Passengers

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Morten Tyldum

December 14, 2016

Two passengers are woken 90 years too soon after their ship malfunctions while they are traveling through space to a new home while they are in suspended animation. Jim and Aurora start falling love each other as they prepare to spend the rest of their lives on board, enjoying every luxury they could ever desire. But it doesn’t take too long before they realize that the mission is in grave danger. Only Jim and Aurora have the power to save all 5,000 passengers who are currently sleeping.

The two do “meet cute,” yes. That is unavoidable. And your appreciation of Passengers may depend on how much you’re willing to let go of the journey that brings them there, but even if you find yourself completely forgiving, it’s still disappointing that the chemistry Lawrence and Pratt were supposed to have is more akin to that of best friends than that of lovers.

The problem is this. Passengers is a movie that feels like it’s continually on the verge of becoming something truly spectacular, despite some fundamental issues. The film has constantly great production design by Guy Hendrix Dyas, and it looks stunning. The setting in which it is set is also really amazing to view. But the biggest issue might be that the story’s larger themes don’t seem to be highlighted by director Morten Tyldum. For instance, Tyldum would have done better for the passengers if he had discovered a persuasive solution to address the elephant in the room. Instead, Preston will finally admit, at least in part, how events transpired with Aurora’s fleeting rage rapidly subdued so that Hollywood could advance toward the desired, ultimately unsatisfying conclusion.

The movie Passengers isn’t horrible, and Pratt and Lawrence both do good jobs in it. Simply said, despite having names like Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence, and Morten Tyldum attached, the movie falls short of expectations. Some people won’t find the movie’s premise objectionable. There may even be others who don’t even notice it. For those people, Passengers should be an adequate, if not particularly outstanding, experience.

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