Directors of Jupiter Ascending, The Wachowskis, arrived on the movie scene back in 1999 with landmark action sci-fi 'The Matrix' which revolutionised the action genre with its ground breaking special effects. Despite making a couple of worthy follow ups, The Wachowskis have never scored another Matrix-like hit in the 16 years since. The directors themselves have said this is likely their last big chance handling a production of this size before studios withhold the enormous budgets they have been accustomed to. Has it paid off for them? Unfortunately not.
The prologue tells us that Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) was born just as the planets have aligned and therefore is destined for great things. Years later Jupiter is stuck in a dull life as a cleaner along with her Russian family. It all takes a turn when she finds strange alien creatures called Keepers in her bedroom and is subsequently kidnapped and, unbeknownst to her, sent for execution. Caine, a crossbreed human/wolf, (played by Channing Tatum) rescues her and they are forced to flee to keep her alive. Caine explains that Jupiter is the Queen of the Universe reincarnated and the three current co-rulers (the original Queen's children) will be forced to give up their inheritance unless they take action. The eldest brother Balem (Eddie Redmayne) has big plans to harvest mankind for their resources and Jupiter is now in the way.
Visually Jupiter Ascending is literally out of this world – the Wachowskis are true visionaries when it comes to creating worlds – everything looks amazing from the creatures to the huge space stations – the special effects are practically flawless. The first action set piece is also brilliantly rendered as Caine fights off a number of hunters across the skies of Chicago whilst keeping Jupiter out their hands.
Unfortunately the plot is pretty unoriginal – pretty much the Matrix over again – a special one needs to save humanity from dark forces. The directors do their best to keep things fresh and it's clear that every dollar spent on the film is on screen, however it all gets a bit tiring after a while. Whilst Tatum and Kunis are fine, Eddie Redmayne is portrayed as the big bad, however he is far from threatening and is near useless. With any sci-fi movie you accept aspects will be far-fetched but Jupiter Ascending is just a step too far. As with the Matrix trilogy, the ending was flat and likewise with Jupiter, it's uninspired and leaves too many loose ends untied.
I really admire The Wachowskis as filmmakers - they strive to deliver amazing spectacle and originality with every movie they make. Whilst Jupiter Ascending delivers as a spectacle, it is a major disappointment as a movie. It seems like they will have to make do with smaller budgets in the future.
The prologue tells us that Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) was born just as the planets have aligned and therefore is destined for great things. Years later Jupiter is stuck in a dull life as a cleaner along with her Russian family. It all takes a turn when she finds strange alien creatures called Keepers in her bedroom and is subsequently kidnapped and, unbeknownst to her, sent for execution. Caine, a crossbreed human/wolf, (played by Channing Tatum) rescues her and they are forced to flee to keep her alive. Caine explains that Jupiter is the Queen of the Universe reincarnated and the three current co-rulers (the original Queen's children) will be forced to give up their inheritance unless they take action. The eldest brother Balem (Eddie Redmayne) has big plans to harvest mankind for their resources and Jupiter is now in the way.
Visually Jupiter Ascending is literally out of this world – the Wachowskis are true visionaries when it comes to creating worlds – everything looks amazing from the creatures to the huge space stations – the special effects are practically flawless. The first action set piece is also brilliantly rendered as Caine fights off a number of hunters across the skies of Chicago whilst keeping Jupiter out their hands.
Unfortunately the plot is pretty unoriginal – pretty much the Matrix over again – a special one needs to save humanity from dark forces. The directors do their best to keep things fresh and it's clear that every dollar spent on the film is on screen, however it all gets a bit tiring after a while. Whilst Tatum and Kunis are fine, Eddie Redmayne is portrayed as the big bad, however he is far from threatening and is near useless. With any sci-fi movie you accept aspects will be far-fetched but Jupiter Ascending is just a step too far. As with the Matrix trilogy, the ending was flat and likewise with Jupiter, it's uninspired and leaves too many loose ends untied.
I really admire The Wachowskis as filmmakers - they strive to deliver amazing spectacle and originality with every movie they make. Whilst Jupiter Ascending delivers as a spectacle, it is a major disappointment as a movie. It seems like they will have to make do with smaller budgets in the future.