Passengers (2016)

Passengers arouses conflicted feelings as it at times tries to be somewhat comedic, romantic, a science fiction drama and even a story about survival. A commercial colony ship is making its almost 100 year long journey towards a new home for its 3000+ occupants when a malfunction causes one of the hibernation pods to awaken a lone passenger named Jim. He soon realises that he's alone except for an android, holographic displays and other technical wonders that are on the decline. He then, suffering from loneliness and a creeping awareness that something's wrong, awakens another passenger, Aurora, and they try to make the best of their situation together on the vast ship for a time, until the reality of the ship's problems and the circumstances surrounding Aurora's awakening threaten to drive the couple apart and their situation grows more dire. There is some good drama and chemistry between Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence at times, but the story puts them in an uneasy corner; is it OK to love someone who not only gained an unfair advantage over that other person (by accessing her private data while she was still in hibernation) but then condemned her to his own fate to stave off his loneliness? Perhaps the viewer isn't meant to ponder the implications of what he did, but that's part of their relationship challenges and whether they overcome that decision-and his initial lie regarding her awakening. Theirs is difficult voyage, in more ways than one. The happy ending seemed a bit too on-the-nose, for this reviewer, anyway.

Erik M.