A fatally flawed multiversal misfire that took a pasting from critics blows a hole in reality on Netflix

The multiverse is all the rage these days, whether we’re talking about the ongoing (and highly contentious) expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Academy Award-winning juggernaut Everything Everywhere All at Once, or even ambitious small screen projects like Roku’s Slip, all of which leave Jet Li’s derided starring vehicle The One in the dust.

While the martial arts sci-fi fantasy should at least be commended for its ambitious, with the leading man transforming himself into something of a stone-faced Eddie Murphy after opting to play no less than nine different characters at various points throughout the running time, the end results were monotonously mundane.

Rattled by a despicable 13 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, The One did at least manage to come close to netting $80 million at the box office on a $49 million budget, ensuring that it didn’t bomb spectacularly in spite of being miles off securing certifiable success. And yet, because Netflix subscribers love themselves some fast-paced ass-kicking, the widely-panned dud has returned with a vengeance on streaming.

Per FlixPatrol, The One has left no stone unturned in its quest to rise up the platform’s viewership ranks, with the film being welcomed onto the Top 10 in multiple countries. Clearly, the prospect of seeing one version of Li battle against his evil doppelganger from a highly advanced parallel universe with nothing but murder on his mind is ticking all the right boxes, with director James Hong’s adventure also notable for featuring Jason Statham in his Hollywood debut, complete with hair!