Passengers explores outer space and the inner heart

Movie Title: Passengers

Grade: B

Rating: PG-13, 116 minutes

In a Nutshell: While some movie critics have argued that this film is tedious and boring, I would contend that the film intentionally captures a little bit of what it must feel like to be stranded alone on a spaceship like that. That’s the point. We need each other. Life is meaningless, unless we have someone to share it with.

I enjoyed the movie and tried to imagine myself in the same situations, wondering what I would do when faced with the same decisions. It’s a movie less about discovering the great spaces in the universe, but more about humanity and what we find inside our heart.

Uplifting theme:

“We all have dreams. We plan our futures like we’re captains of our fate, but we’re passengers. We go where fate takes us.” – Aurora
“You don’t have to do something amazing to be happy.” – Aurora’s best friend. (The actress’ real name is Aurora!)
You can’t get hung up on where you’d rather be that you don’t appreciate where you are.
“Take a break from what you can’t control.” – Arthur (Michael Sheen)
Humanity, companionship, sacrifice, love.

Things I liked:

- Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence are two of the most popular actors in Hollywood right now and I liked them together. They’re both extremely talented and charismatic.
- Incredible views of space. The CGI and real life are blended very well.
- I wish I had that body scanner/repair machine! I’d also like one of those Roomba-type floor vacuum robots!
- Jim eats dragon fruit for breakfast. It’s that super alien-looking pink fruit cut in a square that is white on the inside with black polka dots on the inside. Try some!
- It’s really good in 3D and on the big screen.
- I loved that swimming pool with a view! It was pretty crazy when the anti-gravity kicked in.
- Directed by Morten Tyldum, the same guy who did The Imitation Game which I loved.
- The spaceship design is pretty cool-looking.
- Aurora is a writer, which always catches my attention (my 21^st book was just hit store shelves this month!)

Aurora says, “Give me a cup of coffee and a view of the Chrysler building and I can write all day.” Jim provides that for her in a way which I thought was so sweet. It’s those simple acts of kindness and thoughtfulness for another person that is the essence of love.

Things I didn’t like:

What you see in the trailer is what you get.
Some movie critics have said the film looks like it’s on auto-pilot.
If they told this story in a different order, it could have been even more interesting.
The “thing” that happens in the third act is super brief. I wish it had been explored more.
SPOILER ALERT: I thought it was odd to cast Andy Garcia, because he didn’t even have a line in the movie; any Extra could have done as good a job in that spot.
This movie script sat for a long time before anyone picked it up, making you wonder what other directors could have done with it.

Interesting lines:

“No! You die, I die!” – Aurora (Sounds like a line from the The Hunger Games)
“I think we tell each other stories to know we’re not alone, to make contact.” – Aurora
“Can’t slogans be true?” – Jim
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. You kill me.” – Jim
“Jim and I live in accidental happiness.” – Aurora