Review of 5th Passenger (2018) by Dennis K — 10 Jul 2018

5th Passenger (2018) Review.

By Dennis Koch.

Directed by Scott Baker.

Starring Morgan Lariah, Manu Intiraymi, Tim Russ, Armin Shimerman, David Lim, Marina Sirtis, and Doug Jones.

5th Passenger is a sci-fi horror that unfolds through a very clever story device I found intriguing. It's hinted at that a catastrophic disaster on Earth has lead to a class war but the movie never quite makes it fully clear. Barring that small background story ambiguity, the elite known as Citizens have set out for a new home planet. When disaster strikes the main ship, Eve Miller (Morgan Lariah), a pregnant Non-Citizen officer, escapes in a priority class escape pod with a mixture of other class citizens only to discover survival holds more terror than they expected.

What will strike many as familiar is the resemblance to Alfred Hitchock's film, "Lifeboat". Not only do we have the Hitchcock standard of throwing very different characters together in a confined space, we also have the uncomfortable conflict of class distinction between a Citizen and a Non-Citizen.

These characters have gone beyond what could have easily stalled at caricatures: Eve and Thompson (Manu Intiraymi) share a strained past; Franklin (Tim Russ) could have stopped at being an elitist villain; I believe we would have satisfied at Li (David Lim) being a snotty, spoiled brat; and lastly, the kindly Doctor Myers (Armin Shimerman) was played with a degree of mysterious hesitancy. Each character was superbly written and managed to reach beyond typical horror film stereotypes.

It seemed to me the characters of Alana (Marina Sirtis) and Langdon (Doug Jones) seemed out of place at first. I wanted to mention that as short as each of their roles are, we discover they are the bedrock that 5th Passenger's storyline depends on.

For an indie film, 5th Passenger's amazingly CGI effects serves not only to to impress but also sets up an immediate eerie tone to the movie. Most horror films, I have noted, almost wave their arms at you to recognize them as "incredible". 5th Passenger has utilized Special Effects in a masterful way to integrate them into the telling of the story - as if the F/X were a character itself.

The music is by composer Ramin Kousha and he does a fine job at setting an ominous tone and the music is fantastic. The problem is that there too much music where there is no need for music and at times it actually interferes with the dialogue with its low baritones and chords.

We do not have to wait long for the mystery of the story to unwind as the pod's one way of being rescued becomes their deadliest enemy. It's a terrifying ride and has a climax that will shock most everyone. Sorry, no spoilers.

All in all, I enjoyed 5th Passenger and I do believe that the viewer will as well. The movie moves fast, giving you short breaks to catch your breath. The visuals are stunning. The wonderful veteran performances are mastered with less is more. Sit back and just enjoy the ride because 5th passenger is bound to become one of your favourite movies.