Passengers (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
My review will contain spoilers, so proceed at your own peril. It's difficult to write intelligently about the movie without giving a few things away. As the Starship Avalon travels on autopilot through a 120 yr. journey to a deep space colony named Homestead II, over 5,000 paying passengers + 258 crew members sleep in cryogenic hibernation pods in 'Passengers' (directed by Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game). Homestead II promises an alternative to "overpopulated, overpriced and overrated Earth". Things seem to be moving swimmingly until the massive spaceship hits a large debris field that cause a series of malfunctions. Pod 1498 containing Jim Preston (Chris Pratt) opens & the disoriented man wanders around trying to find answers until the observatory's computer informs him they are still 90(!) yrs. away from their final destination. Once Jim realizes his crippling fate, and after tireless, fruitless efforts to fix his situation (he's a mechanical engineer), he takes the advice of Arthur (Michael Sheen) - a genial android bartender - who suggests that he live a little.
So, with the massive ship at his disposal, Jim starts living large; utilizing all the amenities he can {as if on a luxury cruise liner}. However, after a year of overindulgence, Jim contemplates suicide by blasting himself into outer space. In an act of desperation & as a last ditch effort for existence & meaning, he makes the difficult decision to use his engineering skills to malfunction another pod to force awake the beautiful Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence); who he's been researching/stalking ever since laying eyes on her -- yes, she's "Aurora", like Sleeping Beauty {gag me, haha}. Aurora - a smart, level-headed NY writer - goes the same initial reactions Jim did. Jim is ecstatic to have this 'woman of his dreams' at his side, but is tormented by his decision; effectively taking away power over her own life. Over time, he asks her on a proper 'date' & their relationship turns hot & heavy; romance dominates the middle 3rd of this film. But just as he's ready to put a ring on her finger, android bartender Arthur innocently spills the beans and, the results as devastating as Aurora considers Jim's action something similar to murder. Melodrama ensues, particularly when the ship starts to lose power & a despondent, heartbroken Aurora must join Jim in trying to save themselves (and all the inhabitants aboard).
I am VERY conflicted about my feelings for this movie. Is it watchable? Absolutely. Does it look good? You bet -- this film contains some of the most stunning production designs & visual effects I've seen all year. Does it raise interesting questions about humanity, loneliness, identity & mortality? Yep. And the sci-fi premise is, initially, fascinating. The problem I have with the film is: it is difficult to feel for Jim & Aurora's success as a couple when we know how creepy he has been in order to not be lonely. Sure, when put in his situation, can any of us say we would ignore the incessant temptation to wake someone up {basically, killing them down the road} just so we don't have to be alone for the next 50 yrs. of your life? The problem with that is: the romance is COMPLETELY built on a construct in Jim's mind. Aurora is blindly along for the ride. Sure, she falls for him, but likely wouldn't have in any other situation. And when she finds out about his deception, she's understandably wrecked. She never wants to speak to him again ... bingo. BUT, they are now together for the rest of their lives {what a miserable fate}, and are forced into coming together again alllllll because of a "let's save the spaceship" narrative that descends into spectacular-if-incoherent logistics & pyrotechnics. The film was going somewhere morally & ethically interesting ... until it wasn't.
When I mentioned above about the incoherent logistics, I mean that: nearly no one on this planet would be able to comprehend the type of problems this spaceship faces and HOW Jim/Aurora would be able to fix them all. Asteroid debris making holes in the ship; loss of gravity; bolted chambers; random hibernation pods that open; burned out chips; tethers that snap ... all of these occurrences are both too-convenient and/or incomprehensible to lay viewers. And I shook my head every time Jim magically knew how to fix everything/attempted to fix everything/nearly fixed everything. It all just gets exasperating, especially when taking into consideration how the 'moral/ethical human connection problem' at the center of the film is abandoned for late-breaking 'amp-up the action' plot conveniences. Broken up into 3 segments, if you will: the 1st segment is an evocative sci-fi movie; the 2nd segment acts as a sort of morally bankrupt romantic dramedy {aw, swoon}; and aspects of the last segment - a serious action flick - are as rushed as they are unlikely. The film starts strong yet keeps dissipating, all while remaining escapist entertainment.
Lawrence & Pratt give movie star turns & share decent chemistry. She, in particular, is adept at showing the conflicting emotions that drive Aurora. Pratt's 'alone scenes' lack some needed emotion & introspection. Michael Sheen adds some wit as the android. Gosh, it's just difficult to ignore the disturbing nature of the romance. Jim's love for Aurora is based on expectations he placed on her without even knowing who she is. Aurora gets it, but is forced to forgive him because they must work together to save the ship and realizes that - because they'll be alive together for the next 50 yrs. (NO THANKS TO HIM), she'll allow herself to 'love' him. It just seems ... icky. Again, the film's saving grace is how imminently watchable it is. In another movie, you'd WANT them to be together organically, haha. The production design of the ship is MAGNIFICENT (like a futuristic luxury cruise liner or something). The CGI are incredible; I'm reminded of a sequence where the ship sails close to a burning star or the gravity loss scene where Aurora is trapped in the infinity swimming pool. So yeah, 'Passengers' is an absorbing, visually pleasing holiday popcorn flick that contains complicated themes, yet squanders them ... all to expedite the 3rd Act's phony romance & action beats. And that problematic ethical component detracts from the film's core strengths, too.
