Review of Passengers (2016) by Mark G — 05 Feb 2017

'Passengers' succeeds in keeping a hold on its audience till the end.

It has received some hostile reviews because the film creates empathy for the protagonist (Chris Pratt's Jim), who makes a terrible decision which basically sentences Jennifer Lawrence's character (Aurora) to live the rest of her life trapped on a spacecraft. However, drama has traditionally focused on heroes who make a disastrous decision or commit a terrible act and then have to suffer the consequences. Pratt does get a chance to redeem himself, which is what we the audience are expecting and the film does play with our expectations of whether he will pay with his life. Maybe if the film had explored the theme of forgiveness, it could have gained some emotional heft, and appeased those critics who were appalled by the film's premise.

The film has many positives. Great casting and chemistry between the actors. Stunning set design and cinematography. Passengers is never less than entertaining.

Perhaps other, better, sci-fi films, such as 'The Martian' and 'Arrival' stole its thunder at the box office, but 'Passengers' is still a film worth paying to see. Recommended.