Passengers...and Why I'll Never Believe the Critics Again

So much movie excitement over the holidays! The long awaited release of Rogue One! (Check out our reviews and commentary during Spacefreighters Lounge Goes Rogue week here.) All the usual fun holiday-themed family fare.

And then...Passengers. (Big WOOT here!)

Billed as a bonafide Science Fiction Romance film! With Chris Pratt! And Jennifer Lawrence! What could go wrong?

Well, plenty...IF you believe the blasted critics. Unfortunately, I did...and regretted buying advance tickets to the movie. But since I had them, well...yeah. Might as well drag myself out to the theatre to witness a disaster I'd had such high hopes for.

But, wait! I was absolutely delighted to find those high hopes were completely warranted. Passengers was stunning, exciting, amazing, thought-provoking and the kind of story I'd like to see again and again. It was a genuine SFR...actually, the kind of SFR that I would have been proud to write. And it left me with a smile. Though not a wide, ear-to-ear, "oh, that's wonderful" smile but a sort of a wistful, deep-in-thought sort of grin that comes with a long sigh.

In other words...I totally LOVED this movie! Lesson learned. Always take the critics' reviews with a grain of salt and trust your instincts, Luke.

After all, the critics loved, loved, loved the depressing bit of human drama drudgery titled Arrival. That film tried so hard to be a great sci-fi and romance, and ended up failing miserably to become as depressing a downer as stories come. THAT should have told me something right there. Critics are not looking for the same experience in a film that I am. It may also tell you something. If you also loved Arrival, Passengers may not be your cup of tea.

Here's a look at the trailer (in the event you somehow missed it):

So, let's look at the complaints and I'll add my commentary.

Warning! If you haven't seen Passengers and intent to, I recommend you stop here.
SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!





 

OR...jump over and read Donna S. Frelick's excellent non-spoiler review from Friday.

Okay, now that that's out of the way...

From HotAir.com: Passengers is a romantic non-comedy which happens to take place on a spaceship.

Wrong. First of all, Passengers was never intended to be a romantic comedy (though not to say it doesn't have a few moments of humor) so it's ludicrous to suggest it's even the same species. The film is a romantic sci-fi drama and the plot is intertwined with the setting and situation. The romantic premise in Passengers wouldn't work if the voyage were not a 120-year journey to Homestead II, a new colony on a distant world. This is what sets up the entire romantic dilemma of Jim Preston's (Chris Pratt) hypersleep unit malfunctioning and awakening him some 88 years from his destination--alone and isolated on a ship of 5,000 people who are still blissfully asleep and on course to their destination some eight decades into the future. The ship and its AI is oblivious and uncaring about his predicament, and the intense isolation and loneliness is what eventually drives Jim to near insanity.

Note the key word there...eventually. Jim endures the futility and utter loss of his future for months and then over a year. Meanwhile, he attempts to contact authorities, only to find out it will take 19 years for his message to reach Earth and another 36 for a reply...55 years! He attempts to revive the crew, to no avail. In his state of deep isolation, it's why he ends up seeing, then researching, and eventually falling in love with Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence) while she still sleeps in the cocoon of her stasis unit. It creates the motive for his actions. You couldn't take this premise and apply it to any other time or place. It's not "contrived" and it's not "convenient." It's sci-fi in its purest form.

A few things HotAir.com got right:

• "There’s plenty of glorious outer space scenery and tons of high tech gizmo excitement for those of us looking for an adventure in space travel."
• "The tiny cast does a fine job..."
• "The second half of the film is filled with tension and a sense of impending doom..."

From Common Sense Media: "...it all hinges on a decision that one character makes without another's ability to weigh in, removing her ability to make her own life choices."

That's stated as a black mark against the film. And, in fact, some of my peers have been hugely critical of the story because of it, yet this premise is often a standard in romance and in sci-fi romance. How is the premise of Passengers any different than a romance that involves an abduction, a captive element or someone who is put in a situation of having something happen as the result of the actions of another that alters their life? Romance is all about conflict between the hero and heroine that must be overcome, and about seeing and understanding the actions of each character even if you may not agree with them.

Although I'm not in any way suggesting Jim Preston's actions were justified or right (and he'd say the same himself), what he did he did after months of torment by obsession and near-insanity, as I explained in the HotAir.com commentary above. When confronted by Aurora, he didn't make any attempt to hide or alter his actions, he sucked it up and told her the truth. He was then forced to explain his side of the story the only way he could manage when she turned on him to the point of violence.

