Passengers - movie review

Passengers

Plot: A spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people has a malfunction in its sleep chambers. As a result, two passengers are awakened 90 years early.
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen
Director: Morten Tyldum
Rating: 12A (moderate threat, brief injury detail, sexual activity)
Runtime: 1hr 56 mins
Release Date: Wednesday 21st December 2016

As much as I would love to be stranded on a remote location with Jennifer Lawrence as my only company, Passengers shows that it wouldn't be as eventful as that sounds. In fact, truth be told, it makes me dislike the idea entirely. Starring undoubtedly two of the biggest Hollywood stars on the planet, all the signs had this film pointing towards success. However, similar to many films this year, this promise failed to be fulfilled. Passengers is yet another dud that spends it's time flopping around like a dying fish rather than actually doing anything worthwhile.



It would be foolish to ever say that Chris Pratt or Jennifer Lawrence are untalented because it wasn't just their pretty looks that got them into the business. They both possess obscene amounts of talent. Pratt is one of the most charismatic actors working today simply oozing likeability and Lawrence is a dime a dozen with the most endearing of personalities. So with two shining beacons of Hollywood finally starring together, why on Earth did this film never capitalise off of that? From originally being the funny man from Parks and Recreation, Chris Pratt has transformed into a brilliant leading man of all genres. His performance in Guardians Of The Galaxy and Jurassic World were brimming with confidence but his comedic touch was always there. It could be said that in many films he simply was just playing himself so it was only a matter of time before Pratt would want to stray away from being typecast. Unfortunately, Passengers was not the film to do it in. Pratt isn't bad in the film but his usual jokey persona was gravely missing from the overly serious tone creating a bewildering experience. Miscast is a strong word but considering Pratt wasn't allowed to show off his strengths, another actor might have been more appropriate. His chemistry with Lawrence however, is very effective. They work well with each other, and if it wasn't for Pratt being already married, they'd be the ideal Hollywood power couple. 

As for J-Law, who hasn't had the best of years with the underwhelming Joy and her misguided representation of Mystique in X-Men Apocalypse and now the aimless Passengers, it proves that even the best of us can have bad years. Lawrence doesn't do a bad job in this film but similar to Pratt, there's a distinct lack of characterisation. That, I feel, has more to do with the writing but with actors of their level, top notch characterisation is vital to stop the audience from simply seeing the two actors at face value. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happens with Passengers. Instead of Jim Preston and Aurora Lane, I only truly saw Chris Pratt stuck in space with Jennifer Lawrence. Therefore, at points, it does play out as a poorly conceived reality show rather than a piece of science fiction. If you've seen the trailers, you'd know that Pratt and Lawrence are primarily, the only two actors in the film. However, the trailers also show a fleeting glimpse of Laurence Fishburne. He does appear but brief doesn't even begin to describe his screentime. Ultimately, Fishburne does a fine and admirable job but I can't help but feel that his character is inconsequential and incredibly convenient for Pratt and Lawrence's characters. Another supporting role that actually seemed to really fit both the tone and the needs of the film was Michael Sheen as Arthur, the android barman. Seemingly ripped straight out of The Shining, Arthur is a kind soul who provides a warm heart and a few spirited moments in the film. Sheen is brilliant as this gentlemanly robot who remains passive and welcoming no matter how dire the situation. My only issue with Arthur were his effects, especially when moving. Possessing a sleek rotary glider, it's clear to see the footage has been sped up which makes the film seem fairly amateurish at points. Officially, that wraps up the cast analysis but something that really confused me and didn't seem necessary was the inclusion of a well-known actor who makes an appearance right at the very end of the film. It builds in such a way that when he appears, you'd think he'd do something to help the film reach a conclusion. Alas, he appears for ten seconds, says nothing then credits roll. In the screen that I was watching it in, I was aghast at how wasteful and silly his cameo was. He even received a significant billing for his appearance. It's just nonsensical.

FACT: Keanu Reeves was attached to the lead male role in the film, but dropped out. Chris Pratt was eventually cast instead.

The overall story doesn't fair much better either. It's a tale of three acts. All three of which do not blend well. The opening is a sci-fi survival, the second is a sci-fi romance and the third is a sci-fi thriller. If, and only if, there was a constant tone underneath all three acts, then Passengers could have had the potential to seem coherent and work. Sadly, the shifts in acts and their approaches are clear as day and when they happen, you aren't quite sure what's going on for a while. Then, by the time you finally get into this new act, it switches again. The opening half an hour is probably the strongest in the film. It's a singular tale about Pratt waking up and having the realisation that he's going to be alone for the rest of his life weighing down on him. In this act, we explore the ship, learn of it's capabilities and it moves at a brisk pace. Then, Jennifer Lawrence is introduced and moving her adequate performance aside, Passengers grinds to a standstill for a huge chunk of time. Her character, whilst sharing a nice relationship to Pratt, bares no significance nor help to the film. She honestly is there for someone for Pratt to communicate with. In fact, Lawrence couldn't have featured in this film at all and I'd argue it would actually be better and more interesting about one man's tale of survival. Like Cast Away in space. Nevertheless, Lawrence wakes and the connection between our two leads begins. However, before even that happens, Pratt's character is giving a major turning point. This, I fear, will determine your response to Passengers. For me, it ruins his character and makes everything else he does creepy. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, the film only focuses on this moral dilemma for a small moment before it brushes it aside thinking we'd look past the abhorrent decision he's just made. Clearly, I won't reveal his actions to avoid spoilers but I surely can't be the only one to have felt this way. The romance angle of the story is decent but it spends so much time on it that the conclusion of the film whizzes through making it basic and forgettable. It does feel like it had a completely different ending that was altered through extensive reshoots for the sake of adding some action and tension. The entire ending is off-putting and as formulaic as it comes. The whole movie itself was a big disappointment not just because of the two leads, but the director, Morten Tyldum, had previously directed The Imitation Game which was one of my top films of that year. In this, Tyldum hasn't reinvented the wheel at all and made a very safe and basic film that doesn't venture outside its boundaries. The actual ship was designed with detail and care and many of the ideas and features of the Avalon, whilst not original, are impressive. However, that too is shrouded by the disappointing and unadventurous CGI. Even the little mouse droids aren't totally creative because they seem copied by the robot from WALL.E. The film even copies the space dance that WALL.E and EVE have. 

Like its ship, Passengers spends too much time floating aimlessly resulting in a forgettable experience with no investment. The leads chemistry is one of the few positives but they still feel out of place. Ultimately, there isn't a point to this film. It drags it's feet whilst Pratt and Lawrence make out and then suddenly realises that there's a film to conclude so installs the most generic of tactics to wrap it all up.

My Verdict: 4/10

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