Enjoyable Mindless Fantasy

Rating: 6/10 (19 March 2017)

First off this review may contain spoilers.
Went into this film with an open mind on a day where focusing on an intelligent film was out of the question. Just wanted to relax and watch something entertaining. Passengers is this type of film. One you can just sit back and watch--leave the room and come back to without missing too much (during the first half to three quarters).
The special effects are outstanding even though the science behind the ship and space is unrealistic and in many cases flat out wrong. That's OK for this type of fantasy romance where the plot revolves around the characters and no so much in the science. Still, some of the errors are so blatant that anyone can point them out--which I will not do as many others have done well in this regard.
Lawrence and Pratt are entertaining and have good chemistry. If this were not the case, I'd probably have turned it off. Sheen does an admirable job and carries a good part of the film particularly before Aurora's awakening. I especially enjoyed the 'Lloyd' type character he portrays as a tribute to the Shining. Sure it's been done--but there had to be someone or something for Jim to talk with otherwise any sane person would last only a few months before losing their mind.
The main plot could be a real life issue sometime in the future. It's hard to say how many years in the future the story takes place--but it must be centuries as there are many colonies and thus many of these vessels successfully fulfilling their missions. This is where reality ends--as the ship contains little in the way of redundancy--and where many viewers are turned off by the lack of realism. Chill--just remember what you're watching. This is not Asimov.
I would've preferred Aurora finding out in a different manner. She's an intelligent journalist and yet couldn't piece together that Jim had awakened her? Especially knowing he's a mechanic by trade? Having Aurora linking the clues together while falling in love, would've added more tension to the film.
Those that say, why didn't they wake the crew up? Well, the crew was not in the pods in the main area--they were behind high security doors. And thus impossible to reach. Which, both tried and failed. Realistic? No. Some security override would be in place to ensure in the unlikely event someone did wake up, they'd be able to seek some type of help. Perhaps another android. Like I said, this is fantasy so just enjoy it.
The ending could have made the movie more palatable for the critics, had Jim died. Then Aurora would be faced with making the same decision he made--and leaving the door open for a gut wrenching open ending.
All in all--a watchable, enjoyable film. Would I watch it again? Probably not in a sit down watch. But playing it in the background would be fine. There's enough substance and beauty in the effects to make it a 2 hour screen saver while you're doing housework or visiting with friends.