Jupiter Ascending – Film Review
Director: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Starring: Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis and Eddie Redmayne
Release Date: Out Now
Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) is a lowly young caretaker. She is targeted by aliens from all corners of the galaxy when she is discovered to somehow be an heir of royalty. Taken into the care of Caine Wise (Channing Tatum), a genetically engineered former space cop, she must assume her position both politically and socially. In doing so, she must also learn the significance of her assumed place in the universe.
Also starring Sean Bean, Tuppence Middleton and Douglas Booth, Jupiter Ascending is both written and directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski.
Time and time again, it’s been noticeable that science-fiction is most likely the genre in which its descent of inspiration is most evident. It has always been a form of story telling that is specifically about ideas. While this is often the defining feature of the genre, there is also a history of style, design and tone as part of its legacy.
I bring this up because Jupiter Ascending is a film that is rather curious in its choice of all these things. Although, maybe “rather curious” isn’t quite the best way to put it.
The film certainly has a lot of features and ideas, perhaps too many. The Wachowskis, now a somewhat notorious duo of filmmakers, have previously produced overly long, over ambitious and complex projects before.
And this is no exception.
The film comes across like a young adult novel adaptation, something that’s become very popular on the big screen in recent years. This is evident with franchises like Twilight & The Hunger Games receiving such phenomenal success.
It wouldn’t be at all be surprising to discover that this film was the result of adapting 3 or 4 books of a popular series of adventure novels, and then condensing their contents into one film. But what’s strange is that this film is actually an original piece written by the Wachowskis.
There are great amounts of inspiration from other movies and franchises including, Star Wars, Brazil, Dune, The Last Starfighter, Highlander II: The Quickening, The Wizard of Oz, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, (dare I say it) Super Mario Brothers: The Movie and The Matrix itself, to name but a few. Some of these inspirations are subtle. Others, not so much. There is, for example, a heavily Brazil-inspired sequence that goes so far as to have a cameo from director Terry Gilliam himself, supposedly a proverbial wink to the camera.
All these things are sort of clunkily pieced together in a big ball of….. well, madness.
This isn’t just in its ideas of course. The film itself shifts tonally throughout. Jumping from fast paced high octane action, to comedic and light quirkiness, to scenes of hardened and drawn out political dialogue. Frankly, none of these elements merge appropriately with one another.
The performances are rigidly consistent throughout. For the most part, they hold up well but with no actor stands out. Mila Kunis’ character is unfortunately quite stale, arguably due to having little to work with. The film’s decided direction in its scenes of drama are rather dull and automated. But nothing is ever truly terrible.
The movie doesn’t drag at any point with the exception of one or two moments. There are plenty of moments where you’ll find yourself lost or confused about the significance of certain turning points but the overall idea is more or less clear by the end.
The film has a strange feel to it on the whole and it’s difficult to describe. There’s a really wonderful wealth of ideas but little discipline present to really bring it all together. At times, it’s staggering at how careless the film gets. At the same time, there’s a great sense of scale and design implying a delicate sense of care.
To really try and explain where Jupiter Ascending falls on the spectrum, consider the films John Carter, the 2011 Green Lantern film and Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim. Jupiter Ascending has the incoherence of John Carter (blurring but not too blurring), some of the rigid plainness of Green Lantern but (and here’s the kicker) the dumbness of Pacific Rim. However, at the same time you get that sense of care and passion similar to Guillermo Del Toro‘s direction. And that, overall, is a strange mix indeed.
Given the level of film nerdiness required to illustrate that analogy, perhaps that means that Jupiter Ascending is not something to recommend to a mainstream audience. Perhaps it is something that a cinema devotee type of audience would appreciate more. Despite that, the film has a certain accessibility to it, let down by the fact that the film is a half hour too long.
So, in the end, Jupiter Ascending is jarring, a bit long and pretty all over the place… but still kind of fun. It is the first original idea based film from the Wachowskis since The Matrix, but it lacks the stark, sharp-paced discipline that that film had.
While refreshing as a completely original franchise, it is nonetheless a missed opportunity for something much smarter and more entertaining. Imperfect but nonetheless a decent watch.
Score: 3/5
Written by Seamus Hanly
Please Join us on your Social Platform of choice
