If you squint, the Age of Ultron poster lists among its cast members: Anthony Mackie (Falcon), Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter) and Idris Elba (Heimdall) .

ooo that's interesting.

Nice!

where's Phil! Maybe an after credit scene or something.

"I've always loved dogs! Oh god did I really say that."

I chortled at that.

but there's also a lot of serious examination of capitalism and class/gender issues and backstory worldbuilding, and that's all pretty cool.

It is! Not to mention that it does not follow the standard Hero's Journey story beats that are, at this point, almost mandatory for fantasy/sf/superhero movies. Nope, it's a completely different type of narrative line, and I think that threw a lot of people. (Plus the knowingly over-the-top space opera parts.)

Also, I loved the fact (as you also pointed out) that Jupiter spends a lot of the time actively listening/paying attention to what is going on. Agreeing to marry Titus? Not a great idea, but he presented himself as supporting not harvesting the earth, which is the idea fighting for top space in Jupiter's brain. (The other idea being "Oh fuck this, I want to go home".) She chooses to sacrifice herself and her family, if it means that Balem can't stripmine the earth. And then when chaos and explosions happen, her primary focus is to rescue her family, THEN try and beat the crap out of Balem.

And the end, where she goes back to her earth life. Again, she chooses family, but she does it with no outward sense of resentment (no more "I hate my life" comments at the alarm), and she's setting up her secret life to learn about the other side of her existence. You get on those rocket rollerblades, girl! Zoom around the Chicago skyline with your wolfboy toy who will obey you.

So, I really liked it.

it does not follow the standard Hero's Journey story

It's a Secret Princess story! I don't think Joseph Campbell did anything with feminine archetypal narrative structures. This is the kind of thing I was actually planning on doing my thesis on, if I'd gone to grad school. (I want to go back to school and get my Masters in folklore. What a waste of money that would be, huh?) But it's fascinating. A folklorist named Maria Tater recently wrote a book called The Turnip Princess, about some folktales that escaped the influence of the Grimm brothers, and they show the female heroes in a different light than the fairytales we're used to. I'm looking forward to reading it.

I don't think Joseph Campbell did anything with feminine archetypal narrative structures.

Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz follows Campbell's structure pretty closely.

A girl can go on a Hero's Journey. A boy can be a Secret Prince(ss). While they are different, there really isn't any intrinsic "feminine" and "masculine" difference between these epic stories; the difference is culturally imposed, by a male-dominant culture that has trouble seeing girls as active agents in their own lives. Snow White and the Huntsman - which was also a better movie than the reviews would have you believe - was about a Princess who became a Hero to save the kingdom. Luke Skywalker was a Secret Prince, even in the first movie, where Prince = Jedi. Arthur was a Secret King. The Hero goes on the journey to prove himself and to become his truest self. He may become or be revealed to be royalty, but he typically doesn't start out that way. The Secret Princess doesn't have to do great deeds or fight to prove she's really the rightful ruler; she's usually proven by something intrinsic to herself. Arthur pulled the sword from the stone without any real effort; Luke's identity was revealed by his father; Jupiter's royalty was proven by her genes. Their story is usually what they did before their specialness was revealed; what they prove is how good and noble-hearted and righteous they are, to deserve the crown. (I wonder how much of that narrative structure we got from the Grimm's moral spin on the folktales they scavenged. I know in many folktales, girls are portrayed as brave and clever, just like boys are.) If the Princess becomes a Hero, it's usually either to fight on someone else's behalf or to win back her kingdom (in the process saving all the common folk from the rule of the Evil Queen). Jupiter Ascending is clearly set up for a sequel, though we may never get it, in which the tale of Jupiter continues beyond her coronation and her fight for her peoples' lives, into her effort to change the system from within. That would be great to see. That would be different.

A shirt for the Jupiter Ascending fans: [link]

ETA: To clarify, I think it's a funny take on the meme. I haven't seen the movie, so this is in no way a commentary on that.

Cinderella Report: Pretty, pretty costumes. Cate Blanchett is as fabulous as she can be given what she had to work with. That's about it. I may have to see Jupiter Ascending this weekend to get a better story and script.