Want to see the last sci-fi movie of the year? Then get to the cinema. Passengers is a drama about how a spaceship breaks down and wakes up a technician from hibernation. A writer and a crew member also come out of hibernation.
It's a drama/light comedy about how three people who have different habits, habits, and health can live together. Not all of this trio will live to see the end of the film, but the others are instrumental in saving all the other thousands of hibernating humans who are waiting for their destination, a planet where they will establish a new colony.
Director Morten Tyldum is one of the newly discovered directors. His fame didn't begin until he was 40. He made five films in his native Norway before making the plunge to America five years ago. His last film for Norway was Headhunters (2011). And in America, he made up The Enigma Code with his first star under his – Benedict Cumberbatch.
The Passengers is his second film, and he's got even bigger stars. After X-Men and winning an Oscar, this year's female screen star is Jennifer Lawrence. After Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic Park 4, Chris Pratt is the other major star. They are well supported by experienced matadors Laurence Fishburne and Michael Sheen. And Andy Garcia makes a brief appearance. That's really all of the film's cast.
The rest of the budget was spent on getting the filmmakers to build a real ship. Which they did. Every bit generated from the computers is very well used. They have managed to combine the computers with the actors very well, making this one of the films of the year.
The screenplay is a bit simple, with no complex plots, but it is very hilarious, every moment one enjoys the main characters, the relationship between the pair of Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence is well developed on the romantic front. In the first two thirds you enjoy the relationship between the two actors to the fullest. And in the last part and the finale of the whole film, you also enjoy some good action sequences and self-sacrifice (as is right in an American great film).
As one of the few films this year, I liked the music. Thomas Newman composed hilarious songs that fit right into a sci-fi film. The story of the ship and its crew. He accurately gauged the interrelationships and emptiness of the main characters.
It's a good thing Passengers didn't come out with Star Wars. It has a chance to show that compared to the multi-part franchise, it is very hilarious. The last Star Wars installment was a failure, Passengers is a much better film. They have better character portrayals, a better story, and most importantly, it's a better movie overall.
Original release of this article December 30, 2016 – Kritiky.cz
