“Jupiter Ascending”: Beautiful, But Forgettable

The Wachowskis remain the most visionary world builders in modern cinema.  With such influential titles under their belt as The Matrix Trilogy, A Cloud Atlas, and V For Vendetta, fans were expecting the newest film from the siblings to hold true in the visually stunning vein.  While yes, Jupiter Ascending is probably the most gorgeous science fiction film this side of Blade Runner, it is otherwise a largely disappointing movie.

My biggest complaint about the film is the completely unsuited chemistry between the two stars, Mila Kunis (who plays title character Jupiter) and Channing Tatum (the genetically engineered dog-alien-person Caine Wise). Every scene the pair shares feels…unnatural, forced, and mostly uncomfortable.  This could be, in part, because Kunis’s delivery on EVERY LINE is monotonous and boring.

I almost feel this film was an attempt to bring a Dune-esk film to modern audiences, assuming the viewers have limited attention spans.   The main family, the Abrasax, resemble both the Harkonnen and Atreides, clans going back countless generations locked in battle for control of natural resources that prolong life.  (I can’t decide if that makes Jupiter a poor imitation of Alia or Chani.)

I never urge audiences to judge a project on it’s trailer alone, but this is one of those times when you can.

Everything you see in this first trailer is the basic gist of the film.  Beautiful starships, believable world building unlike any other production house, breathless villain voice from Eddie Redmayne (power hungry alien wanna-be ruler Balem Abrasax), and stupid dog jokes from the largely useless heroine.

Even the addition of Sean Bean (as former alien military guy Stinger Apini) didn’t make a difference, you knew from the get-go he was a bit off.

Here is the most recent trailer Warner Brothers released for it:

Jupiter Ascending opens worldwide today February 6th 2015.