Review: 'Passengers' is a true blend of science fiction and romance

Secret ending? No.

Running time: 116 minutes (~2 hours)

“Passengers” is a science fiction adventure romance.

Two passengers find themselves stranded on a spaceship meant to bring 5,000 hibernating people to start a human colony on a new world. With 90 years left to their trip, the two passengers slowly fall in love, even as they deal with secrets between them and a deteriorating spaceship.

It stars Chris Pratt (Jim Preston), Jennifer Lawrence (Aurora Lane), Michael Sheen (Arthur), Laurence Fisburne (Chief Gus Mancuso), and Aurora Perrineau (Celeste). It is rated PG-13.

“Passengers” is a pretty dull, nondescript title for a film that can legitimately call itself a science fiction film and a romance at the same time. Usually, such films are either a romance in a science fiction setting (where the science fiction elements get quickly forgotten) or a science fiction movie with a token love interest thrown in. It might actually be one of the few films that a couple would be willing to watch together, seeing that it appeals to two very distinctive tastes. However, the supposed twist that was promised isn’t as spectacular as you might expect.

Highlights

Science fiction aspect is consistent

“Passengers” started like every science fiction movie, with a showcase of the wonders of the future, and all sorts of hi-tech, touchscreen devices. Unlike many science fiction films though, it continues to show you how that futuristic technology is integrated into the lives of the characters, even up to the climax. The film fascinates us with this version of the future, and it truly makes you believe that this story could not have taken place in a different setting — which is the point of science fiction, isn’t it?

Chris Pratt’s solo performance

Admittedly, I’m not a fan of Chris Pratt. But I was impressed by his role as Jim Preston, the first character we meet in the movie. He carries the film by himself (well, maybe with a little robotic help) at the beginning, showing us the depths of his loneliness with only a robot bartender, Arthur (Martin Sheen), for company.

Easter eggs galore

The character names alone are filled with references to pop culture— Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence) is a writer, sharing the same surname with the journalist girlfriend of a certain super-powered alien, while her first name’s “Sleeping Beauty” reference is mentioned in the film itself. Arthur the robot bartender bears the same name as the protagonist of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Once your eyes have been opened to this, you’ll be on the lookout for similar Easter eggs. And honestly, what better genre of film is there to put lots of Easter eggs in?

Letdowns

Number of characters is in inverse proportion to the quality of the film

Ironically, or perhaps as a result of, Chris Pratt’s performance, the film gets worse when there are more characters, and better when there are fewer characters. That’s incredibly odd, because interactions and conflict are what create the drama in any film. But since the number of characters only increase as the film progresses, that means it dips in quality the further along you are. Still, it’s a good film by any standard.

Logical inconsistencies

This is a science fiction film that will be viewed by science fiction fans. Of course they will find plot holes galore. The technology is internally consistent and believable, but there are some technological functions that go unused which will make you wonder if there wasn’t a simpler way to solve their problem?

“Passengers” is a true blend of science fiction and romance.

Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.

Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? Yes, unless you dislike science fiction and romance.

Score: 3.7/5

“Passengers” opens in cinemas:
– 22 December, 2016 (Singapore)
– 29 December, 2016 (Malaysia)
– 4 January, 2017 (Philippines)

Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter. He's also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. He Tweets/Instagrams at Optimarcus and writes at marcusgohmarcusgoh.com. The views expressed are his own.