Jupiter Ascending

Choices at the cinema are a bit limited at the moment depending on what you want to see seen as Fifty Shades of Grey is dominating nearly every screen at my local cinema and it doesn't seem like my cup of tea, at least not at the cinema given the content.  However, with my sister back home for the weekend, we all went to see one of the other films that came out recently for something to do as a family.

Jupiter Ascending is the 2015 space opera directed by The Wachowskis starring Channing Tatum (Magic Mike, 21 Jump Street), Mila Kunis (Black Swan, Family Guy), Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, Les Misérables), Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings series), and Douglas Booth (Noah, Great Expectations).  Known for their unusual films, such as The Matrix series and Cloud Atlas, the Wachowskis have brought another wonderfully weird addition to their collection.

Rating: 7

Recommended To: The Wachowskis fans

Favourite Characters: Caine; Stinger

Favourite Part: Jupiter: Because a dream is the only way any of this make sense.
Caine: Compared to what? The idea that you're the only intelligent species, on the only inhabitable planet, in a universe so full of planets that you don't even have a number to describe how many there are.

Good Points: Visually spectacular; very different than normal; Caine and Stinger's relationship

Bad Points: Really had to concentrate; Kalique seemed a little useless; predictable

Unknown to the human beings of Earth, there are other worlds where humans live under the rule of "alien" dynasties who harvest the planet once it reaches its optimum potential; the most powerful of these dynasties is the House of Abraxas - siblings Balem (Redmayne), Kalique (Tuppence Middleton, A Long Way Down), and Titus (Booth).  On Earth, Jupiter Jones (Kunis) is seemingly ordinary young woman, as all great stories start out, working as a cleaning lady for her uncle with her mother (Maria Doyle Kennedy, Orphan Black) and family after her father (James D'Arcy, Agent Carter), an astrology enthusiast, was killed during a robbery.  To earn money to buy a telescope like her father's, Jupiter agrees to sell some of her eggs but during the procedure, Jupiter is about to be killed by Balem's agents for unknown reasons when she is saved by Caine Wise (Tatum), a genetically modified ex-soldier - half human, half canine - who takes her to his old comrade's home, Stinger (Bean), for safety.  However, more hunters find out where she is and take her from Caine to Kalique's palace where she finds out the truth; why people are after her and what is going on outside of her planet.

Jupiter Ascending is a visually spectacular film, I would expect nothing less from the Wachowskis; both the digital and physical effects were wonderful, playing a major part of the film's look, creating the sense of danger for the action scenes that was needed.  It is clear to see that a lot of thought into the aesthetic of Jupiter Ascending from the effects, to the settings of different scenes, and the costumes; they grab your attention and successfully help tell the story.  As someone who appreciates the look of a film, this is why I enjoyed it so much as I was fascinated by it, deconstructing it in my mind and this hasn't happened since I last watch Fifth Element, another visually spectacular film, especially costume-wise.

Recently, I have gone to see fairly normal films but I knew Jupiter Ascending was going to be very different from the moment I decided to go watch it; as I've said, it's visually spectacular with a predictable but dramatic story - a literal space opera.  I found it thoroughly enjoyable as it was good to see something new from my usual films as the concept was good even though there is some predictability to it.

I found Caine and Stinger's relationship as there is a sense of loyalty because of their past as military personnel; this is something I haven't seen done very often even when there is someone like Caine or Stinger in a science fiction film, a gene-spliced soldier, as there is only normally one that is on the protagonist's side who goes up against his former allies.  Having Caine and Stinger's relationship play a significant part to Jupiter Ascending is a great addition to the film as they knock sense into both characters because they know each other better than anyone else as well as themselves, inspiring good in both of them.

While a cliché, Caine is the lone wolf in Jupiter Ascending and is quite literally a lone wolf due to his splicing with wolf genes and his lack of a pack/friends and this is a character Tatum can play well, a tortured, lonely soul as well as a more comedic role; I love how Tatum played Caine because even though he was very controlled, he had some humour in the role and wasn't over the top and trying to be the clown.  The little growl he does under his breath so you can just hear him made me laugh because it was just so quiet and subtle and was just perfect as it defined Caine's character, an angry, young man who wants to protect those he cares for.  Whether it was done during filming or added in post-production, it made that particular scene perfect.

