Passengers

Morten Tyldum's next feature after the critically acclaimed The Imitation Game is a high profile starrer with sound casting! One may argue about star power, but hey, that's the factor that fuels the show financially! Plus, it's always nice to see a familiarly accessible actor onscreen. The only question becomes, is this factor coupling up with a superb story?

To get the positives out first, the concepts in this film are telegenic. Despite its hollowness, the Starship Avalon's design is fanciful, be it the exterior or interior. Technologically speaking, the hibernation pods, classification via expertise, Auto-Doc & food machines are well done. The idea of colonial planets is an afresh decoration for a pre-existing notion.

The movie springs open by stirring curiosity. Why is Jim Preston (Chris Pratt) the only passenger who is awake? When we learn he woke up too soon, panic rushes in us as it did him. Things are scary now. You could feel his urgency. You tend to pity the main character. You could understand his suicidal thoughts.

Here's where the picture gets really interesting. Jim meeting Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence) is outrageously random. But, when he decides to 'pull the other person with him while he was drowning', we see the rise of a real morale crisis here! As the presentation progresses, the script manages to convince us on the doings of a desperate man at desperate times. After all he is human, not God. He just acted selfish as how any humans would do, though it's slightly outstretched for the regular ones. We should be glad it became the core topic of the story, leading to a throttling mid-point! The romance prior to that, was loosely handled.

Where the film falters is during its Third Act. There's a fit buildup fairly towards a mystery surrounding the spaceship's malfunction, which is the cause to Jim's misery in the first place. When you find out it built to nothing, the disappointment is great! Some technical affair is not going to satisfy audiences who couldn't care less! If the asteroid hit was not shown in the beginning, the ending would have existed meaningfully.

Laurence Fishburne's role was used as a mere plot device. The android bartender is a fine nod to The Shining, but only the makers would know why his movements seem fast-forwarded? Superhero stunts by Jim by withstanding a steel door with bare hands or blocking hot flame with a shield took away any seriousness left lingering.

Nevertheless, Thomas Newman's soundtrack is good. The gorgeous sight when the protagonist jumps off the Avalon to catch a breath of the galaxy's air is to die for. Something about the oblivion of space makes you feel magical & mystical.