'Jupiter Ascending' is almost here: but was it worth the wait?
We've been worried about Jupiter Ascending since Cloud Atlas and got even more worried when Universal delayed it for about a year to complete "over 2,000 special effects shots." Oh no.
Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis star in Jupiter Ascending
Anyway, now it's here. And it tells the story of Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), who was born "under the night sky", with signs predicting she was destined for great things. But wait! Caine (Channing Tatum), a genetically engineered ex-military hunter arrives on Earth to track her down and Jupiter begins to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her.
More: Jupiter Ascending: An in-depth look at the Wachowski's space opera
"Jupiter Ascending is the film equivalent of a baseball slugger unleashing a huge swing and missing," said Tony Hicks of San Jose Mercury News.
"Considering some of the sci-fi dreck from Hollywood in the last couple of decades, Jupiter Ascending isn't that bad of a film, just one we have seen before in more interesting ways," wrote Rob Lowman of Los Angeles Daily News.
Mila Kunis leads the line in Jupiter Ascending
"This is wonderfully imaginative when it comes to costume, art direction, special effects, spaceships and incidental alien creatures but stuck with old-hat character types and a resolutely unspecial storyline," said Kim Newman of Empire magazine.
"The Wachowskis' newest science-fiction fantasy is a visual wonder and a big-screen delight, but it suffers from overly complicated storytelling in service of thin characters and redundant action sequences," wrote Scott Mendelson of Forbes.
More: From cleaning toilets to intergalactic royalty: Jupiter Ascending [Pictures + Trailer]
"There is no "up" in space, and there is no "the top" over which The Wachowskis will not go in Jupiter Ascending, a sci-fi saga that's convoluted and silly, but also exciting and enthralling over the course of its two-hours-and-change running time," wrote Alonso Duralde The Wrap.
So it all adds up to 39% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's out in the US and UK on Friday (February 6, 2014).
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