Passengers
2016 · Directed by Morten Tyldum
Original language: English
- drama
- romance
- science fiction
The story
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 90 years early.
What it’s like
Gleaming, sterile interiors dominate: long corridors of brushed white and chrome, the cool blue glow of hibernation pods, and a vast atrium garden of green that feels almost too lush for the starship. Cinematography leans on wide, glossy digital frames, with the spacecraft's curved walls and the deep black of space filling the windows. Exterior shots of the ship drifting past stars and a dark asteroid field give a steady sense of scale and emptiness. The score swells with orchestral warmth and a soft pulse, while the ship's hum and mechanical clicks fill the quieter stretches. The vibe is luxurious loneliness, romantic and slightly melancholy, with glossy polish over a current of unease. Pacing is brisk and polished, moving between intimate two-hander scenes and grander set pieces. Its emotional register is warm and sentimental, following a lonely pair slowly drawn together and then forced to face a hard choice. Violence is minimal and brief, with some peril and a tense sequence of mechanical danger, but no gore. Romantic and sensual content appears in several scenes. It suits a rainy-evening watch or a long-haul flight, for viewers who want sleek sci-fi with a love story at its core.
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