I am not going to lie. Even though it wouldn't surprise me even a little if this popped up on my top 10 of 2015 list in January, it's not a good-good film. There are a lot of things wrong with it, but it is insanely fun. There isn't a single dull moment in over two hours, which is an amazing accomplishment. I found myself actually thinking it was a bit rushed sometimes, but that could be just because I've gotten so used to films spending far too much time on so little recently. From start to finish this film is on its feet, running around showing you as much of its universe as it can. Which it does magnificently. You really get a sense of scale, even though they actually show you very little of the giant universe they talk about.
The visuals are stunning. They aren't great in the same way that the visuals of "Gravity" and "Interstellar" are great, but they have a feel to them. They add to the universe they are in, instead of just adhering to it. We get a handful of different types of aliens, some worlds, a lot of ships, and of course downtown Chicago.
The bad parts of this film are mostly due to the acting and dialogue. Sometimes it just gets too cheesy, even for a film about an alien wolfman who comes to save the human beequeen. The love subplot between Jupiter (Mila Kunis) and Caine (Channing Tatum) feels so forced that not even the characters themselves feel like it's right. It just pops up here and there and makes the characters behave wildly different from how they do otherwise in the film. Suddenly they talk only in riddles and metaphors, and Jupiter becomes totally uninterested in the amazing situation she has gotten herself into. Which leads me to the second thing that is a bit offputting in hindsight, but not so much when you're watching it. The sense of time. Looking back, it feels as if the entire film took place over just a few hours. Maybe a day. But it is very evident by the film that more time has taken place. They have made the story so efficient, cutting so many unnecessary things, that they've completely forgotten that often the unimportant things in films are there just to make time go. Both for the audience, and the characters.
All in all I truly adore this film. I love everything it's trying to be, and I love everything it actually is. But I am a huge sucker for science fantasy film, big space operas with a lot of aliens and interplanetary politics are just my cup of tea. I would have been surprised if I hadn't liked it. If you feel like what I've talked about is the kind of thing you would like, then this is something for you. If, on the other hand, you don't really care one way or the other, you will probably not like this. It's not for everyone, that is for sure.
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