Passengers isn't as bad as you think.

Rating: 7/10 (9 January 2017)

Critic reviews have bashed this film because of a certain action Chris Pratt's character, Jim, makes near the beginning of the film. This has lead to a lot of people saying that his actions were 'sexist' which I don't agree with. The main plot is about Jim and Jennifer Lawrence's character, Aurora, who are both woken up 90 years too early whilst on board a spaceship that's on a 120 year journey to a new planet. Because Jim is the first to wake up, he's completely alone, apart from an android bartender known as Arthur (Michael Sheen). Jim spends most of his free time with Arthur, getting drunk, playing basketball and also trying to make the most of his situation by finding a way to go back to hibernation. Unfortunately, after a year, depression kicks in which leads to him almost committing suicide. After walking back, he walks past one of the hibernation pods and notices Aurora in it, who is, clearly, a beautiful young woman. Now, isolation can drive people to become mentally unstable and make quick decisions. This is what happens here. Jim spends a long time trying to talk himself out of waking Aurora up but, unfortunately, he can't bear being alone and, because he's a mechanic, he knows how to wake one of the passengers up. Aurora believes that her pod has simply malfunctioned, like Jim's, as he can't face the truth. I think that people are being too quick to judge Jim and the entire film just from one action. Not one of us has ever been in his position where he's truly on his own. This is where Passengers succeeds, in my opinion, as it's caused some thought provoking discussions between viewers. Yes, Jim's decision could be considered a flaw but that's no reason to hate the film as there's so much to like about it. Yes, I do think it would've been better if the film was shown from Aurora's point of view and Jim's decision to wake her up could've been revealed as a plot twist but I'm not the filmmaker. Passengers could've been better but it's still, overall, one of the best science fiction films released in 2016, along with Arrival and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence both give strong performances as the two leads. In the run up to the film's release, they went on a international press tour where they visited various countries and did press conferences and interviews. In these interviews, I could clearly see the chemistry between them and it radiates on screen. A montage shows them having fun together by watching films, playing basketball, dancing and going to the bar, just like any normal couple and is one of the most entertaining parts in the film. The set design of the Avalon is exquisite. I can tell that a lot of hard work has gone into creating it. A lot of ships I've seen in science fiction films are quite standard and there's nothing special about them. However, the Avalon is like a outer space cruise ship. This is because the passengers are woken up six months before they arrive at the new planet and this is when they can enjoy the rest of the journey. The bar is also a clear remake of the bar that features in Stanley Kubrick's classic, The Shining. Passengers also feature some impressive visual effects. There's a scene where Jim and Aurora fly outside the ship and, because of the computer generated imagery, it really does look like they're in space together. The point I'm making in this review is that I don't think it's right to judge a film based entirely on one character's action. Despite the unfair negative criticism this received, this is still worth a watch for fans of thought-provoking science fiction and romantic drama. No, it's not as good as Arrival but at least it's not as bad as Independence Day: Resurgence or Jupiter Ascending.