Jupiter Ascending

[Kanedas Bike]

I'd say that Sloane requires a more adult mind.

Come to think about it, it's something Ridley Scott could have done instead of "Gladiator Prometheus".

Updated!

(fixed is a bit presumptuous)

-b.

[electric indigo]

Well, the parts of Sloan I read in my innocent youth resembled "Gladiator" on (lots of) LSD, so I found that more fitting. But if we get to see the Engineer's home world in a Prometheus sequel, there's plenty of room for Druillet's visions of a world of mad gods.

[taksraven]

Just six weeks until it was supposed to come out and the release has now been pushed back SEVEN months. Wow.

[areaseven]

Not looking good for this film. Remember the last time a film had to be pushed back a year for special effects purposes?

Jupiter Ascending Delayed Until February 2015

[areaseven]

[electric indigo]

Part of it looks like the SF movie I've always wanted to see since I read Moebius, Druillet and all the Metal Hurlant/Heavy Metal comics in the 80s. But Mila Kunis still does nothing for me, and the movie still could be a case of "too much of everything".

After all, it's maybe the beginning of a new wave of "Space Operas" (that begun with GotG) that will follow the "Superhero" season.

[Kanedas Bike]

So, yeah...entertaining trailer.

The February release date (not to mention the delayed release) tell me a lot about how high/low to set my expectations.

-b.

[taksraven]

Part of it looks like the SF movie I've always wanted to see since I read Moebius, Druillet and all the Metal Hurlant/Heavy Metal comics in the 80s. But Mila Kunis still does nothing for me, and the movie still could be a case of "too much of everything".

After all, it's maybe the beginning of a new wave of "Space Operas" (that begun with GotG) that will follow the "Superhero" season.

Lone Sloane FTW..... You know it man......

[electric indigo]

Tons of concept art, there's even some kind of mecha near the end:

http://lookbook.jupiterascending.com/intl/uk/

[modelglue]

Looks like a fairly rich set of designs. Maybe it will lend to sequels/prequels like the Riddick universe.

[electric indigo]

I hope it isn't the next John Carter.

[Dobber]

I hope it isn't the next John Carter.

Me too, I'm really liking the designs and over all look of this movie.

Chris

[modelglue]

I hope it isn't the next John Carter.

Have no fear. Disney bought Star Wars, they don't need to do anymore "can we do star wars?" test movies.

[taksraven]

Have no fear. Disney bought Star Wars, they don't need to do anymore "can we do star wars?" test movies.

Yeah. I guess that pretty much puts any more TRON films or the proposed remake of The Black Hole in the bin. Too bad.

[modelglue]

One Tron was enough for me. I suppose there is scope there for more. I would watch it, don't get me wrong I'm not hating on it. I would rather see energy and money put towards Classics that we no longer see. I suppose I should look into this Black hole movie, just to see what was worthy of remake.

[Dynaman]

One Tron was enough for me. I suppose there is scope there for more. I would watch it, don't get me wrong I'm not hating on it. I would rather see energy and money put towards Classics that we no longer see. I suppose I should look into this Black hole movie, just to see what was worthy of remake.

Black Hole absolutely needs a remake. It was a very good idea with some excellent bits that just wasn't executed correctly.

[taksraven]

One Tron was enough for me. I suppose there is scope there for more. I would watch it, don't get me wrong I'm not hating on it. I would rather see energy and money put towards Classics that we no longer see. I suppose I should look into this Black hole movie, just to see what was worthy of remake.

The Black Hole was essentially a failure for what Disney was trying to achieve with it (ie, a Star Wars type SF film) but there were certainly some *elements* of the film that were excellent. A lot of the design work (the Cygnus and Maximillian in particular) was outstanding and the plot itself was exceptionally dark. (Definitely some "Heart of Darkness" elements in it.) The overall direction and tone, however, is very mixed and drags down the whole production. The soundtrack is nice too.

[aerocombatpilot]

Black Hole absolutely needs a remake. It was a very good idea with some excellent bits that just wasn't executed correctly.

WHAT?! The Black Hole was PERFECT!!!

[Keith]

WHAT?! The Black Hole was PERFECT!!!

Yes, and also, Event Horizon works as a spiritual suscessor.

