After exploring the limits of the multiverse long before it was a cinematic trend, Jet Li decided to face off against his toughest opponent yet—himself. In 2001’s The One, we see a high-stakes pursuit across parallel dimensions that left audiences seeing double and critics feeling single-minded.

Join Dallas and John as they hop through the quantum tunnel to discover if this martial arts sci-fi holds up as a unique gem, or if its place in history is strictly on The Bottom Shelf!

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Welcome to another episode recap of The Bottom Shelf, where every movie has a place!

Today, the trash can of movies has bestowed upon us an absolute early-2000s fever dream: Jet Li’s 2001 sci-fi action flick, The One.

Here is a breakdown of our multiverse-hopping journey.

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The Movie: Jet Li vs. Jet Li (and So Much Blue)

If you need a refresher, The One follows Gabriel Yulaw, a rogue multiverse agent who is hopping between dimensions to systematically eliminate the other 124 versions of himself. His goal? To absorb their energy and become a literal god. Standing in his way is Gabe Law, an LAPD deputy and the last remaining good version of himself. It’s a movie that also inexplicably features Delroy Lindo and a very young, pre-stubble Jason Statham (sporting a very distracting head of hair).

Here are our main takeaways from this 2001 time capsule:

• It is aggressively Blue: The entire movie features a heavy blue and purple color grade. As Dallas noted, it’s so overwhelmingly blue that it had him singing Eiffel 65’s “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” in his head the entire runtime.
• A Nu-Metal Masterpiece: The movie is remembered for its very aggressive 2001 nu-metal soundtrack. It features a score loaded with actual lyrical songs, perfectly capturing the edgy angst of the era.
• A Product of Its Time: This movie feels incredibly dated. From the early CGI green-screen effects to the somewhat floaty wirework, it feels like it was pulled straight out of a time capsule. It’s so of its era that it actually caused some secondhand cringe.
• Kung Fu in the Future? John offered a hot take: mixing traditional Kung Fu with futuristic sci-fi just doesn’t sit right with him. To him, it feels like putting sweet and salty together, or mixing mint and chocolate.
• The MRI Scene: Celeste (Dallas’s wife) correctly pointed out that the magnetic pull of the MRI in the big fight scene only seemed to work when it was convenient for the plot. However, Dallas highly recommends watching this scene with headphones on—the ping-ponging knock of the MRI machine provided an incredible, unexpected ASMR experience.
• The Final Fight: One detail we genuinely appreciated was how Jet Li utilized two entirely distinct fighting styles for the final showdown. The evil Yulaw fought with a very aggressive, boxer-like style, while the good Gabe Law used a more circular, flowing motion, perfectly highlighting their contrasting mindsets.

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The Final Verdict: Middle Shelf

When it came time to rate The One, we had a unanimous decision.

Rating: The Middle Shelf

What does that mean? It means this movie is highly entertaining and fun, but we aren’t going to go out of our way to buy a physical copy to own. If it happens to be streaming on a Sunday afternoon while we’re eating a bowl of ramen, we will absolutely sit down and watch it. It’s a fun, satisfyingly mediocre experience—like chewing on Play-Doh!

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The Weak Connection

The Weak Connection is the part of our show where we try to pull something spiritual, encouraging, or hopeful out of the cinematic madness we just consumed.

Dallas’s Connection: The Power of Influence Dallas looked at the scene where Gabe Law is talking to Jason Statham’s character. Gabe explains that even though he and Yulaw are technically the same person, they are completely different because of the influence of Gabe’s wife. This beautifully illustrates Proverbs 27:17 (“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”). The people in our lives fundamentally shape who we become. Dallas wants to encourage everyone reading: don’t second-guess the positive influence you have on the people around you. How you treat and speak to others matters, even if it doesn’t seem like they are paying attention.

John’s Connection: Killing the Flesh John admits this is a super weak connection, reaching deep into the youth pastor playbook. He looked at the core concept of the movie—killing off your alternate selves to absorb their energy and become stronger. He drew a parallel to Galatians 5:24, which talks about nailing our sinful desires to the cross so that they are dead. It’s a parabolic illustration of murdering our sinful nature to become a new creation and be empowered by the Spirit.

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