Passengers (2016)

[VCRTracking]

Passengers (2016)

Adventure, Sci-Fi | 21 December 2016 (USA)

 

A spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people has a malfunction in its sleep chambers. As a result, two passengers are awakened 60 years early.

Director: Morten Tyldum

Writer: Jon Spaihts (screenplay)

Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Laurence Fishburne

 

The movie had it's presentation and trailer premiere at Cinemacon last night with the director and stars Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt and it's already gotten lots of positive buzz from people who've seen the trailer. I'm intrigued by the premise and if anything else, the promotional tour of the movie is going to be  entertaining!

 

Edited April 13, 2016 by VCRTracking

[VCRTracking]

EW.com has an interview with the director and first stills:

[methodwriter85]

I feel like this could actually be really good, or really, really bad.

[JustaPerson]

I'm a bit confused. So is this movie going to be a very unconventional rom com with a dash of sci fi? I mean Chris Pratt, a fairly comedic actor being there makes me think maybe. Or is it going to be Gravity with some romance? JLaw being cast kind of makes me think so. She's known for being a funny person, but she usually plays dramatic roles. I feel like the tone could go either way with this plot. Maybe I need to do a bit more research on it?

[methodwriter85]

I feel like there's got to be some reshuffling going on, because why are we just 4 months away from the movie being released with no trailer?

[raezen]

Well, I heard that 10 yrs ago when they originally wanted to shoot this film it was supposed to be Keanu Reeves and Rachel McAdams. 

[thuganomics85]

I really don't know what to make of it yet, but I'm just someone curious about it because it's one of the few films I know that isn't established in another media, and it's biggest selling point seems to be their actors.  Nothing about the plot or look of it automatically jumps out for me, but the idea of it being Jennifer "Academy-Award Winner Katniss" Lawrence and Chris "Velociraptor Whisperer Starlord" Pratt as the leads, is an intriguing pair.  On paper, I can see them being great together, but you never know. 

[Dejana]

14 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I feel like there's got to be some reshuffling going on, because why are we just 4 months away from the movie being released with no trailer?

There's an ongoing legal battle involving some of the technology used for the movie's special effects. The studio is saying it won't affect the release of the film, but with no trailer four months out...

Edited August 13, 2016 by Dejana

[CofCinci]

Since this movie has been in development hell for over a decade, the script is easily found online. The movie will ignite much discussion. I can't wait to read the reviews from feminist blogs like Jezebel. I wonder if the delay is because of predicted controversy?

Huge spoilers. Click at your own risk. 

Spoiler

Basically, his pod malfunctions and he's all alone on a ship of 5000sleeping people.  He becomes obsessed with her.  He researches her.  Watches her sleep, etc.  He decides to wake her up early to keep him company -- knowing that if he wakes her up that she wouldn't live long enough to make it to the new planet.  She wakes.  They fall in love because he knows everything about her and manipulates her.  Then she finds out the truth....

Edited August 14, 2016 by CofCinci

[Bruinsfan]

 

They wouldn't have a live crew overseeing the transport of thousands of people over multiple decades?

Edited August 15, 2016 by Bruinsfan
Edited to cover spoilery question.

[JustaPerson]

But it's a 120 year voyage right? Any live crew would presumably be dead by the time they got to the planet

[absnow54]

7 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

They wouldn't have a live crew overseeing the transport of thousands of people over multiple decades?

It's been a long time since I've read the script (as mentioned earlier, it's easily accessible, but I'm pretty sure

there's some sort of crew involved, but they're only activated for landing maybe? Otherwise it's run by androids. The journey exceeds a lifetime, so there would have to be some on the job training to cover the 100+ year travel.

[ribboninthesky1]

The spoilers have confirmed I won't waste even Google Play dollars/Netflix/Prime watchlist space on this, never mind skipping the theater.  The Keanu/Rachel pairing might have been interesting. 

[Athena]

12 hours ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

The spoilers have confirmed I won't waste even Google Play dollars/Netflix/Prime watchlist space on this, never mind skipping the theater.  The Keanu/Rachel pairing might have been interesting. 

Yeah, I like Keanu and Rachel. I liked the idea of the JLaw/Chris Pratt pairing, but the spoilers make me very wary. In another thread, we've talked about Jennifer Lawrence's spotty chemistry record with some of her costars. I was cautiously optimistic for this one since Pratt is very charismatic himself, but knowing that this seems to be a straight up sci-fi drama, it's not looking good on that front.

[raezen]

I also wonder when people are going to get space fatigue. Every year for quite a while there has been at least one or more big movie set in space. However, I have been wondering the same thing about comics and then we had a hit like Deadpool and everyone treats it differently because it's an r-rated movie based in that genre. Passengers might be a hit because it's Tha romantic space movie. 

[Dejana]

A new official poster, listing a Christmas release. Nice Morse code in the middle, but they could have eased up on the Photoshop with Jennifer.

