Review: Passengers (2016)

**BE ADVISED PLOT SPOILERS BELOW**

On a spaceship carrying thousands of people in hibernation to begin a new life on a new planet, a malfunction on board results in a passenger waking up ninety years early...

Below in the trailer there is a line towards the end, that, will hint at an important plot detail in this film. I bring it up, because you can't really discuss or review Passengers without dealing with the major problem with this film.

In the film, the character Jim Preston, an engineer wakes up after the malfunction and soon realises he's the only one awake and unable to go back to sleep but also will likely be dead before the ship reaches its destination. At first, he enjoys the freedom this brings, making full use of all the facilities the ship, but gradually the weight of the situation drives him to make a selfish decision and wake up another passenger, Aurora Lane.

One one level it's understandable why he does it and also how he tries to justify it to himself. However, the film never really gets to grip with this plot detail. When Aurora does find out, she reacts as she should, at one point calling Jim a murderer for denying her the future she expected. However, when the film arrives at the more dramatic, action orientated final act, this plot point is simply dropped and never dealt with in a way that works at all.

The idea of a woman trapped with a man in a restricted setting recalls this year's 10 Cloverfield Lane or even the John Fowles' novel The Collector. In those, the story is used in horror/thriller territory. Using the same plot device, in what is meant to be, I assume, a science-fiction set romantic drama, simply does not work. Aurora falls in love with Jim, in part is must be said, because he's looked her up on the ship's data banks. He knows everything about her, it's one-sided and manipulative love that will not sit well with women seeing this film I suspect.

When the final act arrives, another person wakes up, crew member Gus Mancuso, who only sticks around for a few minutes, explaining what is wrong with the ship and how to fix it, then promptly dies. As a result, Jim and Aurora have to work together to save the ship. Which of course means the reason for the tension between them, is conveniently dropped at the end, for a more romantic and happier ending.

Something the film does not deserve due to the fatal flaw at the 'heart' of the romance.

The problem isn't the actors fault as both are very good. Jennifer Lawrence is Aurora and is as good as ever, while Chris Pratt dials down the charm and comedy we are used to seeing from him, resulting in a more dramatic performance. Michael Sheen plays the android bartender Arthur, dispensing typical bartender's advice, even if the look and setting does, perhaps, owe a little to the bar in The Overlook Hotel of The Shining. Sheen plays the part with charm and class. Laurence Fishburne plays Mancuso, and does the best he can with brief screentime, while Andy Gracia's role is so small and wordless most of it is in the trailer!

The film is directed by Morten Tyldum (director of the excellent film Headhunters), who handles the material well, creating, with the use of some excellent CGI some impressive moments, such as Aurora in a water bubble when the gravity fails. He manages to handle both the romance aspect and the action climax well indeed.

The score from Thomas Newman isn't bad, the sets are good and as mentioned, the visual effects are impressive. I know it can can be seen in both 2D and 3D. I saw it in 2D and can't say the 3D wouldn add anything to the film.

However, everything good in this film is letdown by that plot detail. The writing credit is for Jon Spaihts. Now whether he did all the writing or whether some rewriting was done,  ultimately that central plot point is never overcome in anyway to make the romance side of the film work at all. As a result, the film for all the good things in there, the film is unforgivably a fundamentally, fatally flawed film.

Passengers is not a terrible film. But that plot point turns what might have been, potentially, a good romantic drama, instead into a creepier film that the makers obviously intended.

A shame really.

Rating - 2/5