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Jupiter Ascending - now with pics!
Feb. 4th, 2015 11:47 am
Verdict: Jupiter Ascending is so bad, it's good.
It is an unapologetic space opera. It is cheesy. It has many, many issues, and if you must know what they are, I will share them under a cut in a bit. But I'm not even sure I could capture it all.
The thing is... It was also fun. As I mentioned the other day, I wanted to see it because Channing Tatum. Also from the trailer I really wanted to see Mila's outfits (they don't disappoint). Plus it's the Wachowskis, and because of The Matrix, they will always get a chance. (Aside: I still remember the feelings I had after I first saw The Matrix. It was one of the best movie-going experiences I've ever had. It was thrilling, exhilarating. D. agrees and says it's because every scene had something that we had never seen before. The Wachowskis earned never-expiring benefit of the doubt from me because of it.)
Despite its issues, there was something about Jupiter Ascending that made me willing to forgive it all. It wasn't good, but it was a damn good spectacle. Even as I cringed, I laughed and rooted for the heroes. I can't explain it... But I'd see it again.
I dreaded the lights going up, because then D. would ask me what I thought of the movie, and I would have to admit (shamefully) that I enjoyed it. I was surprised, when the credits started rolling, that one person actually clapped. Clapped. Maybe it was sarcastic. But hearing the rumblings from the other people filing out, there seemed to be a general sense of good humor. I heard several people proclaim (defensively) that they actually liked it.
D. overheard a few critics tell the publicist that they hated it. That's fair. It has a terrible critical review score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it should. No real movie critic should actually like this movie, probably. And the audience rating will probably not be much higher, but if there are more people like me out there, it might actually get to be pretty decent. :))
When I told D. that I thought it was so bad it was good, he asked me to explain myself. After I had exhausted everything I wanted to say, he told me that he had really enjoyed it. I was shocked. I had expected him, like any proper critic, to hate it. I've been appreciative of his movie choices before (we seem to have similar taste), but this pretty much cements it. He's not afraid to like bad things, or to admit that he does, and I like that about him. When he posted his feelings about JA to Twitter, the reaction was swift and merciless. Some people threw their hands up and said that they would never be able to predict what he would like and not like. A fierce debate broke out about which was the worse movie: Jupiter Ascending or Blackhat? (D. hated Blackhat and I haven't seen it, so I can't take a side, but given that I actually liked JA, it probably doesn't matter.) Then there were the people who demanded an explanation of how he could possibly have liked it.
But... There is absolutely no way to logically explain why I liked this movie. I don't think D. could either. I fully recognize that it has flaws galore. Here's the thing. It doesn't matter. Why does this or that happen? Who is XYZ exactly, and whose side are they really on? What does doing ABC mean that DEF happens? Answer: It. doesn't. matter. Your desire for logic and character development and all that jazz is so cute. Who cares? IT DOESN'T MATTER!
You want me to prove that I actually see its flaws and they just don't faze me (for some inexplicable reason)? ( OK, here's a small list. )
I just found a ton of promo pics and have to share the ones of Jupiter's outfits. So gorgeous! What I wouldn't give to have her wardrobe. And that of Rose DeWitt Bukater's! ( Image heavy. )
It is an unapologetic space opera. It is cheesy. It has many, many issues, and if you must know what they are, I will share them under a cut in a bit. But I'm not even sure I could capture it all.
The thing is... It was also fun. As I mentioned the other day, I wanted to see it because Channing Tatum. Also from the trailer I really wanted to see Mila's outfits (they don't disappoint). Plus it's the Wachowskis, and because of The Matrix, they will always get a chance. (Aside: I still remember the feelings I had after I first saw The Matrix. It was one of the best movie-going experiences I've ever had. It was thrilling, exhilarating. D. agrees and says it's because every scene had something that we had never seen before. The Wachowskis earned never-expiring benefit of the doubt from me because of it.)
Despite its issues, there was something about Jupiter Ascending that made me willing to forgive it all. It wasn't good, but it was a damn good spectacle. Even as I cringed, I laughed and rooted for the heroes. I can't explain it... But I'd see it again.
I dreaded the lights going up, because then D. would ask me what I thought of the movie, and I would have to admit (shamefully) that I enjoyed it. I was surprised, when the credits started rolling, that one person actually clapped. Clapped. Maybe it was sarcastic. But hearing the rumblings from the other people filing out, there seemed to be a general sense of good humor. I heard several people proclaim (defensively) that they actually liked it.
D. overheard a few critics tell the publicist that they hated it. That's fair. It has a terrible critical review score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it should. No real movie critic should actually like this movie, probably. And the audience rating will probably not be much higher, but if there are more people like me out there, it might actually get to be pretty decent. :))
When I told D. that I thought it was so bad it was good, he asked me to explain myself. After I had exhausted everything I wanted to say, he told me that he had really enjoyed it. I was shocked. I had expected him, like any proper critic, to hate it. I've been appreciative of his movie choices before (we seem to have similar taste), but this pretty much cements it. He's not afraid to like bad things, or to admit that he does, and I like that about him. When he posted his feelings about JA to Twitter, the reaction was swift and merciless. Some people threw their hands up and said that they would never be able to predict what he would like and not like. A fierce debate broke out about which was the worse movie: Jupiter Ascending or Blackhat? (D. hated Blackhat and I haven't seen it, so I can't take a side, but given that I actually liked JA, it probably doesn't matter.) Then there were the people who demanded an explanation of how he could possibly have liked it.
But... There is absolutely no way to logically explain why I liked this movie. I don't think D. could either. I fully recognize that it has flaws galore. Here's the thing. It doesn't matter. Why does this or that happen? Who is XYZ exactly, and whose side are they really on? What does doing ABC mean that DEF happens? Answer: It. doesn't. matter. Your desire for logic and character development and all that jazz is so cute. Who cares? IT DOESN'T MATTER!
You want me to prove that I actually see its flaws and they just don't faze me (for some inexplicable reason)? ( OK, here's a small list. )
I just found a ton of promo pics and have to share the ones of Jupiter's outfits. So gorgeous! What I wouldn't give to have her wardrobe. And that of Rose DeWitt Bukater's! ( Image heavy. )
