Plot: What’s it about?
If there was one film from last Christmas that I had so little desire to see, it would have to be Passengers. I do like Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt can have his moments, but the premise didn’t interest me in the least. That and the fact that I really don’t care for Sci-Fi films at all. That isn’t to say there aren’t some that I do enjoy, but they’re few and far between with me. Add to that the less than stellar reviews and Passengers seemed like an all too obvious dud. Still, I dragged myself to the theater during the holidays and decided to take a chance. I can’t remember exactly what it is that got me there, but regardless, I’m glad I made that decision. As it turns out, I quite enjoyed Passengers. Honestly, I’m not quite sure why most of the critics were so hard on it. What’s interesting to me as well is that despite the setting, it’s really more of a romance than a science fiction film. That’s a plus for me. It just happens to take place in space, but it never gets too bogged down in specifics. The plot is more or less straightforward. Let’s get onto the plot, shall we?
Avalon is a starship carrying some 5,000 passengers in hibernation to Homestead II. This journey is to take over 100 years. There’s a complication which accidentally wakes up one passenger some 90 years too early. This passenger is Jim Preston (Chris Pratt). Obviously, at first, he’s confused and has many questions. Since he can only ask machines, he doesn’t quite get the answer he wants. He does find friendship in a bartender named Arthur (Michael Sheen). Problem is, Arthur is an android. He looks human from the waist up, but has a robotic lower body. Arthur is a good companion for Jim at least for a while. One piece of advice he gives to Jim is to stop worrying about what he can’t control and “Live a little.” Jim takes this advice as he then orders many costly meals, drinks a lot and partakes in many extra-curricular activities. So far, so good, but remember, he still has some 90 years to go. It can be lonely for just one man. After he’s been by himself for little over a year, he comes across a pod holding Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence). He views her video profile and after some serious thought, decides to wake her up early. She’s more than a little baffled at first, and obviously upset, but eventually she and Jim hit it off and begin a nice relationship. Jim doesn’t inform her of what he actually did. In fact, I’ll choose to not reveal much more of the plot as it’s best to let the viewer discover this. Let it be said that Jim’s very decision does have consequences.
Passengers is mostly Lawrence and Pratt’s show, but Lawrence Fishburne shows up in a small role later in the film. He plays Gus, he’s an officer who also has a malfunction that wakes him up early. He gives them some advice to try and find out what exactly is going wrong. As mentioned, Passengers is more of a romance than Sci-Fi, but it does get slightly more technical in the last half. I appreciate that it doesn’t try to over complicate matters. I won’t say it’s dumbed down by any means, but it remains more accessible than most films of this sort. We know that Jim’s decision will have consequences, but not sure the extent or how Aurora will react. I like that the film respects its basic premise and doesn’t allow for easy answers or an ending that rings false. Lawrence and Pratt have nice chemistry and the film stayed with me after the credits started.
Video: How’s it look?
One of the downfalls of the new Ultra HD format has been that studios can’t seem to decide what to give the consumer. With Blu-ray it’s widely “accepted” that most offer a DVD with the Blu-ray. With this Ultra HD offering, Sony has given us that, plus the Blu-ray plus a 3D version of the movie. I don’t know if this is an exception or not, but I’m not complaining. Having said that, I did watch the movie in 4K and about half in 3D.
Moving on, I have to say that the look and feel of Passengers is just about what I expected – a serene and sterile environment that looks positively fabulous on your television. The 2.39:1 HEVC 4K image is almost heavenly. The facial hair on Chris Pratt’s chin, the LED text on the displays and the general aura in the film are all presented without fault or flaw. There are an equal amount of darkly-lit scenes that really have no problem with the shadow detail or contrast. The general atmosphere of the spaceship gives us the illusion that it’s a luxury boat coasting through space. Truly, you feel like you’re there. The 4K’s HDR gives us a bit better color rendition than its Blu-ray counterpart, though watching the Blu-ray gives nearly the same amount of detail and color. On par with Sony’s recent offerings, this is one studio that delivers the goods when it comes to the visuals.
