Jupiter Ascending

The Wachowski siblings ("The Matrix") are at it again! This over- whelmingly action-filled fantasy/adventure takes us to various planets in outer space for two hours (and too many minutes) of disjointed Computer Generated Imaging and fragmented storytelling. Of course our heroes have to save the world, so that DOES take quite a bit of CGI! We saw it in 3D (Dodging Demolition Debris).

We are in the midst of a rivalry that pits siblings against one another. Each wants to "harvest" a crop that has ripened on Earth.

We see:

• Mila Kunis (Meg's voice in "Family Guy") is Jupiter, born to a widowed mother amid prophecies of future glory but faced with the tawdry reality of cleaning toilets. Her Russian immigrant family is a noisy, contentious bunch but she loves them anyway. Her "compass is broken."
• Channing Tatum ("Magic Mike") Caine was genetically engineered to be a warrior but some wolf DNA slipped into the mix. His "weapon" seems to be the ability to sky skate in and out of chaotic battles.
• Eddie Redmayne ("The Theory of Everything") Balem has a brother and a sister. All three of them want to rule, but this upstart from Earth exasperates him.
• Douglas Booth ("Romeo & Juliet" - 2013 - he was the pretty one) is Titus; this brother takes the art of lying to a whole new level.
• Tuppence Middleton ("The Imitation Game") Kallique is their lovely sister; wait until you hear how OLD she is...and how she got that way!
• Sean Bean ("Game of Thrones") Stinger can always depend on Caine; he's the best warrior he has ever commanded. Sad to say, the reverse isn't true!

My first criteria for a movie is that I am entertained; my problem here is that the plot takes lots and lots (and lots) of expository chit chat to explain all the ins and outs of the story. I found myself thinking, "Let's just get on with it, guys!" On the other hand, the production design is to die for: The space ships, Jupiter's gowns, her swarm of adoring bees (trust me!), and all that aerial mayhem. Most of this massive budget shows up on the screen.

Some of the humor amused us, e.g.,  Jupiter patches Caine's bloody wound with a new Kotex she finds in the car; the pause for a quick kiss during a battle for their lives elicited giggles from the screening audience; the all-too-familiar bureaucratic runaround, even on an alien planet, made me laugh; and everyone smiled at the crop circles!

This visual orgy will appeal to: 1) fans of the Wachowskis; 2) fans of CGI; 3) fans of action flicks with lots of blowie uppie stuff. Am I one? I refuse to answer on the grounds.... oh, you know...

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Here is a sample:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3634147097
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