Passengers

Having enjoyed Blade Runner 2049 and its three short films, I felt the need for more sci-fi and stumbled across 2016's Passengers. Made sort of as a vehicle for its Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence but with a sci-fi twist, I was hesitant whether this would be worth sitting down for nearly two hours and the reviews were mixed on its release. There was also the added matter of whether Passenger should be seen as a sci-fi romance or as an understated thriller but this is what caught my interest.

The story follows a huge spacecraft automatically transporting humans to another planet across over a hundred years while they remain asleep, but something goes wrong which wakes up Chris Pratt and he can't get back to sleep/hibernation. Facing a grim future where he would spend the rest of his life mid-flight alone, he decides to secretly wake up another passenger. Luckily for him it's Jennifer Lawrence but herein we find the moral dilemma that asks whether what Chris did was right?

I did like Passengers for confronting this decision but there is a much better film from Lawrence's perspective that could have twisted everything around for a far more thrilling experience. But what we do get is still enjoyable and well directed. Passengers is also aided by Thomas Newman's Oscar nominated soundtrack that, while not something you will remember after watching, definitely boosted the overall film.

But what makes Passengers are the two leads who carry the film through to the conclusion. It does suffer though lacking an antagonist which would have provided more of an edge to the drama, but for anyone in search of a sci-fi flick with a romantic angle, there's enough here to satisfy.