team to try to find this planet that they’ve named Tess.
They do not find Tess.
Released this year (with filming allegedly starting in 2016), the film suffers from a variety of cliches, poorly-written characters, and some of the worst redubbed voice actors you’ll ever hear on film. Project Gemini mashes up ideas from Interstellar, the Alien franchise, Event Horizon and more, but doesn’t do any of those ideas very well.
The film’s one saving grace is its visuals, as the CGI in outer space makes for an appealing spectacle. But it suffers from a lack of coherent plot (it switches from alien takeover to time travel at one point), poor writing, and boring characters. There is also a litany of flashback sequences that somehow manage to not advance the plot or any of the characters. Project Gemini is a giant leap backward for cinema lovers everywhere. Only true fans of the science fiction genre should seek this one out, as well as those interested in Russian cinema.