Catching Up with Passengers
Tonight I finally went to my local theater, the one with the recliners, to see "Passengers" with Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. We, as you might have guessed, are science fiction fans and this film was on our definite must see in theater list. It is a beautiful film which was probably even more so if you got the opportunity to see it in IMAX. There were shots that made it seem as though you we...re in the starscape.
It is an interesting film, but if you aren't a sci-fi fan you might want to hold off and watch this in the comfort of your home. It feels much longer than it is because of the epic scenery that the filmmakers linger on. Kind of like 2001, except the ship's computer isn't actively trying to kill the passengers. There is some good character development once you get past the weird sense of no time passing at all. At least until Chris Pratt's character actually says that he's been awake for a year and three weeks. Later the audience is told that the passengers have been awake for two years.
The film was stitched together with great care to incorporating the location into the overall story. You can feel the distance between the ship and Earth and their complete isolation. You are also left in awe of the beauty of space. Overall, it was lovely to see on the big screen and sci-fi fans will want to see it the same way.
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It is an interesting film, but if you aren't a sci-fi fan you might want to hold off and watch this in the comfort of your home. It feels much longer than it is because of the epic scenery that the filmmakers linger on. Kind of like 2001, except the ship's computer isn't actively trying to kill the passengers. There is some good character development once you get past the weird sense of no time passing at all. At least until Chris Pratt's character actually says that he's been awake for a year and three weeks. Later the audience is told that the passengers have been awake for two years.
The film was stitched together with great care to incorporating the location into the overall story. You can feel the distance between the ship and Earth and their complete isolation. You are also left in awe of the beauty of space. Overall, it was lovely to see on the big screen and sci-fi fans will want to see it the same way.
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Spoilers below! Breaking down some of the plot holes.
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Like most Sci-fi films there are some significant plot holes such as why a suspension pod failure wouldn't have triggered a protocol to awaken a member of the onboard medical crew or why, when the deck chief's pod failed, he didn't immediately awaken the captain or head of engineering. For the average audience member it might be enough to accept a hibernation hangover for the second and general ship failures for the first.
What you do get to see is how the first passenger deals with be woken too early. As "Jim," Chris Pratt initially starts with trying to access help onboard and by sending a message to the corporation responsible for the ship, voyage, and the colony on the other end. As time slips by, he loses himself until he literally runs into a beautiful woman. At a loss for anything else to do with his time he looks her up in the database.
What happens next is a fascinating descent into a choice there appears to be no going back from. Think about the question: if you are on a desert island and could pick someone to join you, but both of you would live out the remainder of your lives on that island would you? If you've seen the previews then you know what choice Jim ultimately makes. It is what happens after that which is such fun to watch. Again, think the last two or only two people left alive would you fall in love or hate each other?
What you do get to see is how the first passenger deals with be woken too early. As "Jim," Chris Pratt initially starts with trying to access help onboard and by sending a message to the corporation responsible for the ship, voyage, and the colony on the other end. As time slips by, he loses himself until he literally runs into a beautiful woman. At a loss for anything else to do with his time he looks her up in the database.
What happens next is a fascinating descent into a choice there appears to be no going back from. Think about the question: if you are on a desert island and could pick someone to join you, but both of you would live out the remainder of your lives on that island would you? If you've seen the previews then you know what choice Jim ultimately makes. It is what happens after that which is such fun to watch. Again, think the last two or only two people left alive would you fall in love or hate each other?
For me this is the biggest plot hole. The writer, rather than deal with the trauma that Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence) has been subjected to, chose to drop that line and get back to the ship wide failures. Of course, the cascade failure is an extinction level event for the passengers and crew and requires immediate attention. Aurora chooses to let go of her hurt and anger to tell Jim, "you die, I die," just as he's about to sacrifice his life for the good of all. This is classic story architecture and allows the audience to forgive his heinous crime along with Aurora.
I would have liked to see more time spent with Aurora as she coped with her trauma. Ultimately, the characters choose love and staying awake together rather than attempting to wake more crew members to return both to their hibernation pods. With all of that said, it was a beautiful film with great photography and decent character development.
I would have liked to see more time spent with Aurora as she coped with her trauma. Ultimately, the characters choose love and staying awake together rather than attempting to wake more crew members to return both to their hibernation pods. With all of that said, it was a beautiful film with great photography and decent character development.
