passengers

Judging films on the basis of box office returns seems patently unfair. But judging them based on audience disinterest probably has some merit. And, surprisingly, Passengers generated little more than a collective "meh" when it was released last year. Surprising not only because it starred two of the most bankable and beloved actors of the decade, but also sported a catchy concept based on a lauded script set in a genre that's riding an all-time high.

En route to a new world aboard the colony Starship Avalon, Jim (Chris Pratt) is rudely awoken out of hypersleep with roughly 89 years left to go before he and his 5000 fellow passengers reach their destination. With no way to reactivate his hibernation pod or contact the crew, Jim is suffering from a case of fatal loneliness - his only source of comfort, a chatty cybernetic bartender (Michael Sheen) - until he realizes he has the technological know-how to wake up someone else to share in his misery.

Of course, this would essentially be an act of murder. But, emotionally desperate and near suicidal, Jim decides to wake up Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence) anyway, blaming it on yet another ship malfunction. After a touch-and-go courtship, the two settle into a comfortable romantic relationship, taking advantage of the perks of having a luxury starliner all to themselves. But mechanical problems begin to get more complicated, with failures popping up ship-wide. And, even more pressing, Jim's secret threatens destroy their life together before it's even begun.

Much like Edge of Tomorrow, another misunderstood sci-fi spectacle, Passengers was the victim of terrible marketing. Pratt and Lawrence were pushed front and center, but the actual drama behind their characters' relationship was whitewashed; the glossy threat from without emphasized over the much more interesting threat from within. Jim's moral dilemma is the meat-and-potatoes of Jon Spaihts' script, affecting every beat that comes after, yet it wasn't even hinted at in the commercials (and we're not talking spoilers here...all the cards are on the table 15 minutes in). Ostensibly what attracted both actors to the project was this romantic subterfuge, a moment that Lawrence, who really brings her "A"-game, makes the most of when Jim's motivations come to light. Whether that angle was too serious or too edgy to emphasize to mass audiences, we may never know. But regardless, the film plays much better in context than it did in trailers.

That said, Passengers is also full of missed opportunities and big-budget concessions. Director Morten Tyldum (Headhunters) gives everything an antiseptic sheen, but never creates much atmosphere out of his intergalactic luxury liner, which seems to be modeled after a Carnival cruise and the Overlook Hotel. It feels a bit too expected...as does the typical action-oriented finale. Passengers is a great idea executed at 75% efficiency. But even that is a hell of a lot better than it's Rotten Tomatoes rating would suggest.

However, Sony's Blu-ray presentation should give everyone a second chance to enjoy the full theatrical experience in hi-def plus a hefty amount of extras including deleted scenes and outtakes, featurettes on the visual effects, casting and set design, along with a clever corporate theme that matches the film's fictional Homestead colonization company.