Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), named after the planet because her father was an astronomy enthusiast, works in the family business of cleaning other people's houses (she's stuck with the toilets) and so she essentially hates her life. Although getting up at 4:45AM in the morning wouldn't be anyone's version of an ideal morning. So it's to Jupiter's complete surprise when some creatures she's never seen before attack her and attempt to kidnap her for reasons she can't fathom.
In swoops Cain Wise (Channing Tatum), a genetically engineered warrior whose goal is to protect Jupiter at all costs. But as they try to evade death every fifteen minutes, an intergalactic business, violent rivalries within the Abrasax family (Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, Tuppence Middleton), and everything in between, Jupiter finds herself trying to wrap her head around all the sudden changes in her life and long explanations of what's happening around her and within the galaxy.
It's good to start off the review with all the positives since there are few. The visual direction, the costume, hair and makeup designs are beautiful. Each unique in its own way and visually stunning to look at, these things add its own flavor to this new world beyond earth and its existence. Mila Kunis's white dress with red flowers decorating it all over is especially gorgeous and needs its own fashion runway. Though in retrospect, it feels like all the energy is spent on making the film look good, but not on anything else, which is a damn shame.
The film moves from one scene to the other, and in every one of these scenes there's something happening, people speaking, some grand plot point being revealed, but it has the uncanny ability every single time to bore, to seem uninteresting, and though the actors try hard to bring about the severity of all the action happening, it falls on deaf ears. Even poor Eddie Redmayne tries to give his character a more sinister nature, even going as far as changing his voice, but it comes across as more comical than anything else.
Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum are a strangely mismatched pair and their chemistry and relationship onscreen is forced. They don't really get a chance to bond before they're fall for each other. Their entire relationship, in fact, is built on one thing: Tatum constantly rescuing Kunis. And I don't mean once in a big epic moment of guy saves girl from falling (which always seems to happen in these kinds of films), but think every ten minutes or so. No, really. Kunis falls from some high place, almost signs onto something she's not supposed to, gets knocked out, thrown around, and makes rash decisions. And every time, Tatum is there to save her, so it becomes a bit tiring after a while if only because Kunis's character never really does anything for herself, but is just reacting.
Ultimately, what might have been a good film by the Wachowskis, who have done fine work before, turns into a blockbuster nightmare. It's hard to sit through the film's two-hour run-time and the plot is often uninteresting and drags on for too long without character development or hell, some time to fully develop a story that has far too much exposition and would rather tell and not show us anything other than some action scene and good visuals. Jupiter Ascending is a major disappointment and borderlines comical in its execution. Hopefully the Wachowskis can learn from this mess of a film and come back stronger next time.
Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum are a strangely mismatched pair and their chemistry and relationship onscreen is forced. They don't really get a chance to bond before they're fall for each other. Their entire relationship, in fact, is built on one thing: Tatum constantly rescuing Kunis. And I don't mean once in a big epic moment of guy saves girl from falling (which always seems to happen in these kinds of films), but think every ten minutes or so. No, really. Kunis falls from some high place, almost signs onto something she's not supposed to, gets knocked out, thrown around, and makes rash decisions. And every time, Tatum is there to save her, so it becomes a bit tiring after a while if only because Kunis's character never really does anything for herself, but is just reacting.
