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Passengers (2016)

Passengers (2016)  

49 members have voted

  1. 1. What grade would you give Passengers (2016)?

    • A
      14
    • B
      16
    • C
      12
    • D
      5
    • F
      3


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I don't quite get all the hate that this film gets... I can also think of great number of recent alleged sci-fi films that don't deserve a minute of one's time, yet they are cherished and loved.

In any case, I went to see Passengers with high expectations. Both  Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt  were very good in this film - good enough to immerse me in the story (unlike most other alleged sci-films these days). I've been a fan of Michael Sheen ever since I saw him in Midnight in Paris where he was brilliant also, and his performance in Passengers was so good that it is easy to forget that this synthetic robot with a plastic smile is brought to you by a thespian. What a performance! Worth seeing just for that alone.

The story is by now well known, due to spoilers being given away like candy during Halloween and partly due to (leaked?) script that was posted a while ago. Most importantly: the film has been changed from the original script and for the better.

The thing that I liked about this film is that first of all - it is not stupid. I did not have to put an extra effort to suspend my disbelief. Yes there may be one or two occasions when I knew that "such would be almost impossible" but even then, there is also an option that the situation had something that we, the viewers may not be aware of. For instance, the sudden loss of gravity would require sudden stopping of the rotation of the ship; that would require enormous amount of energy, otherwise things don't just stop in space. But, who knows - maybe the ship did decide to stop the rotation? So not entirely impossible (this is not a spoiler because the official trailer clearly suggests loss of gravity).

The drama of the film is obviously based on the fact that two passengers woke up too early during their cross-universe trip. No matter what you think of the morality of how that all happened, remember this is a film and not televangelism. In other words: political correctness stops where character portrayal starts.  I liked that Pratt woke up Lawrence, but struggled with his decision to do so.  But here was a guy all alone for more than a year.  And then there's the beautiful Lawrence, just waiting to be awaken.  I think many of us would make the same choice.  

In the end, I can say that there was plenty to enjoy in this film, from excellent visuals to great performances all around. It's a fantastic story about the decisons we make as humans. We are a flawed species even if we mean well.

If you are looking for an interesting story, with an interesting premise, and no cringe-worthy "even kids know this is impossible" moments, than this is for you.

ps. I loved the attention to detail which translated to some really cute and funny scenes

 

8.5/10

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I thought Passengers was a good action sci fi film with some great performances, it wasn't perfect but it was fun. Jennifer Lawrence was my MVP as Aurora the film felt like it went into high gear when she was introduced and she felt more well rounded as a character then Pratts character to me. Visuals were great, I loved the look of the ship as it moved. 
Would score it an A- it's a little simplistic but I kind of want to watch it again soon. 

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I also agree that when Jennifer Lawrence gets introduced in the movie it really picks it up into high gear. In fact from her introduction to the end of the movie it's probably a nine out of ten for me. It was just a little tiny bit slow before she got there.

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I also thought it was better than the reviews would have suggested. It's not perfect but I think a lot of the hate stems from the way Aurora and Jim come to meet, which is unjustified in my opinion.

 

He's been without human contact for over a year, he has all day everyday by himself, why wouldn't he watch the passenger videos and find out more about the people on the ship. He debated waking her up for months before he did it as well so I don't get the politically correct "its misogynistic and creepy" talk.

 

The two had good chemistry together, Pratt is likable as usual and Lawrence looks like shes actually putting in a bit of effort here which she doesn't always do (Apocalypse).

 

I'd recommend it for someone looking for a light sci-fi that doesn't take itself too seriously.

 

7/10

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4 hours ago, ainsleyb said:

It's not perfect but I think a lot of the hate stems from the way Aurora and Jim come to meet, which is unjustified in my opinion.

 

I agree, and I think a lot of that backlash has to do with people wanting to distance themselves from what Jim does. None of us would like to admit that we might do the same thing under those circumstances. We'd all like to think we wouldn't, but it's impossible to say. If he's a monster, rather than a normal person like anyone else, then we have less in common with him and don't have to face the possibility that we may be no different. I thought Pratt did a stellar job making me empathize with Jim. I'm not trying to excuse what he did, but no matter what you think of him, I don't see how you can't feel for him and understand how he makes his decision.