[Lobizon]

[505thAirborne]

https://www.yahoo.com/movies/jupiter-ascending-debuts-to-muted-crowd-at-109411922652.html

Sounds like there was pretty much no love for this movie at the Sundance Film festival.

[modelglue]

Without reading the article, I would imagine that the Sundance crowd would be rather difficult to woo with this sort of film.

Now that I have read the link, what I wrote makes perfect sense. It is unfortunate that a film community of purists refuse any sort of recognition for a work outside their genre parameters, but hey, someone has to be elite.

After watching some of The Black Hole, I agree. Remake required! It could even be a film in the flavor/color of Event Horizon.

[Duke Togo]

Without reading the article, I would imagine that the Sundance crowd would be rather difficult to woo with this sort of film.

Now that I have read the link, what I wrote makes perfect sense. It is unfortunate that a film community of purists refuse any sort of recognition for a work outside their genre parameters, but hey, someone has to be elite.

After watching some of The Black Hole, I agree. Remake required! It could even be a film in the flavor/color of Event Horizon.

I read about this on slashfilm, and the movie sounds like a total mess. Not surprising given the people behind it. A huge chunk of the audience walked out halfway through the movie.

[modelglue]

I read about this on slashfilm, and the movie sounds like a total mess. Not surprising given the people behind it. A huge chunk of the audience walked out halfway through the movie.

So was a private showing a premeditated PR stunt? Or was it a fatal error to address the SD crowd with flash-git syfy?

[Duke Togo]

So was a private showing a premeditated PR stunt? Or was it a fatal error to address the SD crowd with flash-git syfy?

The Sundance crowd isn't anti-sci-fi or some group of uptight film goers. If anything they're the opposite; they're the open-minded bunch who have helped put guys like Tarantino, Aronofsky, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Kevin Smith on the map. What happened was they were shown a stinker and they walked out on it.

Oh, yes, you are right in one sense: the movie had no business being there. Was it a stunt? Was it a move of desperation to hopefully get some cred for a movie that has a lot of bad buzz around it? I dunno, but it sure stinks of those things.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Duke Togo

[Mr March]

I feel bad that I haven't enjoyed much of anything the Wachowskis have made in a very long time. Not bad for myself or even the Wachowskis, but just for film as a medium. I feel the Wachowskis have such a unique voice that is married so well to a distinctive visual style that it's a precious and rare commodity in my beloved medium. But none of their films past their first few have impressed me with that voice and style made in an effective way. It's also such a shame because I feel that socially, the Wachowskis promote some really good messages with their films. I keep hoping with each successive project the Wachowskis will attain a greatness, but none so far. Naturally, I'll give this film a chance, but it is disheartening to hear yet another similar vibe from their last movies once again soils their newest film.

[modelglue]

Perhaps, these films will be appreciated in due time. We are talking about a small group of film culture personalities here, so I won't give into what the internet says without seeing it first.

I see what you mean Duke, and I don't think Sundance would be exclusive of sci-fi in a broad sense. I just feel like after reading through their 30 years of sundance article, that I only recognize a handful of films, and most at a glance seem rather eccentric and eclectic. How do you think they would react to one or either of the Macross F movies? Just so we aren't talking inside the vacuum of Jupiter Ascending.

I could see Sundance welcoming a movie like Sunshine though, or Moon. It is hard to accept criticism when the subject matter is so far outside the sub-genre. I think the overall vibe I am getting from JA is a Fifth Element meets Maleficent.

[taksraven]

I feel bad that I haven't enjoyed much of anything the Wachowskis have made in a very long time. Not bad for myself or even the Wachowskis, but just for film as a medium. I feel the Wachowskis have such a unique voice that is married so well to a distinctive visual style that it's a precious and rare commodity in my beloved medium. But none of their films past their first few have impressed me with that voice and style made in an effective way. It's also such a shame because I feel that socially, the Wachowskis promote some really good messages with their films. I keep hoping with each successive project the Wachowskis will attain a greatness, but none so far. Naturally, I'll give this film a chance, but it is disheartening to hear yet another similar vibe from their last movies once again soils their newest film.

