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Since 1972, Elton John has been able to observe how lonely it is out there in space, according to his observations. This is something Jim Preston, the character played by Chris Pratt in the film “Passengers,” learns the hard way. If you’re in a hibernation pod on the spaceship Avalon, it’s because the ship (which looks like a hybrid of a couple of crafts from “2001: A Space Odyssey” that’s embraced by a helix) is going through a meteor shower, you’re probably wondering what Jim’s doing there. This causes his hibernation pod to open, which causes the craft to be jarred. He realizes something terrible has happened after a short period of time spent awake and enjoying the amenities of the massive ship (which carries 5,000 passengers to assist in the colonization of the new world and is fully stocked for a four-month period during which the sleepers are awake to get acclimated to their soon-to-be home). In spite of the fact that he was awakened after only 30 years in space, the Avalon will not arrive at Homestead II for another 89 years.
Jim is a little taken aback by this. On the ship, he does have one companion, an android bartender named Arthur, who is played by Michael Sheen. However, because Jim, an engineer, is not particularly bookish (had his character been more like Burgess Meredith in that “Twilight Zone” episode about the last man on Earth and a library, we would not have a movie here), he runs out of high-tech things to occupy his time over the course of a year and ends up in a mental institution. He consumes far too much alcohol. He begins to grow a beard. (Or, more accurately, Pratt is fitted with a very unconvincing beard, à la Kurt Russell in “The Thing,” which does not suit the actor in the least.) And then he develops a romantic interest in another sleeper, one who looks exactly like Jennifer Lawrence and is played by Jennifer Lawrence, which is appropriate given her appearance. He learns about her—her name is Aurora Lane, she’s a writer, and no one in her life has ever noticed that her name sounds like a thoroughfare—dreams about her, and eventually makes a very ill-advised decision about whether or not to pursue her further. He rouses her from her sleep.
He makes it appear as if it was an accident, he sympathizes with her as she freaks out, and he works to strengthen their friendship. Humbert once said of one of his protégées, “You see, she had absolutely nowhere else to go,” and he was absolutely correct. Despite this, the film is a little hesitant in terms of developing their relationship. However, the film is always a little coy where it is customary to be a little coy, just as it hits the most predictable beats while hammering its way to a conclusion that is as egregiously contrived and corny as it is predictable.
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As directed by Morten Tyldum, who previously directed the prestige film “The Imitation Game” in 2014, this film is even more meticulous and devoid of personality than the Alan Turing biopic, which is a testament to his talent. The film moves at a surprisingly slow pace for a feature film. The cliché-laden script—during one conversation with Aurora, Jim asks “Can’t slogans be true?” which I believe to be a question that screenwriter Jon Spaihts has asked himself in real life—requires, of course, that Aurora discover Jim’s deception before the film can be completed. That is exactly what she does, and it was at this point in the film that I felt compelled to check my watch, and I was surprised to discover that we were only an hour into this 116-minute epic.
Passengers Quiz
The chemistry between Pratt and Lawrence, despite their individual charms as performers, is extremely questionable. It doesn’t matter how buff Pratt gets, his stage presence always has an indelible “which way did he go, George?” haplessness to it, but that haplessness is tinged with a certain amount of entitled bro-ness. This makes Jim’s heinous action—”You murdered me,” an indignant Aurora screams at him, and she is absolutely correct—appear even more despicable than it would have if Jim had been played by an actor who exuded a genuine creepy aura.
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It gets worse from here. While their relationship was blossoming, the ship’s systems were malfunctioning, which they were completely unaware of. Things begin to deteriorate just as another figure, whose casting choice I’d like to believe was a nod to Paul W.A. Anderson’s “Event Horizon,” but which is most likely just a coincidence, appears to offer advice on repairing the craft’s nuclear core and other matters. Although Aurora observes that they are “stranded on a sinking ship,” the pair engages in all manner of Mr. Fix It shenanigans, complete with explosive bolts flying everywhere and various sacrifices being proposed, made and then rescinded by filmmakers who care nothing more than for Aurora and Jim to have the best make-up sex ever.
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Even though the film’s zero-gravity sequence is extremely elaborate (it involves an entire swimming pool’s water rising out of its enclosure, wowie-zowie), it reminded me of how much better the film “2001” did it, which is to say that it is far superior to the movie. And I’m not even going to get into the elephant in the room that “Passengers” occupies, which is the film’s egregious sexism, which I’m sure you’re all aware of. The sadistic requirement that Lawrence’s character swallow what has been done to her in exchange for Pratt’s character proving himself “worthy” is the corollary to this. Whatever your beliefs about forgiveness are, the way this film stacks the deck to get to that place is, shall we say, unforgivably cruel.Also, you must try to play this Passengers quiz.
For more personality quizzes check this: All Eyez On Me Quiz.