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7 hours ago, ainsleyb said:

I also thought it was better than the reviews would have suggested. It's not perfect but I think a lot of the hate stems from the way Aurora and Jim come to meet, which is unjustified in my opinion.

 

He's been without human contact for over a year, he has all day everyday by himself, why wouldn't he watch the passenger videos and find out more about the people on the ship. He debated waking her up for months before he did it as well so I don't get the politically correct "its misogynistic and creepy" talk.

 

The two had good chemistry together, Pratt is likable as usual and Lawrence looks like shes actually putting in a bit of effort here which she doesn't always do (Apocalypse).

 

I'd recommend it for someone looking for a light sci-fi that doesn't take itself too seriously.

 

7/10

 

The storyline is driving the critical response, but I am totally with the critics. Jim took Aurora's life away from her. Even if he debated and was in a hard place, that's someone agency and their dreams. That choice and the way a movie treats it warrants scrutiny. If the movie conveyed the costs and tragedy that entailed,  and did it so in a thoughtful and emotionally resonant way, that would be interesting and potentially powerful. But, "Chris Pratt was in a hard place, debated it, and it is all good fun" glosses over consent and morality.

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21 minutes ago, superweirdo87 said:

 

The storyline is driving the critical response, but I am totally with the critics. Jim took Aurora's life away from her. Even if he debated and was in a hard place, that's someone agency and their dreams. That choice and the way a movie treats it warrants scrutiny. If the movie conveyed the costs and tragedy that entailed,  and did it so in a thoughtful and emotionally resonant way, that would be interesting and potentially powerful. But, "Chris Pratt was in a hard place, debated it, and it is all good fun" glosses over consent and morality.

 

He does attempt to redeem his decision though, twice. He puts himself in front of the fire to save Aurora and he then gives her the opportunity to go back into hybernation. She realises at that point that she has found someone that can make her life worthwhile in a way that she couldn't find on earth. 

 

The morality issue isn't really addressed because I thought it was posing the question to the audience, if you were a man would you have done the same to have female company for the rest of your life and if you're a woman, could you forgive him for taking your life away even if you were in love with him.

 

I found it a much more thoughtful and interesting storyline than, they both woke up at the same time and fell in love, which was what I went in expecting.

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He didn't take her life away from her, he gave her life.  She was miserable on Earth, as witnessed in her videos with her friends.  She was going to die one way or the other, either on the new planet or with Jim.  I understand her being upset at first but I also understand why he did it and if the roles were reversed, she would have done the exact same thing, if she had the mental capacity to do so.  Surviving on a ship for the rest of your life by yourself would be next to impossible.  Especially when you have 5000 other people there with you.  And that's the golden carrot.  He struggles with his decision but ultimately he makes a selfish but necessary decision.

 

And here's the kicker.  If he did not wake her up, they all would have died anyway.  All 5000+ on board.  It took two people to fix the ship when it was under duress.  So you can say that it was almost an act of fate that brought them together.  If he let her sleep, she would have died, in her sleep and peacefully no doubt, but she still would have died.

 

So I don't see why anyone should be mad at him.

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That wasn't too bad at all, surprised how much I enjoyed it. It's exactly what I expected from the trailers - big glossy blockbuster date movie. Overall it's a very well crafted film, solid stuff from Tyldum, Lawrence and Pratt. For the most part (memory is sort of hazy but from my memory of it) it's that script brought to life. The highlights really were Fishburne and Sheen (who nearly stole the whole show), the production design and Thomas Newman. The fact that everything is just surface level with a lot of sci-fi tropes used is to be honest just fine with me, that's what the film strives for and it's executed well, in the end it's just fun and enjoyable. Now - that twist or whatever you want to call it. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the reaction to it. I take it the problem with is is that 1. it's the most compelling un cliche/glossy thing the film has to offer and 2. it's only 2/3 of the way developed and could've been fully followed through with one simple change which the film actually hints at, but where the film leaves it makes this point a problem. I admit my memory of the script is hazy but if the ending is the same, why didn't people take vocal issue with it back when people were gushing all over the script?

