REVIEW: PassengersBy Quinn OxleyDecember 24, 2016Being an introvert, the idea of waking up alone on a huge spaceship sounds like the perfect life. Being alone on a huge spaceship with Chris Pratt is a pretty close second, though.

30 years into the 120-year migration to the earthlike Homestead II, mechanic Jim Preston is accidentally awakened from stasis. Unable to go back to sleep, he must deal with the crushing loneliness that solitude heaps upon him – until, of course, he happens upon an idea…

Passengers starts off with an enveloping first act; the world in which these characters exist is immersive and gorgeous to look at. Quite frankly, the setting is a large part of what makes the film enjoyable. The second act, though, hobbles on somewhat of an uneven footing, and the third act devolves into a kind of paint-by-numbers project. Still relatively entertaining, given; just predictable. It could have been less so with a perspective change, but I suppose I can’t fault a film for what it didn’t do, creatively speaking.

Aside from the setting, the film’s largest asset is the ethical dilemma it presents you with. Without giving anything away, much of the tension derives from an intriguing moral situation in which the protagonist finds himself, and the thought-provoking question behind it is enough to get your mind whirring. The movie asks a lot of questions that it expects the audience to answer for themselves.

On the subject of the protagonists, we have a fascinating dichotomy in our two leads. Chris Pratt, despite playing a fantastically boring Jim Preston, still carries his signature charm and, somehow, reveals his acting talent as never before. Aurora Lane, however, could have been a much more interesting character if she was written a bit better, and, perhaps, portrayed by someone other than Jennifer Lawrence. (I’m sorry, JLaw. You’ve done better.)

Is it good, though?

It’s not bad. It’s not great, and it could have been better, but it’s not bad.

Rating: 6/10

SPOILERS: Chris Pratt just can’t get those space suits to work properly, can he? Poor guy had trouble in Guardians of the Galaxy, too.

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