So, with the massive ship at his disposal, Jim starts living large; utilizing all the amenities he can {as if on a luxury cruise liner}. However, after a year of overindulgence, Jim contemplates suicide by blasting himself into outer space. In an act of desperation & as a last ditch effort for existence & meaning, he makes the difficult decision to use his engineering skills to malfunction another pod to force awake the beautiful Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence); who he's been researching/stalking ever since laying eyes on her -- yes, she's "Aurora", like Sleeping Beauty {gag me, haha}. Aurora - a smart, level-headed NY writer - goes the same initial reactions Jim did. Jim is ecstatic to have this 'woman of his dreams' at his side, but is tormented by his decision; effectively taking away power over her own life. Over time, he asks her on a proper 'date' & their relationship turns hot & heavy; romance dominates the middle 3rd of this film. But just as he's ready to put a ring on her finger, android bartender Arthur innocently spills the beans and, the results as devastating as Aurora considers Jim's action something similar to murder. Melodrama ensues, particularly when the ship starts to lose power & a despondent, heartbroken Aurora must join Jim in trying to save themselves (and all the inhabitants aboard).
I am VERY conflicted about my feelings for this movie. Is it watchable? Absolutely. Does it look good? You bet -- this film contains some of the most stunning production designs & visual effects I've seen all year. Does it raise interesting questions about humanity, loneliness, identity & mortality? Yep. And the sci-fi premise is, initially, fascinating. The problem I have with the film is: it is difficult to feel for Jim & Aurora's success as a couple when we know how creepy he has been in order to not be lonely. Sure, when put in his situation, can any of us say we would ignore the incessant temptation to wake someone up {basically, killing them down the road} just so we don't have to be alone for the next 50 yrs. of your life? The problem with that is: the romance is COMPLETELY built on a construct in Jim's mind. Aurora is blindly along for the ride. Sure, she falls for him, but likely wouldn't have in any other situation. And when she finds out about his deception, she's understandably wrecked. She never wants to speak to him again ... bingo. BUT, they are now together for the rest of their lives {what a miserable fate}, and are forced into coming together again alllllll because of a "let's save the spaceship" narrative that descends into spectacular-if-incoherent logistics & pyrotechnics. The film was going somewhere morally & ethically interesting ... until it wasn't.
When I mentioned above about the incoherent logistics, I mean that: nearly no one on this planet would be able to comprehend the type of problems this spaceship faces and HOW Jim/Aurora would be able to fix them all. Asteroid debris making holes in the ship; loss of gravity; bolted chambers; random hibernation pods that open; burned out chips; tethers that snap ... all of these occurrences are both too-convenient and/or incomprehensible to lay viewers. And I shook my head every time Jim magically knew how to fix everything/attempted to fix everything/nearly fixed everything. It all just gets exasperating, especially when taking into consideration how the 'moral/ethical human connection problem' at the center of the film is abandoned for late-breaking 'amp-up the action' plot conveniences. Broken up into 3 segments, if you will: the 1st segment is an evocative sci-fi movie; the 2nd segment acts as a sort of morally bankrupt romantic dramedy {aw, swoon}; and aspects of the last segment - a serious action flick - are as rushed as they are unlikely. The film starts strong yet keeps dissipating, all while remaining escapist entertainment.
Lawrence & Pratt give movie star turns & share decent chemistry. She, in particular, is adept at showing the conflicting emotions that drive Aurora. Pratt's 'alone scenes' lack some needed emotion & introspection. Michael Sheen adds some wit as the android. Gosh, it's just difficult to ignore the disturbing nature of the romance. Jim's love for Aurora is based on expectations he placed on her without even knowing who she is. Aurora gets it, but is forced to forgive him because they must work together to save the ship and realizes that - because they'll be alive together for the next 50 yrs. (NO THANKS TO HIM), she'll allow herself to 'love' him. It just seems ... icky. Again, the film's saving grace is how imminently watchable it is. In another movie, you'd WANT them to be together organically, haha. The production design of the ship is MAGNIFICENT (like a futuristic luxury cruise liner or something). The CGI are incredible; I'm reminded of a sequence where the ship sails close to a burning star or the gravity loss scene where Aurora is trapped in the infinity swimming pool. So yeah, 'Passengers' is an absorbing, visually pleasing holiday popcorn flick that contains complicated themes, yet squanders them ... all to expedite the 3rd Act's phony romance & action beats. And that problematic ethical component detracts from the film's core strengths, too.