Wachowski's Jupiter Ascending - Nice Image

[DaveNarn]

In a world of remakes and reboots... this is a nice change of pace.

[Jan]

Okay, I just got home and I want to get this down while it's still fresh. But first, What the hell's wrong with the critics and people who've been bad-mouthing this film?!?!? Seriously, it had pretty much everything I want in a film - likable characters, an interesting story, great visuals and a wonderful soundtrack (which I'm going to buy).

And I may get handed my head over this but you know how I felt as I came out of the theater? Not at all unlike I did when I came out of the theater after seeing Star Wars for the first time. There was action, adventure, tension, moral dilemmas, treachery humor and it ended with a sense of fun. Definitely worth my ten bucks. In fact, I might not even mind going back to see it again in 3-D (though some scenes might give me vertigo). You *definitely* want to see this on the big screen.

One thing I do agree with is that some of the fight scenes, regardless of how beautiful they were went on too long. Coming from Chicago, though, I enjoyed seeing the cityscape and familiar buildings.

I'm not one for ratings but I'd give it a solid 8.5 out of 10.

Jan
And to hell with the hovering skateboard, I want those boots!

[Looney]

It has flaws, but it does not deserve the treatment it is getting. It is so much better than much of what is out there. And I think DaveNarn hit on a great point, it is original. Yeah the core plot is nothing new, but the twist and turns are very original. Some have compared it to The Fifth Element (1997) as a way to drag it down. Say what you will about that movie, I enjoyed many aspects of it and it was very original and creative - even if once again the basic core plot was a bit recycled just . . . like The Matrix (1999) and just about everything else.

As a matter of fact it is so original I can't stop thinking about the message it was sending.

This society that functions the way it did is so disturbing to me. I mean the heroes, like Captain Diommika Tsing, are propping up a society that accepts the genocide of billions to produce an immortality mixture. Where were the rebels? Where was the outrage? Jupiter was the only person who really seemed to rebuke this ideology. The others acted like she would learn to accept it. Wha?!?!?!?!?!

My point is that I feel like they scratched the surface of so many ideas and it is a shame we'll never see things play out more . . .unless they release an Extended Edition Blu-Ray. (Fingers crossed)

[Dan Dassow]

One positive development is that Jupiter Ascending (2015) is currently ranked number 1 in IMDb's Movie Meter ranking.

Google Trends shows that interest in "Jupiter Ascending" has spiked in the last 20 days.

http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=%2Fm%2F0t513_x

I find it intriguing that the most interest in the film is from Belarus.

http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=%2Fm%2F0t513_x%2C%20%2Fm%2F03nzd5t%2C%20%2Fm%2F03nzd5h%2C%20%2Fm%2F08248&cmpt=q&tz=

It is also intriguing is that interest in "Jupiter Ascending" appears to be much stronger than Andy and Lana Wachowski.

[Ubik]

Okay, I just got home and I want to get this down while it's still fresh. But first, What the hell's wrong with the critics and people who've been bad-mouthing this film?!?!? Seriously, it had pretty much everything I want in a film - likable characters, an interesting story, great visuals and a wonderful soundtrack (which I'm going to buy).

And I may get handed my head over this but you know how I felt as I came out of the theater? Not at all unlike I did when I came out of the theater after seeing Star Wars for the first time. There was action, adventure, tension, moral dilemmas, treachery humor and it ended with a sense of fun. Definitely worth my ten bucks. In fact, I might not even mind going back to see it again in 3-D (though some scenes might give me vertigo). You *definitely* want to see this on the big screen.

One thing I do agree with is that some of the fight scenes, regardless of how beautiful they were went on too long. Coming from Chicago, though, I enjoyed seeing the cityscape and familiar buildings.

I'm not one for ratings but I'd give it a solid 8.5 out of 10.

Jan
And to hell with the hovering skateboard, I want those boots!

Well Jan, you've definitely piqued my interest there. I have a day off work this week, so I may perhaps go gorge myself on popcorn and see this.

[Jonas]

I enjoyed it very much. It's smart, exuberant, funny, political. Has it flaws, sure, but so what? A great pulp sci-fi adventure.

[Looney]

I enjoyed it very much. It's smart, exuberant, funny, political. Has it flaws, sure, but so what? A great pulp sci-fi adventure.

Yep! I'd say that is another review that nails it.

[NotSoWize]

I agree with folks here who don't understand the poor reviews. If this was a Marvel film, it would be somewhere in the upper-middle as far as the quality goes. The ending was cliche, and the final big space battle/refinery destruction went on too long (and you can say the same about 90% of "big" SF/Fantasy films of the last 20 years), but visually, this was as good as it gets. I liked the performances and the earth-based scenes were actually good with fun family interactions.

I'm very glad I went out to see it in the theater. BTW, I expected a nearly empty theater after two weeks, but it was about 95% full, so hopefully Jupiter Ascending will have longer legs than most movies do these days.

I'd rate it 3.5 out of 5 and a solidly red tomato!

