Passengers has never stopped being the kind of movie people argue about more than they actually love. It is glossy, strange, morally awkward, and forever haunted by the “what if this had been a thriller instead?” discourse that has followed it since 2016. Now it has drifted back onto the chart anyway.
As of March 11, Passengers sits at #10 on Hulu’s U.S. movie chart, according to FlixPatrol, after hovering just outside the Top 10 earlier in the week. That means the bizarre, morally troubling sci-fi romance is once again getting discovered, or rediscovered, by streaming viewers. Directed by Morten Tyldum, the film stars Chris Pratt as Jim Preston and Jennifer Lawrence as Aurora Lane, with Michael Sheen as Arthur and Laurence Fishburne as Gus Mancuso.
The setup — two passengers waking up 90 years early on a colony ship — remains one of the more infamous “great premise, weird execution” cases of the 2010s. So yes, the “Titanic in Space” line still kind of fits, mostly because the movie remains so committed to grand romantic tragedy even when viewers are side-eyeing the entire premise. But streaming has a way of reviving exactly these kinds of flawed curiosities, and Passengers is proving that again.
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Is ‘Passengers’ Worth Watching?
Collider’s review stated that Passengers is a film split between two identities — a compelling sci-fi romance that works and a bolted-on space thriller that doesn’t — and the clash between those halves ultimately holds it back from greatness. Perri Nemiroff highlighted the ethical dilemma that Jim faces as the film’s strongest element. With two charismatic leads whose chemistry feels natural and lived-in, the emotional tension between them becomes genuinely unsettling and fascinating.
“Pratt and Lawrence deliver huge, almost instantly inspiring you to root for them, and Michael Sheen makes for a delightful supporting character — the ship’s resident android bartender, Arthur. There’s also loads to be praised on the technical front, particularly the stunning visuals from cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, and the score from Thomas Newman which adds a great deal to the atmosphere of the film. Tyldum had all the pieces necessary to deliver something engrossing and highly unique, and that makes it especially unfortunate that ill-fitting action detracts so significantly from the experience.”
Passengers is streaming now on Hulu.
- Release Date
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December 21, 2016
- Runtime
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116 minutes
- Writers
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Jon Spaihts
- Producers
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Neal H. Moritz, Ori Marmur, Stephen Hamel, Michael Maher
