James Halcomb describes this new movie as being like a slow motion car wreck, the disaster you just can’t help slowing down to watch.
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I have had one question on my mind about movies this weekend and even after seeing the film, I have the same question, “Is Jupiter Ascending any good?” My initial reaction is a qualified “No.” The dialogue is painful, the acting is stilted at best, emoting madness at worst. Then, I remember the amazing effect work, the fact that at certain points, everyone seems to know that the words that just came out were ridiculous, that I laughed hard at times and had a really great time. So where does that leave me?
Borrowing a bit from ‘Flash Gordon,’ ‘The Last Starfighter’ and more than a little bit from ‘Dune:’ the Wachowskis try their hand at a space opera starring, Mila Kunis, as the inheritor of the planet Earth and battling evil alongside her requisite hero/love interest with pointy ears Channing Tatum. Sean Bean is thrown in to give the film some needed ‘Game of Thrones’ gravitas.
Kunis is way out of her element here, first as a housekeeper, then as a queen. Neither role seems a good fit. Tatum seems to be having a good time in his makeup making dog jokes and fighting. He, at times, looks irritated that he has to interact with Kunis and he saves her from certain death one too many times and it all becomes fairly laughable by the film’s end.
Eddie Redmayne seems to recognize that this is kind of film is meant for beautifully bad overacting the kind John Lovitz used to expound about back in his SNL days and goes for broke as the film’s villain. His villainy is of the old school variety, he stands around, and says things quietly; then shouts at the top of his lungs for no discernable reason. Also, sweats a lot. Every exposition heavy piece of dialogue is riddled with incoherent nonsense, that you can find yourself hypnotized by the silliness of it all.
So, the question comes again, “Is Jupiter Ascending a good film?” I have to say no, it is a bloated overly-long, poorly cast mess of a film; that is at times, dreadfully dull. Alternately, the film has some of the most beautiful digital effect work, creating alien worlds with such complexity that it feels difficult at time to take it all in. I can recommend the film for those who feel the need for some sci-fi pulpy fun and not expecting much more. Think of it as an equal with the “Star Wars” prequels, but without the bitterness and disappointment of actually expecting the film to be good. I give ‘Jupiter Ascending’ 2 stars.
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