[sarthaz]

Finally got around to seeing this. I don't think I have a problem with it getting some poor reviews -- as it's mostly just a pulpy space battle movie -- but I'm surprised at the sheer preponderance of bad reviews. Aren't there any critics who want to have fun at the movies? The Marvel comparison is perfect. Films like this aren't Citizen Kane and shouldn't be judged as such. Now, I'm not going to say Jupiter Ascending is a home run, even in its class, but it's certainly not objectively bad; and I for one enjoyed it quite a bit.

The best part about this film is that it's not a pretentious mess like Cloud Atlas and the latter Matrix films, or preachy-preachy-preachy like V For Vendetta. There's one really clever sci-fi premise, a couple of fun side ideas, and a mostly straight-forward tale. It's not 10 layers of jumbled existentialism or a lecture on how smart the filmmakers think they are -- it's just entertaining! I was very impressed, and it gives me hope that the Wachowskis will also have some fun with Sense 8.

If I had a criticism, it would be that I'd like more character development for Jupiter. Her progression is really rushed. Part of me would like to see this as a 12-episode series where the audience grows in understanding along with her character, but I know the other aspects of the film can't sustain more than its 2-hour runtime. That said, I would prefer they trimmed 20 minutes of space lasers so we could slow down with Jupiter just a tad. Kunis is great in this film.

[Ubik]

Going to be watching this tonight as its finally surfaced online. Will report back.

[Ubik]

27 minutes in - It's glitzy and has loads of nice looking effects work, but I'm slightly bored.

Saving grace so far - Eddie Redmayne is hilariously over the top and LIKES SHOUTING FOR NO REASON. He's carving the ham like there's no tomorrow.

[Ubik]

Update, 1 hour in: Slow improvement, now that we've gotten over the rather rushed 'establishing act' hump and too many over long action scenes. The space dog in hover boots is a bit hokey.

I wonder if the Queen of England has ever been stung by a bee?!

Ohhh, the 'Brazil' homage was cool, complete with Terry Gilliam. Thus far the only scene I've really liked.

[Ubik]

1h 30 in... I am starting to clock watch now. This is dragging badly. Struggling to care about Jupiter, or much of the assembled cast. Too much legal babble to mask the lack of a real compelling plot. It's neither clever or interesting. It feels a bit like the anti-climax of the rolling credits in Star Wars episode one, where we were given 'trade disputes' as something to get excited about.

I do find it interesting that the overall theme is a bit of a riff on the vampire trope, also referenced in the film's dialogue in a tongue in cheek way. As Looney also pointed out, the plot is largely a recycled version of the Matrix storyline in a different setting. With such a broad scope, and a visually rich universe, I wish the Wachowskis' could have gone somewhere more interesting in terms of plot and themes. I know it's a Hollywood film, but I still feel it's sorely lacking in the story department.

It's a GOOD thing this isn't a franchise film and I admire the attempt at a new 'original' universe (albeit one that borrows heavily from Dune, as well as Jean Giraud and Jodorowski's comic book work, see: The Incal and The Metabarons). But, I just wish there was more there in terms of substance. It all rings a bit hollow for me.

Most of the design work is quite lovely, but is heavily influenced by Chris Foss / Jean Giraud / Jodorowsky, and whilst it looks great, it's not terribly original. All a bit derivative of other things at this half way point.

[Ubik]

And... I'm done. Hope you got some entertainment out of the running commentary.

Final conclusion. Sorry, nope... not for me. I went in with low expectations, but was totally prepared to enjoy this on a 'big dumb action film' level, but even then, I struggled to get much out of this.

The last Wachowski film that truly convinced me was The Matrix, and this didn't do much to change that. Yes, it surely has some very pretty design work, make up, sets and special FX. But those do not a good film make.

The plot felt derivative of other things, and the pacing was totally off. I was beginning to get bored about half way through and there was very little to alleviate that. It's over long and poorly paced. The action scenes, whilst beautiful, bored me senseless.

I kept asking myself, where's the fun, excitement and tension?!? Where was the sheer inventiveness of something like their work on The Matrix?

I don't want to trash a Hollywood action film too much, cause that would be missing the point slightly; something like 'Jupiter' is clearly meant to be a fun bit of entertainment. The trouble is, it struggles to do even that. I wanted to like this, but there was nothing to pull me in, nothing to intrigue me, or involve me emotionally. It's a real shame, because there's clearly a lot of passion and potential underlying the whole production. I respect the Wachowskis dedication and zeal for doing something original within the confines of a Hollywood blockbuster, but this wasn't it. I hope they can spread their wings on the small screen, or make lower budget films that allow them to escape the cliches of Hollywood film making. Perhaps then I'll be able to re-engage with them as film makers?

Oh well, here's hoping they wow me with Sense8, and that this is a just a one off misfire.

[Jan]

Out of curiosity, you keep saying that that and that are borrowed from or influenced by those other things. Do you mean that they remind you of those other things or have you researched the actual influences?

ETA: Hoping that doesn't sound too nit-picky. I think the word choices may have made your review sound harsher than perhaps you meant it to.

Jan