Finally got the chance to watch Passengers last night. There's been a lot of buzz surrounding this film, as if it's a great Sci-fi achievement. Did it live up to the hype? In my opinion, no. Don't get me wrong, it's a good, entertaining film; definitely not bad. Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence bring their A game and are a delight to see together. Visually, it's a treat for the eyes. The cool CGI effects are colorful and high tech, but what really stands out most is the practical sets. These are aesthetically pleasing and reminded me of good looking Sci-fi films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey. My one complaint about the CG effects is that they're too artificial and seldom look realistic. They're creative and stimulating, but they were more like the effects from a high quality video game rather than a big budget film. I guess I'm spoiled by films like Interstellar and The Martian, films that demonstrate how amazing visual effects can be and take us to a new dimension of possibilities.
The movie starts out strong, with Jim Preston - Pratt's character -awakening from hibernation sleep 90 years too early on the luxery ship Avalon, which is headed for the colonist planet Homestead 2. Being the only conscious human aboard the ship, Jim must find ways to keep his sanity. He plays games, goes space diving, tries to solve how he can repair his sleep chamber, and talks to a bartending android named Arthur. After being alone for a whole year, Jim finally finds companionship in Aurora, a beautiful female journalist who wakes up just as he did. The two of them become close and develop a deep romance; but little does Aurora ( Jennifer Lawrence ) know that Jim is hiding a dark, troubling secret that could shatter their relationship.
As mentioned before, Pratt and Lawrence give it their all and have some enjoyable scenes together, especially when their characters first meet. But, oddly enough, it's their developing relationship which causes the story to fall apart. As the movie progresses, it becomes more and more cliché and predictable. I literally saw several plot twists a mile away.
Lawrence Fishburne shows up near the final act and breaths a little life into the story; it's unfortunate his character isn't around very long. Maybe 15 minutes or so, from what I recall. And remember his cryptic comment in the trailer? "There's a reason you woke up early," he says, hinting at a startling plot twist. Guess what, there is no plot twist! The reason for the sleep chambers malfunctioning is simple and unremarkable. Yet again, we have a movie trailer misleading us in order to capture our attention, promising us something the film never delivers.
In the end, we're left with your typical Hollywood romance, your typical action sequences, and your typical plot points. Which is a shame, since this film had so much potential to be a great Sci-fi classic. Rent for the visuals or if you like Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, but otherwise avoid if you're looking for something new or groundbreaking.
2 stars out of 5
Have you seen Passengers? What did you think of it? Feel free to comment below!