There’s been a lot of speculation regarding 3D as a viable format. Yes, most everyone’s televisions (mine included) do 3D, but unless the film really calls for it, I prefer the 2D version. But since Sony went the extra mile and included the disc in the set, I gave it a whirl. I will say that this is one movie that you can’t “feel” it’s a 3D film. Some, when watching in 2D, you can tell that certain scenes are engineered for 3D, but not this one. That said, there are a few sequences (the anti-gravity loss) that really do take advantage of the fact. It’s more of a sublime effect watching it in 3D and it draws you into the film as opposed to showing you “Hey, look at our cool format.” This is one that should be experienced in IMAX to get the full effect, but if you’re a fan of 3D then this one will be right up your alley.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Again, some studios don’t include a next generation audio format with their 4K titles, but with Passengers, we get a Dolby Atmos soundtrack that really makes the film special. There really aren’t a whole lot of opportunities for the soundtrack to flex its muscle, but those that do are really noteworthy. The opening scene’s meteor shower is worth note as well as some in the third act that I don’t want to give away. One thing that really caught me was the surrounds and their use of atmospheric sound. With movies that take place in space (or a spaceship), I feel this really gives the added aura of being “lost”. Or maybe it’s just me? Vocals are crisp and strong and given that the movie really only has three main characters, they’re all very clearly defined. If you’re not so equipped, the TrueHD soundtrack on the Blu-ray and 4K version is nearly as impressive.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Deleted Scenes
- No New Drinks
- Memory Maker
- Tacos and Cocktails
- Kiss in the Photo Booth
- Aurora Finds Jim’s Photos
- Drunk Dial
- Gus Reveals His Past
- Gus Looks for a Solution
- Casting the Passengers – We get a broad overview of the story, but the focus seems to be on the main characters (obviously) of Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence. Various members of the cast and crew comment on the script, the actors, what led them to their respective parts and the overall impact and emphasis of the script.
- Space on Screen: The Visual Effects of Passengers – Several of the key sequences are examined like how they achieved the zero-gravity effect, how Chris Pratt was immersed in a LED “box” to give the impression he was floating through space and so forth. I can only imagine what seeing this in 3D on a movie screen must have been like – my home theater is certainly no comparison.
- On the Set with Chris Pratt – Notorious prankster and general all-around good guy Chris Pratt is given props in this feature. The cast and crew dote affection on him, praise his work ethic and are baffled at how he can be so goofy, yet so serious at the same time.
- Creating the Avalon – Chris Pratt describes the Avalon as “…part badass spaceship and part luxury cruise liner.” A rudimentary comparison, but probably an accurate one. In this segment, we get a look at the ship or moreover where the parts of the ship were built. As it turns out it was at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta. We get a sense for the rushed production, what it took to bring the ship to “life” and the effort involved in making it seem less technical and more commercial (for lack of a better term).
- Outtakes from the Set – If you’ve seen some of Chris Pratt’s pranks with Jennifer Lawrence, you’ll get a sense of what it must be like to work with the guy. Kidding aside, we get the usual shenanigans of some flubbed lines, wardrobe malfunctions and general hee-haw on the set.
- Book Passage – Four short vignettes promoting the Homestead Company. These are glorified commercials.
- Choose Your Star
- Dare to Dream
- Elite Suites
- A Flight to Remember
- Previews – Inferno, The Magnificent Seven, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, Passengers (Virtual Reality), Resident Evil: Vendetta (Video Game)
The Bottom Line
Passengers surprised me. I think the critics missed the mark on this one. I’m really not sure what they disliked about it so much, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s well-paced, has a good story and nice chemistry between the two leads. Don’t listen to the critics and check it out for yourself. I do recommend it, but I’d say rent it before making a blind purchase. It’s a solid flick that I think was too harshly criticized.
