Movie Review: “Passengers” is a hit-and-miss sci-fi love story

Movie Review: “Passengers” (PG-13)

“Passengers” is a pretty movie starring pretty people, there’s no doubt about that. The question is, do the star appeal and cast chemistry rise above the clunky writing at the center of this latest epic from “The Imitation Game” director Morten Tyldum? Almost, but not quite.

In “Passengers,” Chris Pratt is Jim Preston, a mechanical engineer who awakens 90 years early from his hibernation pod while on a 120-year journey aboard a spacecraft called the Avalon. Unaware of how or why his pod malfunctioned, Jim spends just over 12 months wandering the halls of the enormous spacecraft in complete and utter solitude. Not an easy position to be in, particularly when taking into consideration that he’s in the presence of 4,999 other passengers who still sleep peacefully in their pods. The only individual this lonely and emotionally distraught engineer has to keep him company is an android bartender called Arthur (played by Michael Sheen).

As expected, Jim has plenty of dark thoughts as he spends his days coming to the cryptic realization that he’ll grow old and die on the Avalon without ever again experiencing the essential sensation that is human interaction. Lucky for Jim, though, he gets a new lease on isolated life in the form of journalist Aurora Lane, another passenger who awakens early from her hibernation pod. Also lucky for Jim, Aurora looks just like Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence. After a cute courtship, Jim and Aurora bond famously until a couple of serious revelations threaten not only their blossoming relationship but the spacecraft they now call home.

As stated at the top of the review, Tyldum relies heavily on the appeal of his two shooting stars to carry the weight of the movie on their shoulders. Pratt fares best, bringing a surprising level of emotional weight to the table — but then, he’s given an extra 20 minutes or so of screen time to do so. Pratt’s charm is incredibly important in “Passengers,” because Jim commits an act of questionable character in this movie, and it’s Pratt’s natural likability that will likely keep most viewers from wishing certain death upon him. As for Lawrence, she’s solid too, bringing energy and a much needed sense of anger to the proceedings. A key moment of contention between Aurora and Jim is among the most honest and powerful scenes in the entire film.

“Passengers” sort of plays like “Cast Away” meets the Garden of Eden in space if it were written by Nicholas Sparks. There’s the sense of isolation and the tale of a man and a woman who might just be the key to humanity. Beyond that, there’s no doubt that a great deal of “Passengers” will go over like gangbusters to those of us who are old fashioned romantics at heart, and there’s nothing at all wrong with that.

In addition to the romance, though, there’s a moral dilemma at the core of this movie, and while this key element drives the majority of the plot, at times this moral dilemma is almost treated like a poor sitcom-level contrivance. What’s more, it’s frustrating the fashion in which the script dictates that by the end of the movie we side with Jim. The majority of what happens in the final act suggests that Jim’s questionable decision early on in the film, was the right decision, and that sort of undermines the thought-provoking nature of the moral dilemma in the first place.

On the brighter side, Tyldum has fashioned a gorgeous production to be sure. “Passengers” has a stunning look that recalls the likes of  “Gravity,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “Alien.” The production designers have spared absolutely no expense, and their brilliantly detailed work is beautifully complimented by Thomas Newman’s lovely score. If only the pacing and the writing measured up. Save for a stunning space-walk sequence and a thrilling zero-gravity swimming pool set piece, much of “Passengers” moves at a fairly slow clip.

Furthermore, there are simply too many baffling moments of absolute convenience in this movie. Putting aside the notion that of all the the hibernation pods that could fail its the one containing a mechanical engineer that ultimately malfunctions, look no further than another character in the film whose seemingly sole purpose is to explain away a bit of vital plot exposition, never to be heard from again.

Elsewhere, there are moments in this picture that, quite frankly, make very little sense. When Jim awakens from his hibernation pod, the Avalon’s automated computer system seems to be working under the assumption that all 5,000 passengers are awake. For such an expensive and well thought-out piece of technical hardware, this particular automated control system doesn’t seem to be very intelligent. Or look at a visually stunning sequence in which that same automated system recommends that the passengers on board the Avalon take a moment to witness a breathtaking slingshot maneuver around a star, a moment that makes virtually no sense when you take the time to consider that all the passengers are supposed to be asleep for 120 years. Why is this recommendation even programmed into the ship’s computer when said slingshot maneuver is happening 30 years into the journey?

As for the climax of the film, it leaves a bit to be desired as an act of absolute heroism is diminished by the cop-out scene that follows. Thankfully, the final image in “Passengers” does serve as a nice rebound and drives the Garden of Eden theme home.

In the end, Tyldum is a terrific filmmaker, and he’s working with a wonderful cast and crew, but it all starts with the story, and from a script standpoint, “Passengers” feels a little undercooked. It certainly isn’t a bad movie, but with provocative, heartfelt sci-fi fare like “Arrival” and the kickass outer-space action stylings of “Rogue One” still playing in theaters, it’s clear that you have more effective choices out there to meet your sci-fi loving needs. And if it’s romance overflowing with undeniable star appeal that you crave, then “La La Land” is the ticket.

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