Do I understand why she was so angry? Yes. Absolutely. But do I also understand (though I don't condone) why he did what he did...after many long months of pining and longing for her companionship? Totally. Jim Preston experienced deep remorse and guilt over his decision, but he couldn't undo what he'd done. That's what the story was about. Yet I saw several authors who write captive, slave, abduction or "protective custody" sci-fi romances criticize his actions harshly, and totally overlooked the parallels in storylines. Whether right or wrong, loneliness and obsession are overwhelming emotions, and overwhelming emotions can lead us to do things we wouldn't do in normal circumstances. Moral dilemma has always been a mainstay of romance.

What Common Sense Media got right:

• "It takes on thought-provoking themes like loneliness, agency, identity, and mortality (as well as courage)..."

From NewYorkTimes.com: "In its haste to tie up loose ends as efficiently as possible, “Passengers” becomes a banal, formulaic pastiche of dozens of other like-minded space operas in which the human drama gives way to technological awe."

Oh, so, SO wrong! I found the film totally engrossing, and the final scenes heart-pounding and suspenseful. As far as being like "dozens of other like-minded space operas," well, yes! Big surprise. Space operas involve drama in space and the overcoming the many dangers inherent in the void and space travel. It's like saying The Heart of the Sea or Master and Commander was formulaic because it took place aboard a sailing vessel and involved struggles with overcoming the wrath of the sea.

Critics also seemed to totally overlook the juxtaposition of the situation Aurora and Jim come to face: In order to save the other 4,998 passengers and 200-some crew aboard the Avalon, Jim must make a decision that will most likely end in self-sacrifice and now it's Aurora who must deal with the horrifying future of spending eternity alone and isolated on the massive ship, only to die long before the voyage ends. The exact same dilemma Jim faced early in the story. Yes, I know what you're thinking. But he revived her, so it's all his fault and now he's going to leave her alone on top of it all!

Think again. If Jim hadn't revived Aurora, he couldn't have dealt with the emergency on his own and she would have died along with Jim and all the other passengers when the ship eventually went supernova. The irony here is that Jim's actions--right or wrong--resulted in averting a complete tragedy and the annihilation of the ship and crew. Call it serendipity. Call it fate. Call it a story well-told.

What the NewYorkTimes.com got right:

• At its most gripping, “Passengers,”...conveys the panic and despair of finding yourself trapped in a luxurious corporate prison in the middle of nowhere. Solitary confinement, even amid opulence, is solitary torture.
• Such delicious moments of movie magic are in painfully short supply.

Final thoughts:

There's another factor that none of the reviews I read seemed to consider. In one scene, we see Aurora wrapped up in a moment of nostalgia as she views a vid of her friends saying goodbye and their tearful confessions of how much they will miss her.

What some may have missed in the story is that Aurora--daughter of a Pulitzer prize winner and gold star passenger--is a lost and wandering soul. Jim didn't steal her life because she really didn't have one. She left everyone she knew behind to travel 120 years into the future and spend a  year--one year--on Homestead II, only to make the trip back to Earth and arrive 241 years after she departed. Everyone she knew would be long dead on both Earth and Homestead II. The only living acquaintances she'd have are those she made during the months awake on Avalon or its sister ship.

When Jim asked her why she was making the round trip, she told him it was so she could see the future. Wait. What? What about the present? What drove her to leave family and friends on Earth to make a 120-year voyage across the stars? Is it possible Jim saved her from a very bleak and lonely existence by his selfish act? Is it possible he gave her the chance to know and experience deep and lifelong love instead of a lesser fate? Yes, he took away the chance for her to make her own choices--but really, how much control do any of us truly have over the whims of destiny? What's the definition of a happy life?

And as for Aurora being "prisoner" in a luxurious prison with nothing but Jim and video games to occupy her time? Ha, I say! Aurora was a writer. I'm sure she had no problem filling her time with stories and musings. Writers come with their own built-in entertainment center. And can you imagine what might happen when her writings were discovered? I'd want to read those works. Wouldn't you?

And lastly, if you saw the film, you know that Jim and Aurora did not live out their lives in idle boredom. They left something of themselves behind for their fellow shipmates to discover. Something for others to ponder and revel and dream about as they go about living their own lives.

Have a great week.

A Christmas Week Movie Review: PERFECT SENSE

During the week of Christmas, I always find myself in a brain fog by the end of the day. Combination of too much sugar and trying to keep up with too many to-do lists. This year, in addition, we're in the process of closing on a house ... and I have a book deadline looming and a big work project just wrapping up. No pressure! 

So by evening I'm ready to give my brain a couple hours off. Last night I started out with Doctor Who episodes, but found I wasn't in the mood for quirky sci-fi mayhem and needed something quieter. Browsing through romances on Netflix, I stumbled on PERFECT SENSE, a sci-fi romance from 2011 that I had somehow missed. 

