Rating of
2/4
Jupiter Ascending is an odd but not awful epic...
Indyfreak - wrote on 01/23/17
The latest wannabe blockbuster from Warner Brothers Pictures is the sprawling and overwrought space opera Jupiter Ascending. Almost as notorious as Waterworld or John Carter in as far as its reputation is concerned, it is not as entertaining as those box office flops are. While those titles are entertaining in a goofy B movie fashion, Jupiter Ascending has far loftier pretensions, fancying itself as the next Star Wars.
It certainly has ambition and no one can fault it for going all the way. But it is often po-faced and serious about its own self-importance, it becomes a bloated self indulgent affair at certain parts. But it's not completely bad and honestly, while I didn't enjoy it, I'm sure that casual audiences will find what they're looking for because the movie is constructed from about ten or twenty other movies. Part Star Wars, part Twilight, and a tad bit of satire from a Douglas Adams novel, these different styles of storytelling never quite mesh together.
But at least it does look nice and when it gets too talky, something blows up as a thankful distraction. The Wachowskis direct Jupiter Ascending with gusto and approach the action scenes and visual spectacle with the same level of enthusiasm and creativity with the Matrix films and their sole family venture Speed Racer.
If you like space battles, ray guns, aliens, exploding planets, and goofy exposition, Jupiter Ascending has that in abundance. It's your typical sci-fi shoot-em-up that wants to be more. That is commendable and while I admire the film for its energy and visual splendor, I have to fault it for not showing the discipline to restrain itself .