[Bruinsfan]

That article talks about the studio wanting to have trailers raising audience awareness months ago when it has a 12/2016 release date. Hell no! It's a movie, not a baby, I only want to hear a lot about it in the month or so before it comes out.

[CofCinci]

Trailer to be released tomorrow.

[VCRTracking]

Here's a brief glimpse from Twitter.

Did not expect the spaceship to look like that. Interesting design.

[JessePinkman]

I know it's less than a second but that ship looks cheap. Maybe the rumors about the special effects are true.

[JessePinkman]

Full trailer

I don't know how to feel about this...it's not a very well done trailer. Everything feels off. The first part looks like a GE commercial. The effects look unfinished. The premise of the two of them waking up alone on a spaceship sounds interesting...so  of course, they add a bartending robot and Laurence Fishburne.

I liked Pratt's character quoting Aladdin though!

[ruby24]

I don't know about that. I really like the way the ship looks, but everything else? Eh. Don't see much chemistry between them, but that doesn't surprise me, given Lawrence's talking AT people style.

It could be they don't know quite how to market it though.

[JessePinkman]

The ship reminds me of Nero's ship in Star Trek (2009). But not as well done.

[OakGoblinFly]

The trailer makes it seem like the movie is having an identity crisis; it doesn't know what it wants to be.  And it makes me NOT want to see it.

[VCRTracking]

Micheal Sheen as a bartending robot looks cool.

Quote

The spoilers have confirmed I won't waste even Google Play dollars/Netflix/Prime watchlist space on this, never mind skipping the theater.  The Keanu/Rachel pairing might have been interesting. 

I don't agree. Having read the script, I think casting Pratt and especially Lawrence makes the story more suspenseful than it would have been it had been another pair of actors playing them. It's because Lawrence can be formidable and intimidating few actresses her age can.

Edited September 20, 2016 by VCRTracking

[ribboninthesky1]

Well, mileage varies.  I've never thought much of Lawrence as an actor and not a Pratt fan, either. If the spoilers are true, Keanu Reeves would have been much more convincing for me, assuming the film is trying to sell a "romantic" lead.   Rachel McAdams can balance vulnerability and resilience well, and I am curious how she would have played opposite Reeves.  Oh, what might have been. 

[VCRTracking]

Reading the script the only way Reeves and McAdams would work better than Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence for me would be if it was the Keanu from 25 years ago and a Rachel McAdams who's 10 years older than she is now.

Edited September 20, 2016 by VCRTracking

[methodwriter85]

You mean you would want a Keanu who is 25 and a Rachel McAdams that is 50?

I don't know, it's kind of working for me. I'll give the movie a shot.

Edited September 21, 2016 by methodwriter85

[CofCinci]

It's a difficult film to edit a trailer for as you don't want to give away the twist.

[Silver Raven]

On ‎9‎/‎20‎/‎2016 at 3:56 PM, VCRTracking said:

Reading the script the only way Reeves and McAdams would work better than Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence for me would be if it was the Keanu from 25 years ago and a Rachel McAdams who's 10 years older than she is now.

Why would you want an old Rachel McAdams as the romantic lead?

[VCRTracking]

I just meant it doesn't work for me having if the male lead is an older Keanu Reeves(even though he still does look young for his age).

[OakGoblinFly]

On 9/22/2016 at 11:10 AM, CofCinci said:

It's a difficult film to edit a trailer for as you don't want to give away the twist.

The trailer pretty much gave it away (to anyone who was paying attention that is); two friends who saw trailer and had no knowledge of the reference material or plot (or that there was even a movie with Pratt and Lawrence) turned to me and said

Spoiler

he woke them up, didn't he?

[kazb0t]

I'll probably end up streaming this when it comes out because I tend to enjoy most sci-fi movies even the crappy ones. But I couldn't help but think, "Wait, this plot sounds really familiar.." Then I realized I read a YA novel a few years back with a very similar premise called Across The Universe. Including the plot twist 

Spoiler

of the guy being the one who actually woke the girl up to keep him company.

[raezen]

Looks like this movie is going to have some competition not onlywith  Rogue One but The Space Between Us is also coming out the same time.

[gator12]

I just don't see how this will be able to compete and beat the juggernaut that is known as Star Wars but people still me that Pratt and Law are huge movie stars 

[Dejana]

On 10/1/2016 at 2:37 PM, gator12 said:

I just don't see how this will be able to compete and beat the juggernaut that is known as Star Wars but people still me that Pratt and Law are huge movie stars 

I doubt the studio expects Passengers to beat Rogue One but it can still make a lot of money nonetheless. They are both set in space but not very much alike in tone really. The studio showed footage of Passengers at an industry convention in the spring to a very enthusiastic reception, before the lawsuit drama caused the trailer delays. The holiday season is a pretty generous time at the box office, all but the absolute turkeys manage to make many times their opening weekends. People have time off to see more than one thing. Once upon a time Titanic was supposed to wilt from the pressure of being released on the same weekend as a Bond movie. Tomorrow Never Dies was a hit and the other one did even better.

