Review of Passengers (Movie)
I was intrigued by the trailer for Passengers but didn’t get a chance to see it on the big screen. After seeing the DVD release, I’m bummed that I didn’t. Passengers is visually stunning, the ship is awesome, and the panoramas of space a thing of sci-fi wonder.
And oh, yes, then there’s the actual story.
If you saw the trailer, you know the setup. A ship full of passengers in hibernation is hurtling toward a destination that’s decades away. But someone–two someones, actually, awaken early. Much too early. Why and what happens next is the movie’s focus.
I was a bit worried going in because of complaints I’d seen. Some didn’t like the romance between the characters, mainly because they felt Jim’s character was creepy. Even going in fully aware of those complaints, I can’t say I shared that opinion. I enjoyed Jim’s character arc immensely. Watching him cope with his situation had a sort of Cast Away vibe that I found fascinating. Aurora’s reactions and motivations felt genuine and plausible, though she has less of an arc. She is still a character who undergoes a fair bit of change. Their relationship was, to me, like a well-crafted romance novel. I’ll admit I may have sniffled a bit here and there. Applause to the performances of Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, for I could barely look away from the screen.
If you like romance with lots of individual character development, especially with a sci-fi slant, definitely grab this one.