Introduction
The Wachowskis, famed for their works on The Matrix trilogy, wrote, produced, and directed the the 2015 space opera “Jupiter Ascending.” With the film’s grand scope, intricate universe, ambitious visual effects, and attempts at advanced 3D modeling, it sought to create a new epic science fiction saga. Despite wielding stunning visuals and relentless ambition, the film struggled to gain box office traction and faced a mixed reception from critics. Over the years though, it has developed a cult following for its stunning creativity and chaotic storytelling.
Synopsis
The film’s story revolves around Jupiter Jones, played by Mila Kunis, a hit woman living an unremarkable life on Earth. She was born during the night and because of that Jupiter has always felt that she is destined for something of great value, but sadly, she has not been so lucky with her dreams. As a young polish woman, she cleans houses for a living and resides with her huge, immigrant family in a suburb of Chicago.
To Jupiter, she is perhaps just your average everyday human being, but in reality one of extraordinary importance. She reproduces the genetics of the matriarch figure who once headed the most dominating family in existence, the House of Abrasax. This House sustains itself by controlling the life-breeding planets which harvest life to later use the extracted “serum” for life rejuvenation, also called dreaded life giving wealth. Earth is one of those planets and Jupiter’s existence endangers everything that the Abrasax siblings stand to inherit.
Balam, Kalique, and Titus Balem are all fighting over how to best use Jupiter for themselves. Eddie Redmayne plays Balem who is listless without Jupiter and considers her position the only thing that can satisfy him. Kalique thinks of Jupiter as a wonder and wouldn’t be able to utilize her. The endgame offered by Titus is to marry Jupiter to gain a lawful hold on Earth before getting rid of his new wife.
During a space adventure, Caine Wise, a Channing Tatum character that originally hails from Earth encounters Jupiter after being tasked with finding the girl. She is constantly endangered and has the eyes and hearts of many placed upon her. Caine was also designed to hunt in the space and after clashing blades with the enemies, she rekindles her spirit. With the aid of Caine, she forges her way all her way through alien civilizations, galactic battlegrounds, breathtaking realms, and fantastical star capturing peaceful domains. With the stroke of magic from Caine, Jupiter hops realms. She starts sailing across them, draped in the most stunning fabrics. With the spell of Caine in effect, altes are open to create their own path.
Jupiter has weathered an identity struggle her whole life. While she is a queen of sorts in the cosmic hierarchy, her feelings remain firmly planted. Her compassion and ethics are put to the test when she uncovers the dark truth about the universe’s high society who consider planets and humans as mere infrastructure.
The film’s climax takes place on Jupiter, one of Balem’s harvesting facilities, where he threatens to kill her family in order to blackmail her into giving him Earth. Guided by unyielding principles, Dolorey fights back and wins an explosive battle, leading to Balem’s defeat. Ultimately, Jupiter decides to go back to life on Earth, which she does with her signature resolve, purpose, and humility intact, and begins to romantically engage with Caine.
Cast & Crew
Mila Kunis takes on the role of Jupiter Jones, allowing the audience ‘grounded relatability’ to an otherwise grandiose character. Kunis had the difficult task of portraying Jupiter who had to be stubborn and full of wonder at the same time, which made her seem far more relatable than the typical mold of a sci-fi heroine.
The role of Caine Wise was taken by Channing Tatum. Caine is a stoic warrior with canine features and genetically engineered. ‘Wise’ plays the part of the strong protector stranded in deep space while demonstrating feelings hidden under his gruff attitude.
In his performance, Balem Abrasax is delivered in a whispering and menacing fashion with sudden outbursts, which received mixed reviews. Eddie Redmayne portrays this character and has been criticized and celebrated for Redmayne’s portrayal. It was said to be for it’s heavily theatrical eccentricity.
Caine’s old comrade who assists Jupiter is played by Sean Bean as Stinger Apini, a former soldier. Despite being cast in a minor role, Bean brings gravitas and warmth which helps flesh out the character who’s relatively small but important.
As a modern fairy tale taking place in an elaborate science fiction world, “Jupiter Ascending” is directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski. Their intention was to blend elements of classic mythology with the style and grandeur of space operas.
Led by Dan Glass, the visual effects team provided extraordinary sequences that ranged from cityscapes to elaborate battles. This was also the case with the art direction and costume designs which were equally elaborate, drawing from a mix of Gothic, Renaissance, and futuristic aesthetics.
Unusual for Hollywood filmmaking, the musical score for “Jupiter Ascending” was pre-recorded before the film was edited. Michael Giacchino’s sweeping orchestral soundtrack underscores the emotional storytelling that accompanies the epic scale of the film.
Critical reception and IMDb ratings
Five point three out of ten is what the film received on IMDb and the general consensus is that audiences and reviewers had highly divisive opinions.
When released, the movie was critiqued due to its over the top dialogue, self-indulgent world-building, erratic acting, and lack of coherency as a whole. Critics particularly noticed that the imaginative, albeit intricate, world-building disregarded the plot, which made immersion impossible. Many in the audience found the mixing of cliche humor and serious issues polarizing in nature. Some scenes that were meant to be intricately crafted turned out to be over the top humorous instead of behind the targeted glee.
The outrageousness of Eddie Redmayne’s portrayal stirred up debate. Some excellent reasoning to praise his brash choices was countered with equally strong arguments of critics deeming his performance as eccentric and jarring. In any case, he did end up laughing towards the eccentricity of his portrayal in later appearances.
Jupiter Ascending” is a visually stunning piece of art, and still receives critique on the lack of story, which is unsurprising considering how breathtakingly designed the ships, vehicles, alien species, worlds, and action scenes are. The chase scene in Chicago also seemed to be an exceptionally well done technical piece of Chicago, considering the action packed tension that spurred from scenes framed over the destruction of myriad skyscrapers.
It enhanced the experience for some viewers that unlike many portrayals, the protagonist didn’t suit up into a callous warrior and instead, maintained her sense of self and empathy. Rather than a tale of world conquest, Jupiter’s story is about enduring power while fighting to hold on to humanity.
Looking back, “Jupiter Ascending” is viewed as an overzealous cinematic failure, offering numerous concepts without a cohesive story to tether them. Still, many people appreciated the film for trying to be different in a world full of sequels and remakes.
Final Remarks
“Jupiter Ascending” is intriguing, even if it does contain major flaws. The Wachowskis attempted to visualize a nightmarish intergalactic empire through a cruel metaphor of capitalism, consumerism, and the perpetual race of people trying to outdo each other in the looks and beauty contest during their youth. Even though the film is tonally inconsistent and tries to do way too much narratively in too little time- the sheer creativity, ambition, and visual craftsmanship are unquestionable.
In a world where most blockbusters stick to the tried-and-true template, “Jupiter Ascending” dares to establish an entirely new narrative by depicting a modern-day operatic fairytale. Whether it’s a chance deeply overblown or an underappreciated beauty that’s lost in glitzy outer space, “Jupiter Ascending” is forever a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience.”
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