.

Edited October 2, 2016 by Dejana

[VCRTracking]

New clip:

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/11/17/passengers-jennifer-lawrence-exclusive-clip

[Dejana]

Some new footage set to a song for the movie by Imagine Dragons:

[snickers]

Early reviews on this aren't looking good...not good at all.

I mean, I know bad reviews didn't stop Suicide Squad from making money (and I still haven't seen it), but Suicide Squad was not up against Star Wars and Sing.....

I was planning on seeing this in the theater, now I am not so sure....

[Spartan Girl]

I texted my friend and told her the big spoiler that the reviews give away. Her response: "That is MESSED UP!"

Neither of us are going to see it.

[Dejana]

I figured if the studio was so high on this as a holiday hit, that surely, the script was changed enough during filming to make the twist a bit more palatable to audiences, like

Spoiler

the ship's GPS is off or they discover some extra warp speed, so they actually arrive at the intended destination before the movie ends.

Given the ads and trailers, it seems TPTB feared the big plot development would get in the way of selling this as Titanic in space, but they did realize that at some point, the movie would actually be seen, right? It's usually worse when people come away feeling duped, and false advertising isn't going to save a movie this expensive. It would be different if Passengers were genuinely one of those sci-fi movies interested in exploring a moral dilemma, and ended with 

Spoiler

the ship being saved but the Pratt character dies, so now Jennifer is faced with the same loneliness.The last scene ends with her character standing over another person's pod, hand looming over the button.

But Sony just wanted an unobjectionable action romance and I don't know how well that was going to work with this premise.

[Schweedie]

Wait, IS the twist actually that

Spoiler

he's the one who decides to wake her up

? Or something else? Because I could've sworn that was in the actual film synopsis on IMDB back when I first found out about the movie; I've been under the assumption that everyone would know that going in. I wonder when they decided it should be kept under wraps and changed the description.

10 minutes ago, Dejana said:

 It would be different if Passengers were genuinely one of those sci-fi movies interested in exploring a moral dilemma, and ended with 

  Reveal hidden contents

the ship being saved but the Pratt character dies, so now Jennifer is faced with the same loneliness.The last scene ends with her character standing over another person's pod, hand looming over the button.

 

That would have been a pretty great way to do it. 

[raezen]

This movie and Collateral Beauty are going to get people fired. They both did the same thing because both are treating the actual premise of the film as a spoiler when it's not.  They know they messed up.

Edited December 17, 2016 by raezen

[Dejana]

1 hour ago, Schweedie said:

Wait, IS the twist actually that

  Reveal hidden contents

he's the one who decides to wake her up

? Or something else? Because I could've sworn that was in the actual film synopsis on IMDB back when I first found out about the movie; I've been under the assumption that everyone would know that going in. I wonder when they decided it should be kept under wraps and changed the description.

I haven't seen any ads/trailers that were up front about 

Spoiler

him deliberately waking her up.

Even if the studio wasn't hiding it on purpose, it does not seem like they were eager to offer reminders.

1 hour ago, raezen said:

This movie and Collateral Beauty are going to get people fired. They both did the same thing because both are treating the actual premise of the film as a spoiler when it's not.  They know they messed up.

Collateral Beauty might just save Passengers from a Razzie sweep; it seems even more poorly conceived and put together.

Edited December 17, 2016 by Dejana

[Jenniferbug]

What happens after they wake up and fall in love? I'm not seeing any plot summary beyond that, and I'm curious because that doesn't seem like much of a movie to me. 

I know the big twist of 

Spoiler

Him intentionally waking her up, but it seems like there should be more to the movie plot than just that.

[Dejana]

5 hours ago, Jenniferbug said:

What happens after they wake up and fall in love? I'm not seeing any plot summary beyond that, and I'm curious because that doesn't seem like much of a movie to me. 

I know the big twist of 

  Reveal hidden contents

Him intentionally waking her up, but it seems like there should be more to the movie plot than just that.

After the reveal

Spoiler

and the ensuing "romance" and JLaw learning the truth about what Chris did, the ship starts to malfunction, so they have to fix it before the thing crashes. Action and peril ensue, but Pratt saves the day and fixes her pod. She turns down the offer to go back to sleep.

Edited December 18, 2016 by Dejana

[Jenniferbug]

Thanks Dejana!

[scriggle]

REVIEW: Passengers Soils Its Escapism With Repulsive Reveal

[spankydoll]

I'm taking a pass in this because of Pratt abandoning his animals. Looks pretty awful to boot. 

[galax-arena]

I was interested in seeing this film despite my aversion to both Pratt and Lawrence, but only because the trailer I saw left out that part of the story. When I read the spoilers, that was it for me. Ick. Gross. Nast. 

I think this is the most tone-deaf ~romance I've heard about since Waiting for Forever.