Entertaining Story and Superb Acting

Rating: 8/10 (19 November 2017)

Not sure why this one got bashed so hard by critics. The premise could be considered creepy, that he woke her up, but the man was facing his entire life alone. It would be a very tough decision. Critics seemed to think this was a fuzzy happy ever after where she forgave him and the central issue was never really dealt with.
However, I felt for a movie, which is purely for entertainment purposes, it was dealt with sufficient to lead to a happy ending, and personally I like movies with happy endings and forgiveness.
The critics seemed to ignore two key elements of the story, first that the man was destined to live the rest of his life alone or make the decision to wake another passenger, something as a mechanic he had the skills to do. Was his decision ethical? No. Realistic? Yes. Put in his shoes what would you do? The second very important fact that critics seem to ignore was in the third scene when he had to exit the ship to fix a critical malfunction that if not fixed could cost them both and the entire ship their lives. As he exits the ship she says to him " come back to me, I can't live here alone without you." Effectively confirming that if he died, which was a real possibility, she would be in his shoes, the shoes he was in when he made the decision to wake her, and with that realization, at that moment she understood why he made the decision to wake her. Remember, she did not have the knowledge to wake another passenger as he did, but the basic human need for companionship she did understand. It was from this premise, having to face this reality, that she was able to forgive him and also make the decision to stay awake with him rather than be put back to sleep.
Critics seem to think her forgiveness and decision at the end was based on true love, a corny thing that does not exist, but I did not see it that way at all,I saw it as her realization of what he had been living, that really it could have been any of them that had been woken up accidentally to begin with, and that if he did not come back alive then she would be the one alone for the rest of her life, and she was desperate to not be alone, and from that understanding she found the compassion to forgive. I think love for him was an afterthought to this realization and perhaps the tipping point to her final decision rather than the reason for forgiveness.
Was it perfectly politically correct? No. Was it a great story about compassion and forgiveness? Yes, even more so than a love story to me, the deeper story was the basic human need for companionship, the love story being second to that. Was it entertaining? Yes. If you want to see the grim reality of how horrible life can be, watch the news. If you want to be entertained with a happy ending, watch this movie.