Author Topic: Passengers  (Read 5087 times)

smirnoff

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Re: Passengers
« Reply #10 on: April 06, 2017, 12:51:57 AM »
What I have to disagree with is the story. It's not that great. It begins as a stranded-alone segment, evolves into a weak romance and then escalates into fight-the-clock action. None of those elements are particularly well done, they're just serviceable.

The premise here is just what makes sci-fi such an exciting genre. It can push its characters to places no other genre can. New worlds, new technologies, new dilemmas. As much as it is "a stranded-alone" film, it's unlike any stranded alone film we've seen. The particulars of the situation add so many wrinkles to that would-be, well-worn path. What stranded-alone film before now has seen it's character this well provisioned? Stranded-alone films are typically survival stories. In this stranded alone story it would take deliberate action NOT to survive. He has unlimited food, a medical facility... his life is not in danger. So he's not so much stranded as situated. If it were a case of having to work to survive, I don't think waking up another mouth to feed would occur to him. But when you have all else covered, loneliness sets in. With everything the ship provides, games, a bar, sports, spacewalks, and great big ship to roam, all for his sole enjoyment, who could content themselves with that for the remainder of their lives? What would you do in his shoes?


DarkeningHumour

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Re: Passengers
« Reply #11 on: April 06, 2017, 06:01:23 AM »
It sounds great when you say it, but as in most movies, the problem is the execution. I'm not sure how I would change it, but none o it was very compelling. The economics o that venture gave me more to think about than Pratt's character and the best bits were reliably the ones with Michael Sheen.
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smirnoff

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Re: Passengers
« Reply #12 on: April 08, 2017, 12:15:57 AM »
It sounds great when you say it, but as in most movies, the problem is the execution. I'm not sure how I would change it, but none o it was very compelling. The economics o that venture gave me more to think about than Pratt's character and the best bits were reliably the ones with Michael Sheen.

I really enjoyed Sheen's presence as well! :)

What were the economic elements you recall finding interesting? I did find it amusing that for a year Jim had been eating economy-class grade chow, and then Jennifer Lawrence shows up and is getting a top class breakfast. It seemed like that class-based distinction really only extended to the first meal of the day though, because I don't remember the bar or restaurant making any differentiation. And there was no recreational areas off-limits to Jim if I recall correctly. They didn't dig into that part much.


DarkeningHumour

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Re: Passengers
« Reply #13 on: April 11, 2017, 04:40:36 AM »
I spent a half hour after the movie geeking out with a friend to figure out the travel company's business plan. We came to the conclusion that it was insane and impossible, but it was fun to think about it.
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dassix

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Re: Passengers
« Reply #14 on: April 22, 2017, 08:24:56 PM »
I read a lot of negative reviews before this one and almost skipped it because of that.  Thankfully I did not, as I actually enjoyed this film.  I could think of dozens of actresses and actors that would have been better than the Pratt and Lawrence - which would have helped with the execution. Darkening was correct, the execution was somewhat bad. 

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DarkeningHumour

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Re: Passengers
« Reply #15 on: April 23, 2017, 04:03:49 AM »
The crew thing actually made sense. It would take half an hour just to get them up to speed.
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dassix

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Re: Passengers
« Reply #16 on: April 23, 2017, 09:32:55 AM »
I just couldn't understand how they knew they couldn't spare those 30 minutes. At this point in the movie, they didn't actually yet discover that the reactor (insert their terminology) was going to blow.  Maybe I took his role as a mechanic and less of an engineer, where that problem would have made most mechanics go wake up the staff that understood those systems.  That one single, quick line in the movie seemed to be trying to hide a potential plot hole quickly.

The economics of the movie were very interesting as you pointed out, although they did not quite get too in depth as I would have liked.  If there was a different cast, slightly different execution, this movie could have been great.

