Jupiter Ascending - Is it really that bad?

On November 22 1985 a little known (by today's standards) animated film opened in North America to little fan fare and even less critical acclaim. This film was called Starchaser: The Legend of Orin. Back in those days, when 3D animation was more archaic than it is today, it was strongly touted as "A Film not to be Missed" by the studios who wished to exloit the "gimmick" of 3D in order to draw the crowds - It failed.

In an age where 3D and CGI are two of the movie industries primary tools to draw in an audience that is more apathetic than ever toward making the effort to race to the box office in to see the latest releases; Jupiter Ascending suffered from an overload of beauty and a lack of solid storytelling.

In the first act we're introduced to Jupiter Jones (played wonderfully by Mila Kunis), a simple cleaner born of a russian immigrant whilst crossing the Atlantic. Her life, as you can expect, is menial to say the least. Working as a cleaner for rich clients, she dreams of a different life for herself. Enter Channing Tatum, a handsome, gene-spliced, "alien" soldier who has been sent to protect Jupiter from a group of mercenaries sent to kidnap/kill her on behalf of a ruthless "alien" business man (played amazingly by Eddie Redmayne) as her very existence threatens his corporate rule.

All of this follows a familiar formula that we Sci-fi fans have seen time and again. An unwitting slave is chosen by some otherworldly/outerworldly force that sees them as either the salvation or damnation of a universe they are so wholly unfamiliar with that they could not possibly comprehend the magnificence they have been unaware of. Yes, the formula is an old one, an overplayed one, and one we sci-fi fans are well accustomed to, does it mean that the formula is tired and unoriginal?

Emphatically I say, NO.

Like Starchaser, Jupiter Ascending is by no means a perfect film but it is certainly a beautifully rendered and fun piece of cinema. Many of the wonderfully created CGI set pieces put me in mind of my own work. The countless worlds and starscapes I have seen in my minds eye were played out perfectly through someone elses vision on the big screen and gave me fresh hope for my own work. The comraderie between Sean Bean and Channing Tatum, although lacking the chemsitry either have experienced in previous roles with other actors in their careers, had a certain amiable quality that gave a sense of a true acting lesson being performed here by Bean. Eddie Redmayne was so flawless as the barely audible and slightly effeminate villain he practically walked on air.

The action was fast paced and entertaining, so much so that only the barest threads of a plot were required for enjoyment. I say this as a fan who enjoys plot and character development more than special effects or action sequences, but, like Starchaser, Jupiter Ascending was never going to need one in the same way that classic films like Aliens or Terminator were.