I'm going to try to avoid spoilers, but will say one thing to properly set up romance-reader expectations. [Now's a good time to SKIP TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH if you don't want to know!] This film DOES follow the classic romantic story arc, but by the end, the external circumstances are quite grim. The film leaves you free to envision the couple's future as you like, but it would take a pretty positive person to imagine everything turns out rosy. 

This film stars Eva Green, who plays an epidemiologist (Susan), and Ewan McGregor, who plays the chef (Michael) who works next door to her flat. Like any good romance, the film opens with glimpses into our hero and heroine's baggage. Michael has classic intimacy issues. Susan is just coming out of a depression triggered by the end of a relationship. One of my nits about the film is this setup. Susan, presented as a bright, competent, self-sufficient doctor, is looking for the right man. The handsome and talented Michael is looking for sex with no attachments. These two end up being rather complicated individuals, and this classic setup felt a little tired. What saves it is the fact their roles reverse later. 

Once we have a snapshot of the couple, the sci-fi worldbuilding commences. A colleague wants to consult Susan about a strange case — a man was brought to the hospital by his wife after suffering a sudden, acute, and uncharacteristic bout of sadness. The episode was brief, but at the end of it he found he had lost his sense of smell. The colleague tells Susan there are cases of this popping up all over the country. 

This is the framework for the sci-fi half of the tale. A brief, acute psychological episode, followed by loss of another sense. No one is spared, but everyone is on a different timetable based on when they were exposed. I say "exposed," but the story's doctors can't find any evidence it's actually a virus. My only other real nit about the film is that the doctors in this story remain pretty much helpless throughout. There are theories, but we never truly see them hard at work making discoveries, trying to get to the bottom of it. 

With that said, these circumstances create a rich and fascinating backdrop for the development of a romance. Michael meets Susan when, going out for a smoke on the street below her flat, he calls up to her window to bum a cigarette. He's cheeky and charming, but she's having none of it — at first. It's when she does finally agree to go out with him that her own symptoms begin to manifest. She bursts into tears at the restaurant, and Michael very gallantly takes her under his wing and gets her home. They end up in bed together, but fully clothed. It's all about comforting her, until the moment he too succumbs to acute grief, and she comforts him. In the morning they wake up to coffee they can't smell, and an uncertain sort of bond. What do they mean to each other after this? Do they have any future? Do they want one? 

I found watching the development of this romance under such odd circumstances fascinating. NPR's review of this film said, "Perfect Sense shines best outside of the bedroom, in sequences that show the human race adjusting to tragedy after tragedy." I agree that the film's portrayal of humanity responding to a slowly unfolding disaster was very well done. (I especially enjoyed watching Michael's restaurant adapt to the fact people were losing senses that are critical to the enjoyment of food.) But frankly, I find this dismissal of the romance element to be very similar to sci-fi romance reviews that are clearly written by readers who disapprove of romantic story arcs.   

Because the romance between Michael and Susan is compelling, tender, and ... let me just say if you happen to be away from your significant other this holiday season as I have been the last few days, you may experience a profound sense of longing. And not just the physical kind. There is fantastic emotional and sexual chemistry between these two actors, intensified by the fact the story is constantly nudging you to cherish the people you love while you can. 

While I enjoyed the performance of both of these actors, I was particularly struck by McGregor as a romantic hero. I enjoy McGregor's films (especially the LONG WAY ROUND series about an epic motorbike trip), and though I do have an obsession with gingers, I never really thought of him as ... well, hot. He's charming in a sweet, kid-brother sort of way. (And in fact he was born the same year as my kid brother.) 

But in PERFECT SENSE, one glimpse of the heroine and he's transformed from a cold-hearted womanizer to charming rogue. There are numerous, lengthy love scenes. They never become particularly graphic — tasteful nudity and lots of tenderness and sensuality — but this is some of the hottest snogging I've ever seen. Besides that I'm an arms gal, and Michael's are gorgeous. 

In short, despite a couple of nits about the early character development and the story, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I'd meant to watch half an hour and go to bed, but stayed up until 12:30 AM to finish it. And I've been thinking about it ever since. 

PERFECT SENSE is available to stream on Netflix and Amazon. Here's a trailer. (If you decide to watch the film, note that the woman in bed with McGregor in his opening scene is NOT the heroine. This confused me for a bit, and the reviewer at the New York Times was apparently confused too and never figured it out. As you watch the film and piece together their backstory, it becomes obvious.)

Does Oblivion Show SFR is Anything But?

Over the weekend, I had a real treat in viewing the new Tom Cruise SF flick, Oblivion. Despite opening to lukewarm reviews, the movie became an instant blockbuster on its premier weekend as this article highlights: Tom Cruise's 'Oblivion' Obliterates Competition with $38 Million Box Office. (Film clip included.)

