Jupiter Ascending - Movie Review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Filmmaking siblings Lana and Andy Wachowski never do anything by halves. The Matrix was a genre-changing blockbuster followed by two head-scratching sequels that ramped everything up a bit too much. Speed Racer was simply too much eye-candy for most viewers. And Cloud Atlas' intertwined storylines left audiences both exhausted and exhilarated. Now they've taken on the space action adventure with unfettered gusto, creating an utterly bonkers story that can't help but keep us thoroughly entertained.

So it turns out that Jupiter (Mila Kunis), an immigrant cleaner in Chicago, is actually the recurrence of a powerful matriarch whose empire runs the universe as a big business. Her three children (Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth and Tuppence Middleton) are tussling over control, because their mother's re-appearance changes their inheritance rights. Chased by bounty hunters, Jupiter is rescued by Caine (Channing Tatum) and his cohort Stinger (Sean Bean), who help her navigate the complex galactic society to claim her genetic rights. But each of the three children has plans for her. And as she zips back and forth across the universe, Jupiter realises that she's going to need to rise to the occasion if she wants to save herself. And Earth.

The Wachowskis clearly understand that the story is far too complicated to make much sense, so they only provide enough information to hold the audience's interest. Large plot threads and characters pop up and disappear at random, while Jupiter's own journey lurches through a series of contrived set-pieces and tense encounters that feel oddly unresolved. But none of that really matters, because the film is infused with a sardonic sense of humour that makes it enjoyable. Even the bad guys are intriguing; there's not much Redmayne can do with his leather-trousered grump, but at least he goes for it. Kunis has a great time with Jupiter's continual sexy costume changes, while Tatum performs a series of action scenes with his shirt off for no real reason. All of the cast members dive in without hesitation, using sheer charisma to make the characters a lot of fun to watch.

They also give the film a centre beyond the eye-catching effects, which are genuinely inventive, especially in 3D. The Wachowskis know how to create something we've never seen before, and here they combine designs from the entire history of cinema sci-fi (including a jaggedly silly bureaucratic interlude straight from Brazil, including Terry Gilliam himself). The way the ships fold and flow is fascinating, as is the use of old-world architecture and rather a lot of amazing gadgets. Best of all are Caine's amazing anti-gravity boots. Jupiter looks at them and clearly wants to rip them from his feet. We know how she feels.

Jupiter Ascending Trailer

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Facts and Figures

Year: 2015

Genre: Sci fi/Fantasy

Run time: 127 mins

In Theaters: Friday 6th February 2015

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Production compaines: Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 3.5 / 5

Cast & Crew

Director: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski

Producer: Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, Grant Hill

Screenwriter: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski

Starring: Channing Tatum as Caine, Mila Kunis as Jupiter Jones, Eddie Redmayne as Balem, Tuppence Middleton as Kalique Abrasax, Sean Bean as Stinger, Douglas Booth as Titus, Jo Osmond as Droid, Vanessa Kirby as Katharine Dunlevy, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Famulus, Maria Doyle Kennedy as Aleksa, Christina Cole as Gemma Chatterjee, Simon Dutton as Tskalikin, Spencer Wilding as Falque, Demi Kazanis as Abrasax Alien, Charlotte Beaumont as Kiza, Neil Fingleton as Sargon / Greegan, Jeremy Swift as Vasilliy Bolodnikov, David Ajala as Ibis, Ancuta Breaban as Commonwealth, Katherine Cunningham as Royal guard, Luke Neal as Test subject, Edward Hogg as Commonwealth (as Yusei), Tamela D'Amico as Plinth, Jozef Aoki as Titus Handmaiden, Jozef Aoki as Trigger, Tamela D'Amico as Peacock Hybrid, Kara Lily Hayworth as Synth, Tim Connolly as Shiro Miku, Alexandra Fraser as Greeghan, Charlotte Rickard as Cyber Beauty, Hazel D'Jan as Droid, Ariyon Bakare as Aegis Crew, Ekaterina Zalitko as Servant, Edd Osmond as Zoe, Symara A. Templeman as Pedistrian, Jon Norris as Handmaiden, Eric Ian as Servant, Sharon Coleman as Shawn, Georgia Winters as Robot Servant, Mark Norris as Dante Rothemere, Derek Blankenship as Lime Orism, Elina Alminas as Droid, Andy Ahrens as Kalique Gene Tech, Jermaine Tindell as Aunt Nino, Karen Anderson as Walker Dunlevy, Vander McLeod as Zeno, Frog Stone as Nesh, Thomas Gaitsch as Gynaecological Nurse, Oleg Nasobin as Russian Refugee, Nicholas A. Newman as Test subject, Sarah Campbell as Royal Guard, Olia Klein as Chicago Pedestrian (uncredited), Kenny Knight as Chicago Pedestrian (uncredited), Rimmel Daniel as Chicago Pedestrian (uncredited), Nathan Geist as Kalique Coder (uncredited)

Also starring: Grant Hill