There is one who looks to destroy this balance. Yulaw (Jet Li), a multiverse terrorist, is traveling through the universes killing his identicals in order to achieve this power. In his latest attempt, Yulaw escapes from the multiverse law enforcements and arrives into the last world where his final identical resides. Gabriel (Jet Li) is the only remaining twin that stands between Yulaw and his ultimate goal of achieving the power and status of "The One."

Review: Oh man, oh man, oh man…

If it wasn't for Jet Li, I doubt I'd be anywhere near this. And I think I can safely say the same for everyone else. I mean, this movie could have been bad, but if it wasn't for the enduring love that we all have for this one man, we probably wouldn't be giving this movie the time of day.

But we do love Jet Li nonetheless and his newest film, "The One" isn't too shabby at all. Considering the shoddy script and the bare bone storyline, I think I walked out of the theater alive and intact and even smiling a bit. Heck, I can honestly say that I was relatively pleased with what I saw.

Quite possibly this love we have for Jet Li could be considered somewhat shallow. I mean, we just love to watch this man kick some serious ass. For some reason, I find myself in an orgasmic state whenever I see Jet Li pummeling down upon a poor unfortunate soul who forgot to study up on his Kung Fu the night before. Be it Donne Yen (Once Upon a Time in China II) or Russell Wong (Romeo Must Die),there is a sense of thrill and excitement in seeing anyone being thrashed at the end of one of Jet Li's elbows. But the Million Dollar Question is: Would we love it all the same if he were kicking his own ass?

Million Dollar Answer: Hell fucking yeah!

What "The One" really has going for itself is the fight scenes (duh!). There is something utterly beautiful when you can throw a cop's body across the screen, punch two more cops after this, and then finally reaching the thrown body and laying down some damage. This scene I just described is how they portray the speed of his skills. Everything slows down while he moves at a regular speed, punching and kicking everything in sight. Some of the other ways "The One" demonstrates his sheer power and speed is the ease at picking heavy objects up and ripping things in half. One of my favorite scenes was when Jet Li uses the police motorcycles as a baseball bat and begins using the policemen as baseballs.

The cinematography is rich in movement and pretty much reinvents itself in every action sequence. There are a few scenes in "The One" that are incredibly beautiful and the camera work helps create a sense of awe and coolness for them. One notable scene is the final fight between Gabriel and Yulaw where they are on a bridge railing. The camera moves in both quick-pans and slow motion and pretty sets up the atmosphere and energy for the particular piece. Other than the fighting, this was one of the more positive points about this film.

Though the script and storyline were a little on the slim side, the premise in all actuality is pretty interesting. If anything, I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel to this because the idea that there are two people who are constantly at odds with one another, one who attempts to break the equilibrium of the universe in order to be a god, and the other preserving that balance, is deep and profound itself. If it wasn't for the dialogue or quickly thrown together exposition, director James Wong and writer Glen Morgan could have possibly created a whole franchise on this idea alone.

Another gripe I had with the picture was with the music. Yeah, it's not your usual James Horner score or anything, but instead of placing music that appropriately fitted into the action scenes or even the dramatic parts, it seemed like Revolution Studios just wanted to sell a soundtrack. And that in itself is a very poor way to go about it. If it weren't for the amazing sound effects that accompanied those action scenes, it would have made it difficult to sit through a lot of it.

Jason Statham and Delroy Lindo as the multiverse cops were a nice touch. What I liked about them is they helped out in giving the movie a more serious tone. The relationship between Yulaw and Roedecker (Delroy Lindo) in itself added a sense of dynamics to the story. The dualistic touch they included was building a friendship between Funsch (Jason Statham) and Jet Li's Gabriel. Carla Gugino's portrayal of Gabriel's wife, TK, was only there to regulate drama and to add a romantic pitch to the character of Gabriel. For the most part, the supporting cast did their job and did it wonderfully. If anything, Jason Statham deserves some recognition for playing it super cool.

The most disappointing element of this film is the use of Jet Li. In an attempt to cater to the hordes of Jet Li fans, Revolution Studios wanted to use "The One" as avehicle to just have amazing action scenes. And in many ways, it can be considered an insult to us who really believe the fact that he is worth more than a spectacle. In Asia, most actors and actress contain the "Triple Threat" attribute, as in they can act, sing and do martial arts and Jet Li is no exception. We've all come to love Jet Li, not only for his prowess and martial ingenuity, but because we allhave connected at one time or another to the characters that he has portrayed. There is no doubt that Jet Li can act. And though it is really difficult for him tohave this transition to American cinema, and the fact that his mannerisms and his accent don't translate that well through an American lens, America in general should really give him the benefit of the doubt. Instead of using "pieces" of Jet Li, they should really utilize the whole of him, giving him the screen time and the freedom he deserves if these Hollywood Studios ever want to make a Jet Li a star. But of course, all this comes in baby steps. What happens in a few years from now might be a whole different story. Only in retrospect will we be able to realize his place in American cinema.

I'll tell you this right now: Don't expect "Once Upon a Time in China." But at the same time, you're not going to end up seeing a rehashing of "Romeo Must Die." "The One" is innovative enough to quench the thirst for you action fans out there. However, it isn't going to fulfill the appetites for the martial art purists and enthusiasts within you. It's definitely a kick movie and very, very fun if you come in with an open mind. Jet Li by himself would have done it for me and "The One" will hopefully kick up his Hollywood status a little more since it's the biggest opening for a Jet Li movie ever in America.

If you ask me, if not for the support alone, the eight bucks alone is worth it to hear these words come out of Jet Li's mouth:

"I'm Yulaw. I'm nobody's bitch. You are mine."