Passengers: A Review

From time to time, we'll post a review about a movie we will be showing at the Rex II Theater. Our reviews are spoiler-free, so they may be somewhat thin on plot points. We won’t reveal anything you won’t have discovered from trailers. We won't review all movies. We'll just do it occasionally when we feel the movie warrants it.  This is one of those movies.

Passengers: What is it?

Passengers is a Science Fiction Thriller/Drama set in the future. The Starship Avalon is en route to a far-away planet (How far?  The trip takes 120 years...so, pretty far.) loaded with 5000+ passengers set to populate the Homestead Colony when something goes Terribly Wrong.

Passengers: Who's in it?

Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne

Passengers: Similar Movies

The Martian, Gravity

Passengers: Is it suitable for my child?

Only you can make that call. IMDB has a section on the Passengers listing called “Parents Guide” where content is analyzed by parents. May include spoilers.

Passengers: Why should you see it?

If you’ve read any reviews about "Passengers" lately the reviewers probably shredded it to pieces. Why? Here's a theory: Because it's getting bad reviews. There seems to be a trend these days where once someone rips into something the "cool" thing to do is to follow suit. That thing becomes somewhat of a whipping post for people to vent frustrations and all of a sudden the newest fun thing to do is to insult that thing. And it snowballs out of control. The reverse is also true. Have you ever wondered why something is suddenly incredibly popular and you can find no good reason for it to be so? Probably because someone influential said it was the best thing ever, it became an Event, people jumped on the bandwagon, and years later thrift stores are full of Furbies. (You know, for example.)

So, back to Passengers....

It has two of the biggest stars in the world right now. (Sure that doesn't always make movie magic...remember "The Devil's Own?" Probably not.) Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence have to almost exclusively carry entire movie, and they do so admirably. They have a nice believable chemistry in the "talky bits" and both are more than capable of pulling off the "actiony bits."  In a key supporting role, Michael Sheen manages to be incredibly charming as a robot.

The first half of the movie deals with isolation after a meteor strike causes mechanical failures and leaves two passengers awake 90 years before their allotted time. Small glitches sprinkled throughout the first hour indicate that the meteor strike may have caused more damage though, and the last half of the movie is where most of the action comes in.

Is it the Greatest Movie Ever Made? No. Is it the Best Movie You’ve Ever Seen? Maybe. You won’t know unless you see it. The drama is there. The tension is there. It may force you to ask what you would do in a similar situation. But most importantly, the movie will entertain you for two hours. And really...that's why we go to the movies, isn't it?

Passengers: Our Rating

On a scale of 1 - 10 Androids...we give it...

7 Androids!

This blog is opinion, not fact. And should be treated as such.