Is 'Jupiter Ascending' The Matrix in Space? Not Quite

How to sum up Jupiter Ascending, the latest movie from Andy and Lana Wachowski? It's not easy. There are the breathtaking visual effects, a focus on slim-fitting fetish gear in unnatural fabrics, parallel universes, and mind-blowing science, as one might expect from the auteur siblings of the Matrix trilogy.

Lana Wachowski, in the very few interviews given to promote Jupiter Ascending, has consistently called it a "space opera." It's certainly operatic in sets, scale, and ambition, but also brings to mind the decaying Roman Empire...in space.

Then there's the political undertone: a cruel system of immigration, bureaucratic nonsense, and a genetic lottery whereby your fate is mapped out from birth. "Some lives will always matter more than others," says arch villain Balem Abrasax (Eddie Redmayne) with more than a touch of Tim Curry's husky Rocky Horror British camp.

Cue the good guys: Channing Tatum is Caine, a "spliced" (half man/half dog) creature who does stellar acrobatic stunt work, and Sean Bean plays a vengeful half man/half bee named Stinger (of course). The love interest storyline is a Cinderella homage, with Mila Kunis as Jupiter Jones, a lowly domestic cleaner who is actually something far greater: the potential savior of the planet.

In Jupiter Ascending, the message is pretty much the same as the Wachowski's other movies: big business sucks your soul. But it happens against a breathtaking 3D backdrop.

Let's face it, with a Wachowski universe, it's all about the science: From genetics (splicing human/animals genes to create hybrid super-beings), futuristic devices that change physical matter states (like doors that melt), augmented reality contact lenses, transistor-infused skin tattoos, barcode/branding implants, synthetic neurobiology, 3D holographic projections and human teleportation – it's all fabulous and yet believable.

Jupiter Ascending is complicated and confusing in parts, slow and drawn-out in others, with gratifyingly gratuitous space fights. But the worlds portrayed are fascinating, and the vision and imagination are spectacular. In the end, what you might find most rewarding is "Spot the Science" because a Wachowski world is all about that. And slim-fitting outfits in sustainable-farmed leather, of course.