Alexandre Smia’s Jupiter is a gripping thriller that reckons with the ever-present shadow of nuclear warfare in an increasingly fractured global order.
Director: Alexandre Smia
Genre: Drama
Run Time: 87′
Venice World Premiere: September 4, 2026 (Venice Open – Out of Competition)
U.S. Release Date: TBA
U.K. Release Date: TBA
The concept of mutually assured destruction has been humanity’s greatest deterrent since the Second World War. Atomic warfare has become a possibility so unforgivably and irrevocably destructive that fear of its existence has become our strongest weapon against bringing it to pass. But Alexandre Smia’s chilling new thriller Jupiter asks a crucial question: does the atomic question still hold as much weight in a world that’s becoming more fractured and unpredictable year by year?
With his new position, the new French President Paul Archambault (Denis Ménochet, of The Beasts) inherits the greatest burden that a world leader can carry: the codes to his country’s nuclear arsenal. His ascension also comes at a time of unprecedented instability for France, as one of its greatest allies, Ukraine, is facing increased pressure from Russia’s imperialist invasion. This cooking pot of volatile politics reaches a boiling point when Russia launches a nuclear missile into Ukraine’s sovereign territory, leaving Archambault with the impossible question of how to respond.
Jupiter will inevitably face comparisons to one of the highlights from last year’s Venice Film Festival, A House of Dynamite. In both films, world leaders are thrust into chaotic scrambles for power when a nuclear weapon is launched by one of their enemies. And both films boast many of the same strengths in their rapid-paced storytelling, and emotionally charged performances, and layered deconstruction of harsh, challenging political ideas.
Unfortunately, Jupiter also struggles with many of the same structural weaknesses that kept A House of Dynamite from reaching its full potential. The film is broken down into multiple chapters, with each slice of this story breaking down a different ultimatum, complication, or reaction that Archambault must face. The result is ninety minutes of fierce tension that ends up running in circles with weighty dialogue and repetitive ideas that never truly reach a conclusion.
Jupiter clearly has some heavy ideas at its core, and for the most part, Smia’s screenplay does a good job of breaking them down in an accessible way. The entire film takes place on the President’s private aircraft en route to Ukraine, with all the senior ministers of his government on board. This structure works to Jupiter’s benefit as it allows Archambault and his colleagues to have lengthy debates about nuclear deterrence in today’s global order, but the film ends up chasing its own tail as none of the characters truly change their minds or develop their opinions beyond their initial stances.
This is a puzzling flaw of a film that’s essentially centered around the whole concept of debate, leaving the audience somewhat numb to the characters’ arguments by the end of the film. Archambault has a strong, clear development that successfully interrogates the role of a leader during a nuclear crisis, but the opinions of those around him feel weak in comparison.
That being said, Ménochet manages to carry this entire project on his shoulders with a bold, nuanced performance that guides the audience clearly through his character’s ever-changing thought process. It’s from his wavering, inexperienced perspective that this entire story unravels, and Ménochet always displays the depth and emotional vulnerability necessary for audiences to relate to him and understand the logic behind his polarizing decisions. Jupiter may not always delve as furiously into its poignant ideas and geopolitical quandaries as the film demands, but Ménochet’s fierce performance and Smia’s controlled, intense direction help keep the film engaging and memorable nonetheless.
Jupiter (2026): Movie Plot & Recap
Synopsis:
Newly elected French president Paul Archambault is called to the Jupiter anti-atomic bunker located beneath the Élysée Palace to deal with an international crisis. Nuclear war looms: Paul Archambault and his political and military advisors face an impossible decision.
Pros:
- An incredibly nuanced, vulnerable performance from Denis Ménochet that keeps a level-headed perspective on the entire story.
- An interrogative, thought-provoking screenplay that asks important questions about the lingering shadow of nuclear weapons in modern politics.
- A keen directorial eye that maintains a tangible level of tension and apprehension throughout the entire film.
Cons:
- A repetitive structure that runs circles around itself and never reaches the bold conclusion that its premise demands.
- Lack of development among the supporting characters, whose opinions rarely change despite the screenplay’s focus on political compromise and ethics.
Jupiter had its World Premiere at the 2026 Venice Film Festival on September 4, 2026.