Passengers

Some people say that you shouldn't go into a movie with low expectations because it is negative thinking. On the occasion of seeing this film, I have proven the usefulness of not setting yourself up for complete disappointment. The trailers for "Passengers" were well crafted but then the reviews came in. With the majority of them being negative in their criticism, I waited until I could see this film for free. I went into the film not expecting much but came out entertained. The chemistry between the limited number of cast members was quite good as was the design and special effects. The movie had some flaws and wasn't the greatest sci-fi film but it was worth my time.

I have seen a few trailers that advertize a certain premise for an upcoming film only to deliver a different premise. It tends to be a metaphorical nail in a coffin and I think that is what happened to "Collateral Beauty", which was released in the same month. With "Passengers", the premise promised is the one that is delivered. The plot however is slightly different from what was advertized but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. What's worse is a film story that is spoiled by the time the last trailer is released. That was the problem with "Sing", also released in December of 2016. "Passengers" can be likened unto any movie or story where its protagonist is completely alone or marooned. They have to overcome loneliness and boredom for example. Sometimes, the protagonist has to worry about survival but in this case when you are on a spaceship built to serve five thousand, survival can be the easy part. This movie is more dramatic and controversial then say "The Martian". A certain controversial plot point of "Passengers" is probably what garnished a lot of the aforementioned negative criticism. Some audience members may also be put off. I didn't find much of a problem with it myself because the story is fiction and this core plot point creates conflict. Without giving too much away, the antagonist in "Interstellar" basically makes a similar decision as Jim in this movie. I would argue though that Jim's ultimate decision made the film far more dramatic than otherwise. The plot overall was fine but the climax had a few flaws. A rescue attempt in the climax of this film is much like the ending of "The Martian" but the latter film portrayed its feat much more plausibly. Another hiccup in the climax of "Passengers" is how Aurora is able to remember the authorization code. It seemed too easy considering her emotional state. One thing that was good about the story is that you couldn't guess what was going to happen in the end.

The best quality of this movie is the acting chemistry between Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence. I wonder if the filmmakers are referencing "Sleeping Beauty" with the fact that Lawrence is playing a woman named Aurora. Lawrence's contract for this film seems a lot better than Pratt's because she got a lot more money up front and will get a third of all the profits after the film breaks even, which it already has. That doesn't make much sense to me because I felt that Pratt was the protagonist. I also like how well Laurence Fishburne did and Michael Sheen sold me on his performance as a robot. I didn't recognize Andy Garcia at the end of the film. The second best quality of this show is the visual effects and the Oscar nominated design. I love the pristine look of the Avalon and the scenes out in space were realistic enough. I was hoping "Passengers" would win an Oscar for its production design but losing to "La La Land" is fair.

You won't believe that the director of “The Imitation Game” made this film. I attribute that to the change in genre. I wonder if composer Thomas Newman drew upon his experience in writing the score for "WALL-E" when he wrote this score. Just as he was nominated at the Academy Awards for that movie, he picked up a twelfth career Oscar nomination for his work on "Passengers". He needs to win one of these days. I went to see this movie thinking it would be a bomb but I actually didn't mind the show. That could be because of my mindset going in. While the movie wasn't perfect, I felt that the critics might have been a little too harsh in this case.

3.5 our of Stars