Stinger, along with Caine, was one of my favourite characters for a number of reasons; one - he is a great mentor-like character for Caine and Jupiter, two - he's flawed, and three - it's Sean Bean.  In the traditional quest/adventure story, there is a mentor for the hero who inspires them to greatness and Stinger played that role for Caine, something that made him great in my opinion as he helped his friend and supported him; it's believable and makes him crucial to the story, qualities I like in characters and a relationship that is great for a film/story.  Rather than being a perfect individual, Stinger is a flawed characters as he sacrifices Caine and Jupiter at one point so to help his daughter even though he feels a loyalty to Caine due to their past; this makes him more three dimensional therefore making him more interesting for as I want to see if he'll redeem himself and gives him more significance which is good as I love Sean Bean.  It may just be because he's from Yorkshire, somewhere I love having spent a lot of my life there, but I always watch films and TV shows with Sean Bean in as he has a presence that I find fascinating - he's just one of those actors for me, we all have them - and even if he's the antagonist, I will watch.  What makes it even now is waiting to see if Bean dies, something he's done a lot of recently in his work.

I am all for films where you have to pay attention because sometimes, they are the best kind.  However, every so often, it can become overwhelming which can lead it to become a bit complicated and at certain points, that is what happened in Jupiter Ascending.  The wide shots of various action sequences, which the film was full of, were phenomenal visually but you really had to concentrate and pay attention to the shot so to keep track of where Caine and/or Jupiter were as well where the antagonists were as they got lost in various visual effects.

The emphasis that were brought to the Abrasax brothers through the majority of the story made their sister, Kalique, seem pointless and useless as both Balem and Titus posed more of a threat to Jupiter in the story.  Granted, it is Kalique's scenes with Jupiter that first implies something terrible is going on in the world in which Jupiter Ascending is set, it is not until the squabbling brothers enter Jupiter's life that it becomes apparent.  Time could have been saved if Kalique had been written out and Jupiter had discovered what was really going on in another way such as Titus showing her what Kalique did as well as telling her, and she could witness the effects that way.

Overall, Jupiter Ascending is a predictable story with an unremarkable young woman turning out to be one of the most important beings in this universe in some way but is unaware of it until she is attacked which then leads to her being rescued by a military-type man who falls in love with her as she does with him yet denies himself the pleasure of loving her as she is "too important" to love him.  It's a common science fiction story and can be boring after a while no matter what twist they put on it, though I did like the modified humans in Jupiter Ascending as they were interesting to spot even though they are common for science fiction as gene-splicing seems to enable rulers to give soldiers new abilities.

Jupiter: Because a dream is the only way any of this make sense.
Caine: Compared to what? The idea that you're the only intelligent species, on the only inhabitable planet, in a universe so full of planets that you don't even have a number to describe how many there are.

It is selfish to think that we are the only ones out there in the universe, somewhere we have barely scratched the surface on; I think this is why I enjoy science fiction because it makes you think "what if?" as in what if we're not alone in the universe and what if there is something else going on out there in the universe.  As well as bringing up an interesting topic to discuss, Caine forces Jupiter to face the reality of her situation because of this simple part as her world has been turned upside down and it's an extraordinary one at that and this is why I enjoyed Jupiter Ascending, Caine is Jupiter's guide to this new world, making him interesting for me, and this line is what triggers Jupiter's new adventure, a story structure I love.

While panned because it is slightly overwhelming effects-wise with a predictable story, I enjoyed Jupiter Ascending as I found the entire film to be a visual spectacle as I expected from the Wachowskis and I believe you weren't supposed to take everything so seriously as it was a funny film rather than very serious as everyone seems to be making it out to be due to those they cast.  While I found Kalique pointless in a way, other characters were wonderful and I'm glad they used Caine and Stinger's relationship positively rather than forcing them to fight as it was refreshing to see the military relationship at work.  If you're looking for a film full of action and interesting characters, I recommend Jupiter Ascending because it is full of action sequences and effects that fight for your attention; it's a simple story allowing you to focus on the action easier.

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