Read Mixed User Reviews for Passengers (2016)

6

JyroJyroSep 27, 2017

A surprisingly original & thought provoking take on loneliness and human weakness... that is until the final act disembowels the original premise and becomes completely generic. Interestingly, it isn't a particularly good sci-fi or romanceA surprisingly original & thought provoking take on loneliness and human weakness... that is until the final act disembowels the original premise and becomes completely generic. Interestingly, it isn't a particularly good sci-fi or romance film, but it succeeds as something else completely.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

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4

DC0Mar 9, 2017

It is a drama and romance in outer space setting. No adventure. Tough moral choice is present. Creators chased themselves into a trap: they had to show how a lonely person degrades morally, unable to bear his loneliness. And this process isIt is a drama and romance in outer space setting. No adventure. Tough moral choice is present. Creators chased themselves into a trap: they had to show how a lonely person degrades morally, unable to bear his loneliness. And this process is rather boring. Though it is severely cut in the movie. But still... Average movie to watch while fast-forwarding "most psychologically intense" moments.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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5

inopinatusJan 13, 2017

Super disappointing. Wasted potential.

The first act of this film is studied and well-considered, the setup for an excellent piece of psychological drama. They then throw that foundation away for the second act and replace it withSuper disappointing. Wasted potential.

The first act of this film is studied and well-considered, the setup for an excellent piece of psychological drama.

They then throw that foundation away for the second act and replace it with ridiculous and unimaginative romance-despite-everything spaceship disaster nonsense riddled with plot holes, cinematic cliches, and preposterous situations.

It really feels like the film had two writers, the first a thoughtful student of human behaviour, the latter a hollywood idiot.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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4

MD5774Mar 12, 2017

This movie is just ok. The visuals are top notch and the space ship is one I would dream of in the future. The only problem I had with this film is , why were there only one medical pod in a whole in entire space ship? Makes no sense

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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6

Benkoko11Feb 23, 2017

Beneath the glits and glam of Passenger's polished sets and perfect looking leads is a love story that examines genuinely interesting ethical and psychological situations.

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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6

areslol1Feb 16, 2017

Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt have amazing chemistry. The visuals and CGI are beautiful. The soundtrack matches the movie perfectly. However, the movie is let down by its half thought-out plot.

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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4

chidimeFeb 4, 2017

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Could have been a great movie in the vein of Gravity, but they had to mess it up. First off, what was up with Jennifer Lawrence's manic/crazy acting when trying to revive Pratt? Damn. Scared the guns out of me. The beginning was good, but it began to unravel at the point where the bartender told Jennifer that Pratt woke her up. The final third was just a mess and a disaster. 4/10… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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4

Jess_HillJan 2, 2017

So I've discovered something new - that my jaw hurts if I spend much of a film with my teeth clenched, who'd have known! There is much to admire here, the cinematography is wonderful, the concept design is excellent and the performances areSo I've discovered something new - that my jaw hurts if I spend much of a film with my teeth clenched, who'd have known! There is much to admire here, the cinematography is wonderful, the concept design is excellent and the performances are polished and engaging. The pacing is not as fast as it should be, though that's probably to try to build tension. There are a number of charming moments; Lawrence and Pratt are excellently matched, but then we come to the storyline, and it is here where there is much to despise. There are a number of pivotal moments which, had they gone another way, arguably any other way, this could have been redeemed. It didn't so it isn't, and that is maddening and disappointing in equal measure. To avoid spoilers I'll simply leave it with this: No. 4.03/10… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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4

Rebecca31Dec 30, 2016

Thousands of passengers are on a 120 year journey to colonise a new planet but Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence wake up from their transportation pods 90 years too early and cue the dramatic music cause honestly the soundtrack is about theThousands of passengers are on a 120 year journey to colonise a new planet but Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence wake up from their transportation pods 90 years too early and cue the dramatic music cause honestly the soundtrack is about the best thing in this movie. Hidden within this boring mess was an interesting story that unfortunately never gripped me or made me feel anything for the characters. Chris and Jen have very little chemistry together and their whole relationship seemed forced and fake.
All this movie achieved was it constantly reminded me of other space related movies that I actually enjoyed. So well done Passengers. If you’re looking for a film to put you right to sleep well is this the movie for you, sweet dreams.… Expand

