Movie Review: Passengers

Are you familiar with the saying "It's not the destination that counts but how you get there that counts" ? Well, thats actually a good way to see the space-flick "Passengers" starring Hollywood A-listers Chris Pratt and Jeniffer Lawrence. 

In the (very, very) far future, Earth has become crowded, expensive and overated. Fortunately for people with means and resources (or are brave enough) have the option to move to another planet. 

Yes you read that right, it seems all of those questions about the future have been answered.

We have that option to start a new life in another planet, but there's a catch, you have to leave everything that you know and love behind, because that trip to that new planet-takes 120 years. 

Okay, so this is where the science fiction gets cool. To travel to said new planet, AKA Homestead II. You will board a spaceship, where you will be in a deep sleep - super deep, like 120 years deep. When you wake up-Boom! New planet, new home. New future, new possibilities! Awesome right? But what if things go wrong, as they are meant to do. Like - waking up 90  years before you are supposed to. 

This is what happens to the characters of Chris Pratt (Jim) and Jennifer Lawrence (Aurora) who find themselves 90 years too early before their destination. 

The visuals are stunning, the science is amazing and the chemistry between Pratt and Lawrence is intense! I might nitpick on a few details, but I still enjoyed the film, despite some plot holes here and there. It's one exciting space adventure, with some basic human lessons on the side, like for me, a take away is that no matter how far or advanced we are in technology, we will always crave that human connection. "No man is an island" after all. I also found the whole rich and middle class separation interesting. I mean, Aurora is this rich girl with "Gold" passenger priviledges (which means she gets to have the full on breakfast) while Jim is a middle class mechanic and more of an "Economy" class passenger (he gets bland cakes for breakfast). I think its interesting that despite many years in "advancement" we still have these social boundaries. 

I don't know if the movie was going for a romantic science fiction, space adventure, I guess they were and just sort of got lost along the way. One thing is for sure, if it wasn't for Pratt or Lawrence it would have been a more boring trip, despite the circumstances. A must see if you are a fan of one of them or both.

 5 out of 10. "Passengers" is now showing.