Anyway, does not deserve that 33% RT.

7/10

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I think the movie would have worked better if he had the ability to wake up a passenger without knowing which one he'd wake up. The problem for me isn't so much him wanting to wake someone up because he wants a friend and doesn't want to die alone. That makes sense and I understand.

 

The problem for me is that he wants her as a sexual partner. He picks the hottest girl he can find, he reads her files, decides he is in love with her and never considers anyone else. No, this is the perfect girl for him. And he won't wake up anyone else because that doesn't benefit him (competition) and of course she has no say in the matter. What happens if she doesn't like him back or is not attracted to him? There is no other man for her to choose from. And what if she isn't looking for a boyfriend anyway? What if writing about this new planet is her first priority?

 

The fact that they made him want her as girlfriend/sex partner from the start is what ruined it for me. That turns it into a consent debate.

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 Well if he did not  wake up Jennifer there's no movie. And obviously her physical attributes were something he was attracted to but he deafinitely fell in love with her mind. I personally don't understand why people have a problem with this. It's part of the movie it's not real life. It shouldn't take away your enjoyment of the film .

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It's entertaining but it's so timid in delving deep into the themes it initially presents. It could have been fantastic but instead it's entertaining with a horrible character turn in the third act. He essentially took her life and yet she decides she's best suited to live off her years with him even when she had the chance in the end to go back to sleep?

 

I'm all for love and I'm sure it would have been difficult but he lost any moral ground by waking her up...

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10 hours ago, Christmas Baumer said:

 Well if he did not  wake up Jennifer there's no movie. And obviously her physical attributes were something he was attracted to but he deafinitely fell in love with her mind. I personally don't understand why people have a problem with this. It's part of the movie it's not real life. It shouldn't take away your enjoyment of the film .

 

I didn't say she should not wake up. I just think they could have solved the consent dilemma if he had no choice in who would wake up. The reason I take issue with him falling in love with her and finding her attractive is because that is essentially why he wakes her up. Because he wants her as a lover/girlfriend/wife. She has no say in the matter and is then lied to when she wakes up and throughout the relationship until a robot tells her the truth. But this is only one of many problems with the film.

 

Another huge issue is the fact that it was sold as an action film and it's not. There is very little action. I assumed by the trailer that the ship was being attacked or invaded. This never happens. They don't even bother making the company evil. There is no antagonist. It's quite boring. 

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I loved the movie. Hated the ending, Aurora should have kissed his ass goodbye. 

 

Beautiful visuals and great score. Excellent acting, especially from JLaw. Sheen and Fishburne were great, too.

 

Hella glad she beat his ass once she found out he woke her up.

 

Really enjoyed the story overall.

 

+10 for Pratt's ass, twice. -7 for the ending where she stayed with him.

 

83% (B) 

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This is one half a good movie and one half a bad movie that adds up to a mediocre movie overall. I was actually with it for the first half (despite the Chris Pratt's character's questionable choices that makes the romance part of the movie a turn off), but then the second half dissolves into big-budget spectacle mostly thrown in because studio brass yelled "this expensive starry sci-fi romance doesn't have any action scenes! Add 'em!" The effects are great, but I was never invested in the characters, which the actors fail to draw much interest from: I thought Jennifer Lawrence was fine despite some moments of overacting, but Pratt is even more miscast here than he was in The Magnificent Seven (I'm starting to wonder if he really doesn't have much acting range). Outshining both of them is Michael Sheen in a supporting performance as a robot, but even his character doesn't fully live up to his scene-stealing potential. Overall, this left me feeling indifferent despite some nifty special effects (even though the spaceship looks like it could've been a unused sketch from WALL-E). C

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