A Misunderstood Personal Film

Rating: 9/10 (5 April 2017)

The trailers for Passengers sold it as a disaster movie in space. Many people may have been disappointed to find out that was not the case. Not exactly. This was a thoughtful and emotional story about decisions made in absolute desperation that people have to live with for the rest of their lives.
Let's get this out of the way first. This is a cool sci-fi movie. It has cool robots, a cool spaceship, it has an infinity edge swimming pool where you can backstroke yourself out into space. This movie knows how to apply potential technology with a little more inspiration than is typical of sci-fi films today. It invokes a sort of casual use and nonchalant attitude towards fabulous inventions that would astound us today, but are taken for granted in the minds of the characters. Production design is great on this one too. Fantastic wardrobe and costumes, the sets look real, and so so good.
Practical effects are used when possible, special effects are used correctly, and look subtle enough to be real, but fantastic enough to have that "magic" appeal. Ultimately, this movie made me feel like I was on the spaceship with the passengers, due in large part to a well thought out and carefully planned aesthetic.
There were a lot of mechanical, electronic, and destructive sounds in this movie, none of which sounded out of place. They were believable and made me feel more part of the world. Thomas Newman's score did not leave anything to be desired. I thought it was impressive how he managed a score for a movie with such varied tones, and was able to seamlessly and suddenly transition between them.
The story for this movie was not complicated. Not overly so. However, the premise is a solid one, and also one that has not been explored on this scale before. Actually this movie deals in two scales; the very large scale of a massive interstellar luxury passenger ship, and the very small scale of a relationship between two people. And before that, just one man, slowly slipping into depression by himself, stranded like a man on a desert island. Albeit with robot servants and video games. The story may not be complex, but it is not dull, or "flawed" by any stretch of the imagination. The dialogue is well thought out, and feels authentic. Especially due to the stellar cast. No pun intended.
Jennifer Lawrence breathes life to a character with passion, a woman willing to sacrifice everything for her work, a remarkable human being aiming to be a part of history. So this was nothing new for her. Nevertheless I am always captivated by her on screen, and feel like i'm seeing her for the first time, again. She always commits to her character and brings depth and personality to the screen.
Chris Pratt has always been a favorite of mine, so maybe I am biased, but this film proves he is up there with the greats. That man can act. He has always done comedy from what I have seen (I still need to watch Zero Dark Thirty), but now I know he can deliver a nuanced performance of such human anguish that it tears your heart out before you're halfway through the film. He definitely should have got his first Oscar nomination for Passengers.
Ultimately, this movie was a touching story about two people, with a tragic twist, in space. If that sounds like something you would like to see, you will like this movie, because it does it very well.
If you want Star Trek with J-Law, look elsewhere.