Upside Down

It's a beautiful idea really. Twin planets, caught in each others gravity, orbiting a sun together as one unit. So close that skyscrapers can be built between them which connect them, and yet for the people living on the two planets, so very far away. This is the problem which faces the young lovers in the unique movie Upside Down. The twin nature of the planets causes them to have opposite gravity of each other, meaning anything from one planet, when brought to the other, will go flying away back to the other unless it is held down somehow. Besides this is also the social and economic differences between the two.

Up Above, as the one is referred to, is where all of the wealth and power is, while Down Below, is impoverished and desolate. People between the two worlds are not supposed to associate other than in certain working conditions, and certainly aren't supposed to have any type of relationship with anyone from the opposite planet. This combined with the gravitational issues, create what seem to be an impossible problem for the young lovers, Adam (Jim Sturgess), and Eden (Kirsten Dunst). However, Adam is a dreamer and believes that love is even stronger than gravity and he will go to any lengths to make it so.

This was a movie that I couldn't pass up once I read a plot description to it. Add to that some good actors and it's no wonder that it moved to the top of my watch list. That being said, I am very glad I made that decision. The plot was fantastically unique, with some great conflict for the characters to overcome and enough intensity at times to drive it forward. There was also opportunity for some wonderful artistic shots of the two planets and the connections between them.

While it certainly isn't your typical romance, that is what makes Upside Down so special. It is a great movie, full of amazing ideas that are original and fun. I watched this movie expecting to enjoy it, but came away loving it more than I predicted. Certainly worth a watch whether you are a fan of sci-fi and fantasy or not. I know I'll have to add this to my film collection soon.

-Lynx