A Few Years to Go

Rating: 9/10 (1 January 2017)

Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, a pair made in heaven--two actors with enough chemistry and charm to burn pull this off. "Passengers" gives us the premise that it's possible to make it through years of solitude or spending the rest of your life with another person without causing body harm to each other, or killing your audience with a trite and boring script. The audience makes it safely to the end of the story, and it's an exciting and imaginative ride.
Pratt and Lawrence are the main stars here, carrying 90% of the film. Nevertheless, they get some help from two solid actors Michael Sheen and Lawrence Fishbourne. Their roles are small but key to the main twists. It's always a pleasure to see good actors do good work.
Because of unexpected complications, Pratt is awakened from hibernation way too early on his route to the colonization of a new planet. A consequence of this event is that he must now endure 90 years of solitude and will probably die alone on route. Being a flawed human, he reaches the point when he considers ending this problem, but he's charmed by a vision of the perfect mate, and matters become even more complicated as she awakens, too.
We need a complication to make the plot more dramatic, and Lawrence soon realizes that there might be more to her hibernation ending. Simultaneously, electrical and computer functions begin to be affected by some unknown failure. It soon becomes clear that the trip might be cut short for all of the people on the ship, and it's up to our heroes to make things right.
Much of the action is relegated to the end of the film, and it works. There are some tributes to films like "Gravity" and "2001", whether intentional or accidental, it doesn't matter. Maybe it shows just how visionary both of those films were. This genre is also benefiting from the more sophisticated special effects that can be added to create new and incredible settings for this type of story.
None of this would work without the fine acting by Lawrence. She doesn't disappoint at all, bringing a complex character to life. She's a dreamer, a person who has managed to see herself as successful, who knows she has the skills to do it, but she is also a human being with needs and a past that can now make all the difference. She's resourceful and self-reliant; however she knows when it's time to ask for help, and all of this is beautifully demonstrated in her acting, which demands both emotional and physical dedication.
Pratt is growing as an actor and hold his own against Lawrence. As I said before, their chemistry is palpable, and it doesn't hurt that both are very good looking and look amazing running around the ship or getting dressed up for a date.
"Passengers" might not change the history of cinema; still it shows there's still room for many new entries in Science Fiction, as long as they are done with care and skill. There's hope for the future.