Rating: 2.75 out of 5 Stars
A couple weeks ago Jupiter Ascending, the new Space-Opera by Lana and Andy Wachowski, staring Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum, was revealed to be the surprise entry to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah. This was not a wise choice. News reports came out that some of the invited attendees got up and walked out of the movie before it was ever finished. Not a good omen. But then who shows science-fiction to a bunch of people who celebrate art house movies and independent films? Clearly the wrong audience.
This news followed the fact that the original July 18, 2014 release date was pushed seven months back to February 6, 2015, allowing time to finish special effects. Hindsight is better then foresight, because it would have been better if Jupiter Ascending was released before surprise hit Guardians of the Galaxy, which came out August 1st. Any science fiction based movie, Star Trek and Star Wars excluded, will have a hard time competing against Guardians, and with a $6.39 million 1-day total, for a movie with a budget around $150 million, Jupiter is falling behind. I'd be amazed if we see any sequels. It's a shame. A sequel with these now established characters would be better then what we see in this installment.
Jupiter Ascending follows Jupiter Jones (Mila), the perfect reincarnate of the late Mrs. Abrasax, mother of the royal space dynasty, with a great inheritance worth fighting for. It is this inheritance, the ownership of Earth, that Jupiter Jones now has claim. Planets are piddly objects worth owning, unless the population is ripe for harvesting. Earth is ripe, thus making it quite valuable in the scheme of the Universe, and Jupiter Jones is now standing in the way of the Abrasax siblings fortune. The solution? A death order. And who better then stop said death? A handsome bounty hunter (Tatum) who is destined for romance, because that's how it goes.
Jupiter Ascending is a mess of a movie. The first half is convoluted, plot points jumping around, information skipped for a later "big reveal." Honestly, establishing certain plot points early would have saved the film from some confusion and lack of fluidity. I would have liked to know why the planet shown early in the movie was harvested. But then maybe that wouldn't have saved Jupiter Ascending. The editing is rough. The World building hard to swallow.
Instead of taking some scenes seriously, I found myself furrowing my eyebrows, removed more then engaged. Maybe it's this World we're shown, which I couldn't fully immerse myself into. Which I couldn't fully accept. If these alien Worlds were better presented, I could have bought it more easily. As crazy as Dr. Who is at times, I have no problem accepting their reality. Yet I couldn't quite accept the reality presented in Jupiter Ascending. Too bad, because there's promise. The bureaucracy scene in the middle of the movie was actually quite amusing.
One of the great aspects to this film is Jupiter Jones: she's someone who values family, hard work, and ethics. She's a fantastic heroine. I really love her character.
And those special effects that apparently delayed production for so many months? Their dazzling. Visually this movie is gorgeous.
Though I had a hard time staying fully engaged with Jupiter Ascending, I do wish for a continuation. I want to know what happens to Jupiter Jones, because there's got to be more. I'm sad that this is what we got. I'm sad that this is what we're given.
This movie could have been great.
Don't watch with high expectations.
And be careful showing this movie to kids. the PG-13 rating is warranted.
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some violence, sequences of sci-fi action, some suggestive content and partial nudity.
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