I always love it when a SF is successful, but I was totally floored that the conclusion to Oblivion was not what I expected. It looked as if this story would end as so many SF seem to--with doomy, gloomy disaster. I was delightfully surprised at the twist that ascended from, well...oblivion. This high budget, well advertised flick is, indeed, a Science Fiction Romance of epic scale. And with only the kind of mind-bending finale that a SFR can deliver.

But that's not all the film has to offer.

The world building is spectacular. Taking place 60 years after "the end of the world" in 2017, when Earth was attacked by Scavs, the aliens who shattered Earth's Moon to trigger environmental disaster, upheaval, and nuclear conflict, thus ending civilization on their victim planet. Earth is a barren, cratered ruin under a broken moon, with the remnants of structures erupting from layers of ash and rock. Some of these visuals were a bit  reminiscent of Planet of the Apes.

Spacestation Tet (for Tetrahedron) offers shelter to the surviving population of Earth who have not already fled to Titan, the distant Saturn moon proclaimed as the most Earth-like body in our solar system even with it's deep cold and frozen methane lakes. The technology in Oblivion is convincing enough that suspension of disbelief is easy. I totally buy that the technology in this era could enable humans to survive on Titan. (Ah, but this is SF/R. This is what everyone is supposed to believe.)

The premise is sound and the tech is "gotta get me one of these" cool. A handful of male/female tech teams have been left behind on Earth with a mission. They live in lofty towers thousands of feet above the scorched Earth, equipped with mega-cool flattop Op Centers and amazing Bubble Ships that blend the capabilities of our beloved Firefly, Serenity, and Avatar AT-99 Scorpions, but add some really slick upgrades.

These teams are in place to tend to certain assigned water processors and the guardian drones that protect them from the nasty Scavs, who are doing their worst to destroy the drones and trash the processors. The processors are paramount to provide water for the hydrogen fuel cells supporting the Titan colony. At times, the Tech's mission takes him to Earth's surface to repair the angry-looking drones that have crashed while evading or engaging the diabolical Scavs. There are off-limit areas surrounded by electronic "walls" that define their sectors of operation on the surface.

One of these team techs is our hero, Jack Harper/Tech 49 who is paired with his communications officer/lover, Victoria. Five years earlier they were required to undergo a security memory-wipe that prevents them from disclosing sensitive information to the Scavs should they be captured. But Jack is having baffling recurring dreams of a time--and a woman--that existed before the holocaust sixty years in the past.

The Jack/Victoria team is in their operating twilight. They need only survive for two more weeks, and then their reward is to depart to Spacestation Tet and on to the Titan colony to join the rest of humanity. But then Jack witnesses the crash of Odyssey--a spacecraft with a human crew--including the very woman from his dreams. When the drones arrive to annihilate the crew, Jack is only able to save the mystery woman from being fried by the relentless drones. This is the beginning of Jack's downfall. And his salvation.

The characters are compelling. Tom Cruise is charismatic and effective as Tech 49 and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) is efficient at her job and sympathetic in her emotional journey. I'm sure there will be some protests why it's the male partner who gets to do all the gritty, adrenalin-inducing 'fun stuff' while the female remains in her cool, squeaky-clean techy tower to act as communication center and liaison with mission command. But the story wouldn't work otherwise.

The conclusion is startling. I'll spare you the spoilers, but this tale has some wicked twists, surprising turns and aha! moments. Some critics have called it predictable. I don't share that view. I knew something was up and had my suspicions, but couldn't pull all the clues together until the very climax of the story. Even so, it left one big surprise for the ending.

The story allows the audience to connect the dots. One of the things I enjoyed about the film is that it provides just enough facts for the viewer to form their own opinions about the wrap-up. Not all plot threads are tied up and force fed to the viewer in a neat, tidy package. You have to think about the outcome and the events that led to what happened...and why.

Last, but certainly not least, Oblivion shows how a romantic human connection can still take center stage over flashy tech and futuristic twists. The romance made the story, and caused the audience to long for that legendary satisfying conclusion.

Which, thankfully, it delivered.

I hope that Oblivion makes up for the disappointment that Upside Down became on the cinematic SFR front. Whether Oblivion will continue to be a success in the weeks to come is still up for grabs, but it passes my acid test of success:

Was is worth the ticket price? Yes, definitely.

Would I watch it again? I plan to.

Will I buy the DVD? Absolutely.

Now it's your turn to chime in. Are you planning to see Oblivion? Are you excited to learn it's SFR? Have you seen it already? Did you enjoy it?