Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Jupiter Ascending is new on Netflix this August, and it’s possible you won’t immediately think to watch it. After all, it’s not a Marvel movie or a teen drama or a Spanish drama about a money heist. It is an original space epic, which means it doesn’t really invite interest. Worse, Jupiter Ascending has something of a reputation and it’s not good.
The 2015 Wachowski siblings film imagines a universe where genetic codes determine destiny and immortality comes at the cost of harvesting whole worlds. Mila Kunis plays an Anglo-Russian immigrant named Jupiter Jones and Channing Tatum is a dog-man from space with flying roller blades. Eddie Redmayne whisper-screams his way through the film, Sean Bean shares the instincts of bees, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw shows up as a deer-lady. At one point, we learn that a villain’s plot is to seduce, marry, and then murder the reincarnation of his mother. It’s weird. It’s bold. It’s not your cookie cutter paint-by-numbers Marvel movie.
Needless to say, Jupiter Ascending failed to connect with mass audiences. It was panned by most critics, bombed at the box office, and currently has a measly 27% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It is considered by many to be what is known as a “bad movie,” a stinker, a flop, a pernicious stain on the history of cinema. However, I’m going to suggest that Jupiter Ascending isn’t a bad movie. It is in fact, very, very good.
Jupiter Ascending is a wild, luscious, audacious, beautiful, fun ride. It is meticulously designed and lovingly constructed. Does the script make sense? If you follow along with the Wikipedia page, it does! (Sort of!) Jupiter Ascending is an entertaining ride, a fairy tale, and a visually stunning epic that demands that you suspend your disbelief. Not for the cynical at heart, it is a breathtaking journey that you just have to go along with.
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If you do give Jupiter Ascending a try, what you’ll find is a film overstuffed with goodies. James D’Arcy has a two-minute role as a nerd in love with the stars, Doona Bae is an effortlessly cool assassin, and The Crown‘s Vanessa Kirby is a rich girl obsessed with getting her happy ending. There are crazy monsters, explosive action sequences, jaw-dropping fashion moments, and an homage to the work of Terry Gilliam. Michael Giacchino’s score is sublime and enough cannot be said in praise of Eddie Redmayne’s unhinged turn as a space psycho. Forget Stephen Hawking or The Danish Girl. Balem Abrasax is Redmayne’s career defining role. He creates LIFE!
So if you’re looking for something different and a little bit daring to watch this weekend, give the unfettered creative joy of Jupiter Ascending a try. I promise it’s at bare minimum a hell of a lot of movie, and at best, an underrated masterpiece.
Jupiter Ascending is currently available to stream on Netflix.
