Jupiter Ascending

Right! I just watched this film tonight. It wasn’t good, but I enjoyed it.

Thoughts:

• CG action sequences are incredibly boring. As cool as tiny spacecraft dogfighting over Chicago is (and it is pretty cool), it gets old. It’s a space opera, not an action movie; nevertheless, I wish there was less action.

• I loved the side details, like the random alien races that pop up, or the planet of bureaucracy. Or the strange system of protocol that everyone, no matter how nefarious, seems to follow.

• I liked Jupiter. Even though almost every time she showed a bit of agency it was to make a bad decision. Even though everyone has to rescue her over and over again.

• I loved the dragon aliens. So much CG, yes, but they were great.

• The economics of the galactic civilization make less and less sense the more I think about it.

• Lastly, the movie doesn’t go into it nearly enough, but I was intrigued by how the three Abraxas siblings interacted with Jupiter. She’s ostensibly the reincarnation of their mother, and should be their equal. I wish the movie had gotten deeper their relationships.

That pretty much sums it up. There were some interesting ideas in the movie, but it’s all lost to spectacle.