Ahead of its global release next week, The Wachoskis’ sci-fi spectacle, Jupiter Ascending, made its quiet debut at the Sundance Film Festival last night. Yes, THE indie festival of the year was considerably jazzed-up by the arrival of the Warner Bros. blockbuster, as the film was not cited in any previous press materials and appeared on schedules as a “special screening.” But according to Variety, that’s not why the 300-seater cinema was short of patrons.
Granted, those critics who were in attendance – and stayed until the end – are still under embargo from the studio until next week. However, Variety’s report suggests that the amount of press who exited will show a clear correlation with the quality of the movie. Naturally, the jury’s still out, but that didn’t stop the trade publication from rather amusingly grilling a couple of festival volunteers:
“I hated it,” said one of the festival’s volunteers, who asked not to be identified for fear of irking Sundance. “It’s just ridiculous.”
Her husband was more forgiving. “It’s a combination of a whole bunch of things wrapped into one,” he said.
While these comments aren’t a sure sign that Jupiter Ascending will be a major flop, it’s not looking very pomising. We’ll wait until the movie hits theaters on February 6th to form our own assessment, but until then, check out the massive three minute extended trailer that Warner Bros. has dropped to reacquaint you with the story.
Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis star in “Jupiter Ascending,” an original science fiction epic adventure from filmmakers Lana and Andy Wachowski. Jupiter Jones (Kunis) was born under a night sky, with signs predicting that she was destined for great things. Now grown, Jupiter dreams of the stars but wakes up to the cold reality of a job cleaning other people’s houses and an endless run of bad breaks. Only when Caine (Tatum), a genetically engineered ex-military hunter, arrives on Earth to track her down does Jupiter begin to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her all along—her genetic signature marks her as next in line for an extraordinary inheritance that could alter the balance of the cosmos. From the streets of Chicago to far flung galaxies whirling through space, “Jupiter Ascending” is written and directed by the Wachowskis.
