Passengers (2016 film)

Plot

In the distant future, the sleeper ship Avalon carries 5,000 colonists and 258 crew in hibernation pods from Earth to the planet Homestead II on a 120-year journey. Thirty years into the voyage, an asteroid collision damages the ship, awakening passenger Jim Preston, a mechanical engineer, 90 years early. Unable to return to hibernation or contact Earth due to communication delays, he fails to break into the crew hibernation room because of heavy security.

After a year of isolation with only an android bartender named Arthur for company, Jim contemplates suicide until he notices Aurora Lane in her pod. He struggles with the moral implications but eventually awakens her, letting her believe it was a malfunction. Devastated, Aurora tries to reenter hibernation but resigns herself to life on the ship and begins writing. Over the next year, they fall in love, but Arthur inadvertently reveals the truth to Aurora.

Enraged, she shuns and attacks Jim. Later, another pod failure awakens deck chief officer Gus Mancuso. Using his employee code, they discover cascading system failures that will doom the ship. Gus falls critically ill from pansystemic necrosis and dies, giving Jim and Aurora his ID badge and employee code to access crew areas.

Production

Jon Spaihts wrote the original script in 2007, with Aurora's surname initially Dunn. The project languished in development with actors such as Keanu Reeves, Emily Blunt, Reese Witherspoon, and Rachel McAdams attached at various times; Brian Kirk was originally set to direct with Reeves. Sony Pictures Entertainment acquired the rights in December 2014, and Morten Tyldum was chosen to direct in early 2015. Lawrence was paid $20 million against 30% of the profit after breakeven, while Pratt received $12 million.

Principal photography began September 15, 2015, at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Georgia, with most scenes involving only the two leads. Rodrigo Prieto served as cinematographer and Maryann Brandon as editor; filming wrapped on February 12, 2016. Thomas Newman composed the score, and Imagine Dragons contributed the song "Levitate." The Chinese theme song "Light Years Away" by G.E.M. became the first Chinese music video to surpass 200 million views in September 2019.

Box office

Passengers grossed $100 million in the United States and Canada and $203 million in other territories, totaling $303 million worldwide against a net production budget of $110 million. It was the second-highest grossing original live-action Hollywood release of 2016 after La La Land. Opening alongside Sing and Assassin's Creed, it earned $15.1 million in its opening weekend and $30 million over its first six days, finishing third at the box office behind Rogue One and Sing.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, Passengers holds a 30% approval rating based on 287 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10; the critical consensus states that even the chemistry of Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence cannot overcome a fatally flawed story. Metacritic gives a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, indicating mixed or average reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of B, while PostTrak reported a 77% overall positive score.

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle praised intense drama and extreme feeling, giving 3 out of 4 stars. James Dyer of Empire awarded 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "Titanic amongst the stars" and a touching tale for the Gravity generation. Peter Keough of The Boston Globe gave 2.5 out of 4 stars, suggesting it might have worked as a play. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called it an appealing sci-fi romance but criticized the anticlimactic final act.

Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter praised visual design and costumes but found the mix of life-or-death stakes and feel-good bromides heavy-handed. Rebecca Hawkes of The Telegraph described the film as a creepy ode to manipulation, while Andrew Pulver of The Guardian called it an interstellar version of social-media stalking. Alissa Wilkinson of Vox labeled it a fantasy of Stockholm syndrome.