5 Reasons to Watch Passengers

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Passengers, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, is a character-driven romance set in a futuristic outer space. Despite mixed reviews, here are five reasons why you should give Passengers a chance.

Warning: Passengers is rated PG-13 for sexuality, nudity, and action/peril. Consider this recommendation at your own discretion. 

1. Plot

Passengers follows two passengers of the starship Avalon who wake from their sleep chambers ninety years too early. As they fall in love, ship malfunctions and a hidden secret jeopardize their relationship and the safety of all the starship's passengers. While the focus of the movie was the romance between the main characters, there was still room for action and suspense in this film. There were a lot of twists and turns with the plot, which provided an edge-of-your-seat experience. The concept is intriguing and well-developed, providing a worthwhile story for people who enjoy science-fiction, romance, or adventure.

2. Characters/Cast

The characters of Passengers are intriguing. Jim Preston is an engineer who leaves earth to help build (literally) a new colony. Aurora Lane is a writer who wants to be the first person to travel to and from a colony and write about it. Together, they provide an intriguing and emotional foundation for the story. Each character is established with a rich back story, an intricate personality, and a fantastic actor to make them come to life. Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence were amazing in this film. They made this movie soar. The other actors, Martin Sheen and Laurence Fishburne, did great in their respective parts as well. I was thoroughly impressed by the acting as well as the character development in this film.

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3. World-building

The "world-building" (or should I say, universe building) was phenomenal. There were so many details put into the spaceship Avalon and the futuristic world it came from. I loved every moment of it. From the breakfast kiosk in the cafeteria to the layout of the ship's interior: it was spectacular. I wish more science-fiction stories could show the ingenuity and creativity that the production team and writers of Passengers reveal in their design for the Avalon. Even the starship itself, from an exterior view, is an incredible masterpiece. There is just so much packed into the concept. I'm still amazed.

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4. Theme/Message

Passengers is a movie that makes you think. It makes you contemplate life and question decisions. It makes you wonder about fate and destiny and morality, but it does so in a new and refreshing way. It's also relatable, despite that you and I didn't wake up 90 years too early on a starship in the middle of the universe. There are fundamental truths about human nature and about life that are ingrained in this film, and I admired how much it made me sit back in my theater seat and just mull over what I had watched. A lot of movies are so focused on entertaining the audience, they miss introducing important messages. Passengers keeps its ideas at the forefront of the film without being too pushy or overwhelming.

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5. Outer Freaking Space

I'll admit my favorite parts of the film were the outer space scenes. The starship Avalon flying through the star-scattered void of space. The space frolic along the ship's exterior. The slingshot around the burning star. All of it was magical and breathtaking. I was constantly overwhelmed by the beautiful cinematography and special effects. There aren't adequate words to describe those scenes, and I highly recommend watching Passengers in theaters for the full experience of those shots on a large screen in a dark room. A lot of movies set in outer space focus on the dangers of space, forgetting the beauty that is also held there. I'm grateful this movie showed the brilliance and excitement of space instead. I teared up a lot due to the gorgeous views. Somebody give this movie twelve Oscars or something just for the outer space scenes.

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Overall, Passengers is a unique movie with a fantastic cast and a marvelous production and design team. I highly recommend it to anyone who is even slightly interested in the film or loves outer space (or Chris Pratt).

Have you seen Passengers?