We'd all do the same thing

Rating: 7/10 (1 March 2017)

So apparently a lot of people were SO offended by what's going on in this movie. Some said that 'it's not stalking if he's hot'. Looks like they missed out on some things in life, to say the least. This one is actually a no-brainer: no, it's not stalking if he's hot, well, let's say in 99% of cases. The thing is, this is how courting works. A guy who's interested in you tries to get your attention. At first you may not like him, and it doesn't matter if he's objectively attractive or not (here the critics of the movie claim that Chris Pratt is hot to everyone, which is definitely not true, so that kind of renders their argument void), but then you get to know him and you see that he's actually cool so you change your mind about him. Oh, and sometimes the guy may even be the total opposite of your type but he won't leave you alone, and you hate him for it, and then somehow as if magically he manages to make you fall in love with him. I'm sure everyone knows a story like that or two. But that's not what happens in this movie because here the characters are clearly into each other. So enough of the Stockholm Syndrome whining because 'Passengers' doesn't deserve all the hate. And yes, I'm a woman. But I grew up before people started going crazy about all this feminist/sexist/misogynist/chauvinist/perverse/stalker stuff that most of the time they only pretend to understand.
There, I got it out of my system. Now on to the review. I give this movie a solid 7 for being a warm, pretty love story. I didn't expect it to be some great sci fi flick so I didn't feel cheated when it turned out to be a romantic drama. The story could've been a bit more fleshed out because there was potential there, and then, with all the special effects, it would've been amazing. I thought for a moment that this could be like 'Titanic' in space, but there wasn't enough substance. Still, the movie is interesting and definitely worth a watch. And even though we don't really see how hard life was on the ship for Jim when he was alone, we can infer enough from what we do see. And anyone who's seen 'The Martian' or 'Moon' can compare and imagine what it's like to be alone, having no one to talk to and nothing to do. What do you do once you've played a little basketball and done a little dancing? What is Jim supposed to be doing for the next 90 years? What reason could he possibly have to go on living?
The movie does show very well how bad he feels when he has to wake Aurora up, and she does hate him, and that part of the story is pretty damn straightforward: he stole her life from her, sort of murdered her. But perhaps these two were meant to meet like that and make the most of what they got. If he didn't wake her up, their lives wouldn't be the same. And I don't think any of this needs explaining, really. When you watch the movie, you can understand all the human reasons for why they do what they do - why he doesn't want to live anymore, why he wakes her, why they fall in love, why she hates him but then forgives him. Seriously, this is so plain and simple. Like I said in the title of this review: we'd all do the same thing. Just imagine living alone in a place like this for a MONTH. I challenge you to survive that long without thinking of killing yourself at least once when you know it's all there is, that's all you've got, this big empty ship and 90 years of solitude and utter, mind-scrambling boredom. You'd be banging your head against walls all the time. So don't blame Jim for looking for a reason to live.
I quite enjoyed this movie and I hope that the critics get a grip and get a life. This isn't a story about a stalker. If Jim is a stalker then Jack from the 'Titanic' is also a stalker, and so is Christian Grey (OK, that one is a bit of a weirdo), and so is Richard Gere's character in 'Pretty Woman'. Not every guy chasing after a chick is a pervert (or a chick chasing after a guy, just think of Scarlett O'Hara 'stalking' her dear Ashley). These are movies, meant for our enjoyment. Let's not get political about every freakin' story we see on the screen.