Less Than Stellar

Rating: 8/10 (7 January 2017)

(RATING: ☆☆☆☆ out of 5)
THIS FILM IS RECOMMENDED.
IN BRIEF: An entertaining but superficial love story set in space.
GRADE: B
SYNOPSIS: Two space travelers are accidentally awakened on their journey to the stars.
JIM'S REVIEW: Love is in the air (or possibly in the stratosphere) on an intergalactic mission to another world in Morten Tyldum's space romance fantasy, Passengers. Aboard the spaceship Avalon are our space travelers (and their other 498 passengers). Chris Pratt's Jim Preston is a mechanical engineer and also the space prince to his sleeping princess, Aurora Lane, a journalist played by Jennifer Lawrence. It does sound like a post-modern day Disney fairy tale, but that's about as far as it goes.
￼On a 120 year mission to colonize another planet and start life anew. Jim is unexpectedly awakened from his hibernation pod 90 years too soon and must now come to terms with his own survival and that of all of his fellow passengers. Trouble arises as the spaceship begins to malfunction and his need for companionship and assistance is handled by his waking female partner. Their attraction builds slowly but it is inevitable...and highly predictable as the film follows its basic boy-meet-girl-in-space formula. Besides, it's nice company having Mr. Pratt and Ms. Lawrence cast as the misfit lovers is a no-brainer, isn't it?
The lead actors have the prerequisite amount of charm and attractiveness to carry the film. They bring authenticity to the roles while also oozing the necessary sex appeal. It is their relationship that is the core of the movie and both actors share the right chemistry. The small cast also includes the scene-stealing Michael Sheen as their faithful bartender and sounding board, Arthur, and Laurence Fishburne as Gus, an officer from the crew.
￼The production design by Guy Hendrix Dyas and CGI effects by Erik Nordby and his talented artisans are quite impressive. Visually, the film is stunning, even if script-wise, it all seems like an outer space soap opera dressed to the nines. The screenplay by Jon Spaihts does try to stray from the conventional aspects of a love story, but doesn't always succeed due to a central moral dilemma set-up that complicates our lovers' relationship. That aspect never resolves itself clearly. Still, Mr. Tyldum keeps the action moving and the melodramatics at a minimum, that is, until the climactic third act when the plot and action become so far-fetched and strain credibility.
The film does carry some excess baggage in its desperate yearning to keep its romantic story-line afloat, and although Rodrigo Prieto's photography does have a graceful hypnotic fluidity with its rolling camera angles, Passengers is still a rather bumpy ride.