It's difficult to say what has "gone wrong" with the Wachowskis. There are so many factors that could have had an impact on the quality of their filmmaking ranging from the huge amount of praise lavished on the original Matrix films having a negative impact on their ego's, through to Lana/Larry going through the gender change distracting them from their filmmaking and all the way to the possiblity that they might have only had one really good film in them.

Cloud Atlas showed promise but ultimately did not go where it should have and I hope that Jupiter Ascending is OK, but it's hard to hold out much hope.

[electric indigo]

The Sundance crowd isn't anti-sci-fi or some group of uptight film goers.

Indeed:

[Mr March]

I don't see blaming the crowd at Sundance for the poor reception of a genre film as any kind of realistic benchmark. The Sundance festival has a long history of welcoming and praising many genre films like 28 Days Later, Cube and Moon. The festival has also critically praised an amazing array of genre films like Resevoir Dogs, Hard Boiled, Memento, Brick, The Usual Suspects, Run Lola Run, The Blair Witch Project, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Saw, Oldboy, and The Raid: Redemption. I don't see many nose-turning, dismissals from the stereotyped arthouse crowd in a list like that.

It's difficult to say what has "gone wrong" with the Wachowskis. There are so many factors that could have had an impact on the quality of their filmmaking ranging from the huge amount of praise lavished on the original Matrix films having a negative impact on their ego's, through to Lana/Larry going through the gender change distracting them from their filmmaking and all the way to the possiblity that they might have only had one really good film in them.

Cloud Atlas showed promise but ultimately did not go where it should have and I hope that Jupiter Ascending is OK, but it's hard to hold out much hope.

It is possible that the incredible acclaim they enjoyed early in their career had some impact on making movies, but I think it's fairly apparent they have not gone in any conventional route as filmmakers. It's also clear watching Bound and The Matrix what Larry/Lana felt about gender/roles/identity well before a scalpel ever entered the picture (punny!). And there are enough great male, female, straight and gay directors that I wouldn't hang on transgender as the issue. I think I may agree with you most that one possible cause for the Wachowski's disappointing output is that perhaps they do only have only one or two good films to offer. More's the pity.

However, there is truth that the Hollywood system has claimed more than a few victims in it's many years. And I'm not talking about the drugs, the celebrity or the lifestyle; so many just assume big budget Hollywood filmmaking is a natural progression for great filmmakers. Some claim Hollywood as the top employer or ultimate career aspiration, but history has proven that while true for some directors, it is anything but a boon for many others. I believe the big budget system more than anything else could be a significant factor in the uneven story of the Wachowskis. IMO, they are not filmmakers that can marry their independent vision with any kind of big budget success post-Matrix.

But who can say for certain what the reason is? What I can say is my lack of interest in the Wachowski's post-Matrix movies simply makes me feel bad for the film medium. I just wish the Wachowski's strong voice and unique visual style was something we could enjoy in much better movies.

[Duke Togo]

I'm going to make a very simplistic analysis of this: they hit it big with The Matrix because they used fancy camera effects they saw in TV commercials, stole heavily from anime, and crammed the movie full of cool-looking gun violence. It hit so big studios have been throwing a ton of money at their productions hoping they'd strike gold again. It hasn't happened.

These are not people of great ideas or talent. To expect them to produce anythin remotely close to a classic film is a foolish expectation at best.

Edited January 30, 2015 by Duke Togo

[Keith]

Meh, I liked The Matrix, V For Vendetta, Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas, and Even Bound was fun, so I don't expect to not like this.

[Duke Togo]

Meh, I liked The Matrix, V For Vendetta, Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas, and Even Bound was fun, so I don't expect to not like this.

Yes, I get that. What I am saying is there seems to be an expectation that every movie they make has the potential to be the next Matrix, and it's just not going to happen.

It terms of this movie, some very open-minded folks walked out of its screening en masse. Combined with the bad buzz that was already surrounding this movie, that really does not bode well.

[Agent ONE]

Looks like war without any serious violence or graphic scenes. I want bladerunner grim in my Sci-Fi. We are really missing that lately.

[Dynaman]

The Matrix really wasn't anything great as a movie. It did have a cool look and aspired to something more than it was but if you really look at it you see there is nothing behind it. Not quite as bad as the Jedi code in Star Wars perhaps but pretty darn close.

Pity on this film if it really is as bad as they say, it has awesome visuals and I would have seen it in Imax.