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

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4

Jack97Dec 21, 2016

Passengers features fantastic production design and impressive visual effects. However, this is a romance film. And the romance between Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence was hit and miss. You care about the couple at parts, and since thePassengers features fantastic production design and impressive visual effects. However, this is a romance film. And the romance between Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence was hit and miss. You care about the couple at parts, and since the whole film is riding on this it really sinks the whole thing as the film doesn't fully deliver what it sets out to achieve. Add this to the list of disappointments in 2016.… Expand

6 of 11 users found this helpful65

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4

Tss5078Jan 10, 2017

...and the award for the most disappointing film of 2016 goes to Passengers! I can't tell you how long I waited for this movie to come out, it was at the top of my must see list for months, and I was more excited to see this than almost any...and the award for the most disappointing film of 2016 goes to Passengers! I can't tell you how long I waited for this movie to come out, it was at the top of my must see list for months, and I was more excited to see this than almost any other film this year. For those unfamiliar with the story, five thousand passengers are in suspended animation for one hundred and twenty years, as they prepare to start a new life on a brand new planet. Thirty years into the journey, there is a malfunction and two of the sleeping pods open, awakening two of the passengers ninety years early. Everything I read and saw made this look like THE film to see this year, but the truth is it was beyond boring. This malfunction that awoke them, was part of a cascade failure, meaning small failure got worse over time, years in fact, and nothing serious actually happens until the last twenty minutes of the film. Until then, it's a lot of talking, romance, sadness about how they'll waste their lives alone on this ship for nothing. This had to be why the studio paid two of the best young actors in Hollywood a ton of money to be in this thing, because they knew no matter how boring the story or bad the reviews got, people would still go to see Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence. Congratulations Columbia Pictures, it worked, you made your money on this one and yes the special effect were cool, but how many people were actually entertained by this film? I for one was not, this film come in at just under two hours long and I felt like I was sitting in the theater for a week, that right there says it all.… Expand

4 of 8 users found this helpful44

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4

SpangleJan 1, 2017

"It is as if The Notebook and Interstellar had sex and had a baby." - My cousin

I am going to write a review, but this quote really sums up everything about this film. From the creepy and morally unethical meeting (waking up Aurora vs"It is as if The Notebook and Interstellar had sex and had a baby." - My cousin

I am going to write a review, but this quote really sums up everything about this film. From the creepy and morally unethical meeting (waking up Aurora vs threatening to kill yourself in The Notebook) to the premise, time spent away from family traveling, and the gratuitous shots of the ship in space (Interstellar), Passengers is a sick concoction of the two. As neither of those films are great (Interstellar being good and The Notebook above average), it should be obvious that Passengers would wind up being disappointingly below average. Though its leads try their best, the inherently creepy nature of their romance, cliches, awful second half, and director Morten Tyldum's obsession with the Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt's asses and sex appeal derail Passengers.

The premise has been much discussed at this point, but it is certainly an engaging one. After a collision with a meteor, a spaceship traveling for 120 years to a new planet with 5,000 people aboard begins to malfunction, Jim Preston (Chris Pratt) wakes up 90 years too early. Left on his own, he finds ways to pass the time, such as speaking to the android bartender (Michael Sheen). During this portion of the film, it is certainly slow, but is entirely compelling. The audience feels Jim's isolation, desperation, and loneliness. He is just a normal guy who wanted a fresh start, but is instead dealt the worst hand possible and is left all alone on this ship. However, Passengers quickly nosedives. Though Jim knows it is morally wrong to wake up Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence), a woman he noticed and began to stalk and obsess over, he opts to wake her up anyways. Passengers then goes on to half-heartedly scold him, try and have us root for him, and seemingly draw a parallel between that action and a later one by Aurora. Spoiler, she wakes up him later on in the film. It is clear the film is about the lengths we go to in order to not be lonely, but that the end justifies the means. Fortunately, it seems that Tyldum was onto this one and knew audiences would reject this moral. Though powerless to change the story, he opted to just have Pratt rip off his shirt and Lawrence get naked (even though she does not have to strip to get into that suit, just hike up your skirt you idiot). If the plot is creepy, Tyldum gives the film a few extra sprinkles of sexy and shots of asses in order to try and distract less discerning audiences. For those still unable to forget the "moral dilemma" faced by Jim and his actions, the proceeding hour and a half or so will just get progressively creepier and, as one critic pointed out, begin to resemble Stockholm Syndrome.

