IMDb plot summary: Adam and Eden fell in love as teens despite the fact that they live on twinned worlds with gravities that pull in opposite directions. Ten years after a forced separation, Adam sets out on a dangerous quest to reconnect with his love.
Directed by Juan Solanas. Starring Jim Sturgess, Kirsten Dunst, Timothy Spall, and Blu Mankuma.
(Spoilers ahead.)
This movie reminded me of Moulin Rouge!, one of my very favorite movies, but one that shares a very specific aspect with this movie: They're both films that look absolutely spectacular and have ridiculously stupid plots.
The plot for Upside Down doesn't work AT ALL -- right from the beginning, it sets itself up as something far more fantasy than sci fi. Its "rules of gravity" set up at the beginning are clearly rules of magic, not scientific principles. And the movie just gets sillier, with a culminating, "Well, uh, I guess all our problems are solved now?" in the last five minutes. But oh my gosh. It looks AMAZING. This is a movie made to show off stunning, beautiful visuals.
The story may be ridiculous, but it lends itself to such lovely images that it's almost something I can wholly forgive. Almost. If it had songs in it, Moulin Rouge! style, this could have landed very high on my chart. As it is, I think it WANTS to have a more coherent plot than it does (which Moulin Rouge! does not) and can't quite reach that goal, so it suffers a little in my ratings. A little less plot and a little bit more time spent loving the cinematography would have served this movie better. A smart recommendation for me, but the film's flaws hold it down below the line of "YESSSS THIS IS GREAT."
4 stars.
How it entered my Flickchart:
Upside Down > Oblivion
Upside Down > Pretty Woman
Upside Down < Smashed
Upside Down < Seven Samurai
Upside Down < Collateral
Upside Down > 9
Upside Down > Sling Blade
Upside Down > Heavenly Creatures
Upside Down < Four Lions
Upside Down < Widow's Peak
Upside Down < Waking Ned Devine
Upside Down > Boyhood
Final spot: #565 out of 2546.
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