Sunday, July 16, 2017

Movie review: Passengers (2016)

 
 On a 120 year journey to a distant colony planet, the "Starship Avalon" experiences a malfunction which awakens passenger Jim. Realizing he may not be able to return to sleep and desperate for company, Jim awakens fellow passenger Aurora.

Jennifer Lawrence (Aurora), Chris Pratt (Jim), Michael Sheen (Arthur), Laurence Fishburne (Gus), Andy Garcia (Captain Norris).

Awakened from hibernation 30 years into a 120 year journey, Jim finds he is the only one awake on the Starship Avalon and may not be able to return to hibernation. Faced with living the remainder of his life in solitude, he decides to wake a fellow passenger for company. Would you? The remainder of the film is sci-fi-light and drama-heavy as Jim and Aurora struggle coming to terms with their situation and each other.

Acting was pretty good with both Pratt and Lawrence delivering well and appearing to work well with one another. Sheen was enjoyable and fit his role nicely. Fishburne was solid in a brief appearance. Garcia and the remainder of the cast contributed only cameo appearances or less.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are very nicely done. The film does a nice job of conveying the feeling of being on a spacecraft, including the solitude and expanse. Sets and backgrounds were solid and enjoyable with good detail and some wonderful space scenery. CGI was fitting and nicely done. Dialogue was good with nice depth. Sound and soundtrack were okay.

While Passengers is an enjoyable film, the sci-fi aspect is really not much more than a plot vehicle. This film is really a journey of ethical and moral dilemmas and is well done from that perspective. Those hoping for a strong sci-fi focus may be slightly disappointed.

Released: 2016
Reviewed: 7.3.17
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi Adventure, Romance, Drama, Sci-Fi Drama

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

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