A.C.’s Review: From
the brother/sister team behind THE MATRIX movies comes their offering
for this year-JUPITER ASCENDING (though it was originally scheduled for
2014 it was pulled
from the schedule when other offerings from the studio distributing the
film were bombing and they didn’t want to risk this going down in
flames as well…though in the end it ultimately has tanked at the box
office).
The
long and short of this sci-fi epic is that Earth was just one of many
worlds seeded by one of the most powerful corporate dynasties in the
universe. Three members
of the family hold title to different planets. The horrific aspect of
the movie is that in actuality Earth is just another farm to eventually
be harvested of all its people so they can be distilled down into a
liquid substance that can prolong a person’s life
for eons. As one of the bad guys says in the movie “Time is the most
valuable commodity in the universe.”
Things
go awry for the eventual harvesting of Earth when though some sort of
genetic reincarnation…the matriarch of the corporate dynasty is reborn
in lowly Jupiter
Jones…a house cleaner from Chicago who spends her days with her mother
and her aunt scrubbing toilets.
Through
a whole convoluted bit I don’t understand the dynasty becomes aware of
Jupiter and must kill her as she is now the rightful title holder to
Earth. Along
the way Jupiter is protected by human/wolf hybrid known as a “split”
played by Channing Tatum as well as an intergalactic police force not
unlike the Nova Corps seen in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.
At first I was dubious about the movie but as it went along I enjoyed it more than I thought.
The
big problem is that the movie has to do “world building” and
establishing the whole mythos of the universe this takes place in and
it’s an impossible task with
only two hours to work with. It needed a couple movies but
understandably there was no guarantee of extending this to a trilogy
(especially now that it is a confirmed disappointment) so they had to
front load everything into this film. Some of the narrative
suffers for it…for instance there is a big battle over Chicago but
nobody is wise to it the next day as Tatum casually explains all the
buildings will be rebuilt and everyone’s memory wiped. How this is
possible it is glossed over…as are other characters and
subplots.
This
movie was ambitious…kind of like DUNE from 1984 spliced together with
GUARDIANS, STAR WARS and some other space epics. I appreciate the effort
even if it wasn’t
always successful.
Best
Scene: The aforementioned battle over Chicago with great special
effects like a destroyed space craft raining fire down on the Sears
Tower.
A.C.’s Rating: Reluctant full price…just shy of being a matinee only.
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