Review: In ‘Reset,’ a Mother Enters a Wormhole to Save Her Son

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Rule No. 1 for overstressed mothers engaged in top-secret research that might make them the target of an enemy: Don’t let the babysitter leave your child alone.

That is the first mistake Xia Tian (Yang Mi) makes in “Reset” as she tries to balance her life with her work: opening a wormhole to parallel universes. Sure enough, a ruthless operative (Wallace Huo) from a competing company is on the loose, willing to do anything to get the data Xia Tian and her colleagues are working on.

Because the process has not been completely successful, Xia Tian’s lab has prohibited human subjects from entering the portal. But she takes the chance and bursts through when her little son’s life is at stake to fight her competitor.

To say that this tense sci-fi thriller, directed by Chang (born Yoon Hong-seung) and produced by Jackie Chan, has a strong female lead is an understatement. Thanks to the portal, we are treated to three simultaneous manifestations of Xia Tian, which is about one more than we can easily keep track of when they are engaged in a gun battle.

There is shooting and stabbing galore, a clever kidnapping-by-truck routine and breathtaking car chases, as well as a harrowing scene of our heroine sliding down a long conveyor belt that feeds a bubbling caldron of waste.

Over all, this is an exciting film if not a completely cohesive one, but Xia Tian’s ultimate decision about her career is a disappointment. One more thing: Think twice about using retinal biometrics for identification. (You’ll see).

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