However, it would be misleading to claim that the creepy nature of the romance is Passengers' only flaw. It is also incredibly cliche. With the romance being incredibly trite, the aforementioned "sexiness" is used to try and spice up the film. Instead, it only further distracts from the plot and adds nothing to the film. The romance in this film feels as though the studio loved the setting and the original premise of the film, but opted to make it more commercially viable. Thus, they cast two attractive leads and decided the innovation of the film would be to have them have sex in space. While I admit seeing so much sex in space was a first for me, the romance itself is hardly new. Most romance films have a creepy beginning, secrets, and the cringeworthy "you die, I die" line. The film's cliches know no bounds as well with the two leads physically incapable of dying. Unfortunately, convenient plot devices such as Chief Gus Mancuso (Laurence Fishburne), are not as immortal. Woken up two years after Jim due to the ship malfunctioning, Gus Mancuso may be the funnest character, but is the most cliche. The definition of a convenient occurrence, Mancuso exists only to explain the situation to the main characters, wag his finger judgmentally at Pratt, and then die. In his short time alive, Mancuso is able to give the characters access to the entire ship, which enables them to fix the ship. This invariably leads up to the over-the-top ending in which Jim Preston survives a situation nobody could reasonably expect to survive. Here, Passengers plays into the stereotypical "Hollywood ending" and even has the gaul to skip 88 years into the future and ignore the fact the characters' corpses are still on the ship. After having a thoroughly compelling premise and great opening with Jim wandering the ship, Passengers' second half is nothing but a creepy and cliched romance, cliched scenes of peril, and a simplistic and rosy ending ill-fitting of a film of this ilk. That said, Passengers is not all bad. Though the writing is lackluster and plain, the special effects and visuals are anything but. With a gorgeous ship that Tyldum loves taking advantage of, the camera slides around this ship with ease and captures every gorgeous inch.… Expand

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

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4

gameplayer85Dec 28, 2016

Boring! Think your walking into a sci-fi action adventure. Turns out your watching some boring space love story that seems to last for 90 years!Pat and Lawrence do have chemistry so i can see why they were cast, but they definitely don't haveBoring! Think your walking into a sci-fi action adventure. Turns out your watching some boring space love story that seems to last for 90 years!Pat and Lawrence do have chemistry so i can see why they were cast, but they definitely don't have sexual chemistry! Lawernce puts on a solid performance for what she was given to work with. Movie only shows how much Pratt can't act and his goofeyness seeps into his performance. All in all a waste of 2hrs of your life.… Expand

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

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6

PeterAlexanderJan 3, 2017

The first two thirds of Passenger's is powerful, unfortunately the final third is average. Many opportunities are wasted to develop two very strong characters, and some things are added unnecessarily.

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

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4

GerNJun 21, 2017

Passengers ignores the laws of physics while pretending to obey them. It should have been billed as fantasy. The glaring fallacies make it difficult to enjoy, particularly the ending. Lawrence and Pratt are pleasant to watch, and thePassengers ignores the laws of physics while pretending to obey them. It should have been billed as fantasy. The glaring fallacies make it difficult to enjoy, particularly the ending. Lawrence and Pratt are pleasant to watch, and the visuals are fun.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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5

DirigiblePulpMay 21, 2017

I don't get the fuss over the supposedly "misleading trailers." It's fine for a trailer not to reveal every secret, and it's not like it fundamentally changed the movie all that much. It's still about two people stranded alone on a spaceship,I don't get the fuss over the supposedly "misleading trailers." It's fine for a trailer not to reveal every secret, and it's not like it fundamentally changed the movie all that much. It's still about two people stranded alone on a spaceship, awake too early, falling in love. It's the surprising lack of chemistry and dull, flat direction of the thing that should be inspiring the ire.… Expand