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The Wachowskis will be looking to reclaim their glory as cinematic visionaries with this summer’s Jupiter Ascending. If you missed the first trailer that was released last December, this new international trailer will clue you in on The Wachowskis’ latest venture. Jupiter Ascending stars Mila Kunis (Blood Ties) as the eponymous Jupiter, a Chicagoan that dreams of a life more grandiose than the one in which she lives. Her fortunes change when a mysterious man (Channing Tatum) whisks her away into a galaxy full of sci-fi space things and the like, telling Jupiter that she might be the next in a long line of royalty.
When I saw the first trailer, I drew an allegorical connection between Jupiter Ascending and Snow White, which I still stand by, but it will also draw direct comparisons to The Matrix, except with a heroine. The Wachowskis are very obviously influenced by Joseph Campbell’s monomyth, but I feel like they’re sticking too closely to the hero’s journey rather than creating a story that just so happens to follow the monomyth’s guidelines. Visually, Jupiter Ascending might be the most captivating film of the summer. Narratively, however, I just can’t look past the obvious trappings of a sci-fi epic that’s all too familiar with the hero’s journey.
Hopefully The Wachowskis can prove me wrong when Jupiter Ascending comes out on July 18th.