Friday, February 10, 2017

Passengers (2016) - 7 stars out of 10

Passengers (2016) - 7 stars out of 10

“Passengers” is a creative look at helplessness in the desolate depths of space.  Unlike recent space dramas that place their characters within view of earth, this unconventional love story takes place midway between earth and the new habitation of Homestead II.  The critics didn't like this story because of the questionable moral decision made by the main character, but that decision is what makes the film so compelling!  By placing the morality at the very heart of the story, if forces us to self-analyze and question which decision we would have made.  Does it make the love story incredibly amiss?  Of course.  That’s what gives the film its depth.  The Oscar-nominated score by Thomas Newman blends his typical beautiful themes with electronic sororities to create a futuristic sound and transport us into deep space.  I think that the Academy really got it right when they gave “Passengers” a nomination for Best Production Design.  This conceptualization and execution of a spaceship that could travel 120 years across the universe is believable in every detail and accounts for everything that a crew and passengers would need for the journey.  Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence deliver the chemistry that we hoped for.  Their relationship undergoes a unique progression and they take the time to explore each facet.  Michael Sheen is so good as Arthur that I still have yet to accept that he is not actually an android.  The special effects are also on point with the gravity loss sequence is one of the single coolest moments that I have ever seen in a movie.  “Passengers” may not be the greatest film in the history of cinema but it is a lot more enjoyable than the critics would have you believe.  Give it a chance and you will be wowed by a unique setting, excellent chemistry, and a story whose difficult moral question will leave you thinking.

[Pictured: Love this setting, love these actors, love that the story makes you think]

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