1SO

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Re: Passengers
« Reply #17 on: February 27, 2019, 12:20:59 AM »
Having read the reviews by Corndog and smirnoff I find myself in the middle. Pratt making the choice to wake Lawrence up is the core of the film and not one to be easily judged by a viewer. On one hand, I'm glad that there was time taken for Pratt to convince himself this is a good idea. He doesn't just see a hot blonde and wake her in the hopes of claiming her as a mate.

On the other, I don't think the film does a good enough job conveying the isolation and loneliness. At first I thought to do that the film would need to be much longer before introducing Lawrence, but Moon managed to hit those notes in less time. Pratt comes off like the first episode of "Last Man on Earth" which lessens the emotional punch of his decision. I noticed it when Lawrence first realizes her situation, she's bringing a lot more drama to her death sentence than Pratt did in all his time. The script includes thoughts of suicide, but Pratt does that scene and then moves onto the next. I didn't believe he had truly bottomed out. What was the biggest moment before that? Hugging the empty spacesuit? If the story were told right, there should always be the connection that instead of taking his own life, he chooses to doom someone else.

When Lawrence finds out, I was surprised to see it go all the way to her beating him up while he sleeps. (Again, I have no thoughts on if this is a proper reaction or an over-reaction. I believe this to be her reaction at that point in the story, which is all that's needed.) It seems a lot of time passes before Fishburne shows up, but the film rushes to where you don't feel they've been alone together for more than a few weeks. I'm glad the script didn't have him save her life at the pool to then have her turn and accept him again, though Fishburne acting as a reminder that life is short is also a bit of a cheat. I do see a way where Lawrence comes around on her own, but it would be much longer. I also think it works if there's no hint of forgiveness until the doors are about to close on her suicide mission. Again, it's kind of there in the script, but the tone can't resist tipping that you know these two are going to make up before the end credits.

The Producton Design is a marvel. That Oscar nomination is well-deserved. As for the comments above about male gaze. It's there, mostly in the swimming shots. I'm surprised Lawrence never gets a close up while she's hyper-sleeping, which is both creepy and typical of male directors who want to convey a woman's inner beauty by focusing on her outer beauty.

PeacefulAnarchy

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Re: Passengers
« Reply #18 on: February 27, 2019, 12:30:34 AM »
Yeah, that's about the middle where I ended up with the film. It's aware of the issues it's dealing with and knows it needs to be sensitive to them, but it doesn't quite sell them organically enough to keep you from reading any explanations as meta justification rather than organic acceptance.

smirnoff

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Re: Passengers
« Reply #19 on: February 27, 2019, 01:54:29 AM »
All very fair criticisms.

The progression of events does feel accelerated, I agree. That aspect puts a strain on the overall believably. On the other hand, zipping along like it does, I feel like we get further than we would have otherwise... and I like going deeper down this rabbit hole and seeing how this crazy situation resolves, at the cost of maybe not being totally convinced by the characters' decisions and their timing. But yea, there is probably some room there to improve and not lose anything for it.



When Lawrence finds out, I was surprised to see it go all the way to her beating him up while he sleeps. (Again, I have no thoughts on if this is a proper reaction or an over-reaction. I believe this to be her reaction at that point in the story, which is all that's needed.)

It's interesting imagining the film had it been from her perspective, not Pratt's. The film would begin when she wakes up.

Both her and the audience are unaware of the real reason her pod has failed. It proceeds like a rom com, up until Pratt's secret is revealled. She, and we, are horrified. And Pratt is now a villain in our eyes. Later Pratt dies when he sacrifices himself. And now alone on the ship Lawrence is faced with the situation for which she was so anrgy at Pratt. To be alone forever or wake someone else up. And somewhere in there we cut back to Pratt's time alone, and sympathize with a character which up till now we've been angry at.

In that way, Pratt's "Last Man On Earth" performance takes on a different quality. Regardless, it's still all there to contemplate.



Did you enjoy the scenes with Michael Sheen?

 

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