I have always had respect for the Wachowskis. I love The Matrix, and Cloud Atlas was the film that got me into movies. Now Jupiter Ascending has been getting panned by critics, getting a 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. But after seeing it I still hold respect for the Wachowskis. Why? Because this movie isn’t horrible. Like all of the other Watchowski films, this one poses an interesting world to be in, and the action scenes are actually quite thrilling. The real problems come in the rest of the film. So Jupiter Ascending is about Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) who is living a boring life until she is discovered to be the heir of a title for the entire Earth. The person who previously has the title (Eddie Redmayne) doesn't want to give it up and wants to kill her in order to keep it. Channing Tatum comes in as a dog/human hybrid named Caine to help Jupiter escape and defeat the other heirs who either want to kill her or take advantage of her. Oh and Earth,and many other planets actually were created by a corporation that allows gross overpopulation in order to harvest the humans to make a genome formula that can give you years of life. That's a lot to cover in a movie, and all of this combined with a really well-constructed universe makes the people and places in the film interesting. I was really invested in the world surrounding the characters. Also good are the action scenes. The sci-fi gadget stuff here is all stuff I've seen before (except the really f***ing cool gravity boots), but it's all animated really well. The film’s visuals are really spectacular. Unfortunately the script could have used some rewrites. There are some moments of laughable dialogue, and some characters’ motivations are muddled. Jupiter does start off sounding realistic, but she becomes more gullible as the film goes on. Channing Tatum does what he can as Caine, but again the script for this movie just isn't there. Oscar-nominated Eddie Redmayne, who was the last person I expected to be a letdown, even makes a lackluster appearance. It also has some staggering story and pacing issues. Some major plot points are just introduced in speech, and then the characters just automatically accept what is going on. Very much on display here is also the Wachowski's tendency to make really offbeat and weird things happen. I didn't necessarily think it was that bad. It is truly part of their style and helps build the world. I think that older members of the audience will find it all pretty stupid though. And yet I still liked it or at least that it was ok. One of my favorite critics once said that his generation invented wanting to be a 10-year-old forever. Something about this movie made me feel like I was a younger kid just getting thrown about in extremely fun ways. The final battle sequence of the film is especially impressive. As the characters swooped through the crumbling headquarters of the villain, I flew with them. I was just having a good time. However, because of the really big problems in the story and pacing of the film, I can't acknowledge that too much. I give Jupiter Ascending a 6.5 out of 10. Review written by Stephen Tronicek. Edited by Holly Clemons.
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |