Almost brilliant sci-fi romance

Rating: 5/10 (28 December 2016)

I feel I should preface this review by saying, I enjoyed the film for what it was. 'Passengers' is, ultimately, a shallow popcorn flick with very little depth, but it doesn't necessarily start out that way.
Chris Pratt provides some worthy acting here as Jim Preston, a mechanic whose "pod" malfunctions during interstellar travel and leaves him completely alone. That is until Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence as Jennifer Lawrence) wakes up and joins him in his state of seemingly perpetual loneliness while their ship, the Avalon, travels for another 90 years to their new home planet.
The first two-thirds of this film explore some very interesting themes. However, this is Hollywood, so the film rushes into a final act which amounts to your standard sci-fi action thriller and quickly slaps an ending together that we can all feel (mostly) good about.
The two stars aren't by any means terrible. They are mostly correct, and only sometimes feel disingenuous. However, I wouldn't call their roles challenging, and all I ultimately saw was two movie stars playing dress up. That's not awful, or at least it doesn't have to be, but it doesn't help the film avoid devolving into cliché, which it does, over and over and over again.
Usually in film's like this one, it's a nice surprise when an actor truly stands out for their performance. The film belongs to Pratt, and Lawrence is ultimately sort of just there, but neither one of them really bring anything particularly exciting to the table. I'm always bothered when people call Lawrence a progeny and this film perfectly illustrates my feelings on her (and Pratt for that matter). She's fine, just fine. Watchable, but by no means outstanding. That said, there is enough chemistry and sweetness between them to make you believe they love one another.
Special effects are lacking, but there is one scene that is mildly thrilling involving water, though it is given away in the trailer.
If you're in the mood for a popcorn flick that will entertain you for a few hours, go see this one. Just do not expect to be blown away.