Passengers

Eine schön gemachte "spannende Science-Fiction-Romantik“, für welche die Abstimmung der Kostüme und der Augenfarbe der zwei Hauptdarsteller*innen am wichtigsten ist. Bei der Ausstattung und der visuellen Gestaltung hat man sich überall inspiriert – von 2001: Odyssee im Weltraum (das Interieur des Schiffs) bis hin zu Gravity (das Fliegen außerhalb des Schiffs). Dazu kommt die prima Idee mit dem Verlust der Schwerkraft im Schwimmbecken. Ein angenehmes Erlebnis für die Zielgruppe von Die Tribute von Panem. Die Tiefe des Stoffes mit einem riesigen Potenzial wurde nur zu 30 % genutzt. Ich würde es gerne in der Fassung von Iñárritu oder vom jungen Ridley sehen… (10.01.2017)

A hi-tech technological treat in the thrall of routine, passionless melodrama, in which the filmmakers figured that if they couldn't pull off the philosophy or the careful mating call, a bit of spectacular fire at the end would save them. The opening twenty minutes are from another world and the finale from a well-known universe where hysterical laughter can be heard. (02.10.2017)

Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt are showing prime acting talent in this movie. On the other hand, there are also Laurence Fishbourne and Michael Sheen who could strike your fancy. It’s basically a pretty intimate sci-fi that’s enticing exactly because of this intimacy. Personally, I was very pleased. Technically precise, brilliant as far as the actors go. The question is: what about the director’s take on this? I hear that that the ending wasn’t for everyone, but I liked it. As for me, I was satisfied and happy for each and every new sci-fi that catches the general public’s interest. Especially when it’s as high-quality as this one. (26.09.2017)

Two acting superstars fly through space, have adventures and find their way to each other despite a repulsive lie. And that's it. Passengers gives a lot of space to Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, and both use it to no end, but unfortunately they rely more for charisma than interesting characters. The chemistry between the characters and the love line is the most interesting thing about their story, but the problem is that it takes up about a third of the film and without it Passengers runs out of breath. And the finale itself is downright bad. Pratt and Lawrence, however, try to push it forward at all times. What's next? Nice production design, good visual effects and some pretty thrilling scenes. So all in all, a pretty solid film, but I would have expected more from two of the most popular acting faces of our time. (15.05.2017)

Sci-fi has a tough time, all too often serving only as an exotic background for other genres. Frequently, you end up watching horror, crime, or action films in a futuristic disguise. Passengers presents a purebred romance set in a giant spaceship to bring it to life. If you approach the film as a drama, an adventure story, or, God forbid, start contemplating the logic of the displayed microcosm of a spaceship with elegant promenades, pools, and luxury attractions, you will not be able to avoid disappointment and condemnation. Passengers is an ideal complement for an evening with your loved one, holding a glass of wine in one hand and embracing your partner with the other. It is a pleasant film that is easy to forgive for its certain naivety and script shortcuts steering the story in the desired direction. I have never given a film in which Jennifer Lawrence was involved more than two stars, and as I look at her filmography, I find significantly more candidates for rubbish than promising pieces among those I have yet to see. I will thus accommodate the poor girl and give it four stars and an overall impression of 75%. As a bonus, the interesting design of the spaceship and its interiors also earn the film points. In terms of what sci-fi is commonly abused for, this is a very positive example... (23.04.2018)

A textbook sci-fi romance. A-grade actors, decent effects and if at the end the screenplay hadn’t begun freewheeling so unoriginally, the movie could have been excellent. In retrospect I’m disappointed that I had already learned of a fundamental twist (from the time when Keanu Reaves was meant to play Jim) which the trailers sensibly kept secret. P.S: Andy Garcia appears for precisely three seconds. (08.01.2017)

A space romance where there is little space and a lot of romance, which is often quite forced and out of place, but it has to be there. Unfortunately, the plot around the spaceship is very simple and just a sort of binder in the concept of a story about a couple's relationship and life in a rocket. It's not bad, the production design is impressive, full of neon and cutting-edge gadgets, but underneath the polished shell, it's a generic, fairly uninteresting relationship drama. (04.03.2017)

Am Ende habe ich irgendeine schlaue Pointe erwartet, eine unerwartete Enthüllung (z. B. dass auch Chris Pratt jemand geweckt hat). Leider ist dieser Film nichts für Liebhaber*innen von solchen Dingen, weil das Finale super digital ist, eine Superaction hat und super uninteressant ist. Alles, was davor war, hat mir aber sehr gefallen. Ich habe mich ständig Folgendes gefragt: "Was wird er jetzt machen? Was wird sie tun, wenn sie erfährt, dass er…?“ usw. Der Roboter Michael Sheen ist sehr unterhaltsam, die romantische Geschichte der Hauptfiguren hat mir gefallen. Ich habe auch die geheimnisvolle Stimmung genossen, die… Die dann das schon erwähnte Ende so verdorben hat. Schade, aber es waren keine vergeudeten zwei Stunden. (28.12.2018)

The only film of its kind, a creatively grasped and logically developed romance in the cinephile milieu of the lovers of 2001: A Space Odyssey or Alien. The audience's enthusiasm for the comfort and limitless possibilities of a closed futuristic world is impressively confronted with an emerging moral dilemma, while the precisely rhythmic narrative seamlessly connects the lines of the overarching sci-fi conflict with the internal conflicts and relationships of the awakened characters. Laurence Fishburne's character may be a very violently executed scripted interlude whose sole purpose is to nudge the central pair towards resolving technical glitches, and the ending is too Hollywood, but the overall enthusiasm still far outweighs that, and not just because of the likeable Pratt and the beautiful Jennifer, who would be a turn-on for any guy with even a minimal sex drive, but also thanks to the delightful cinematic references, led by bartender Michael Sheen a.k.a. Lloyd from Kubrick's The Shining, who instantly ranks as one of the most endearing figures in the history of bartending and sci-fi. Anyone who talks about insanely wasted potential must have the most vivid imagination since Tolkien, 85% (27.02.2017)

In gewisser Weise könnte man sich die Passagiere als eine futuristische Version der Titanic vorstellen, mit einem Overlook-Barkeeper an Bord und dem modernen Äquivalent von Dornröschen - mit einem Techniker unter Deck, einem Intellektuellen der ersten Klasse und einem riesigen Schiff mit 5.000 Passagieren in tödlicher Gefahr. Der Film besticht vor allem durch seine ansprechende Optik und die zivilen Leistungen von Chris Pratt und Jennifer Lawrence. Neben der visionären Vorstellung von der Besiedlung des Planeten lädt der Film dazu ein, über die (Un-)Richtigkeit menschlichen Verhaltens ("der Ertrinkende greift nach Strohhalmen") und die Hilflosigkeit der allmächtigen Technik im Ausnahmezustand (wo Maschinen versagen, kommen die guten alten Menschenhände zu Hilfe) nachzudenken. Meiner Meinung nach hätte man mehr aus dem Thema herausholen können, aber ich war dennoch mit dem Endprodukt zufrieden. (19.03.2020)

Ich mag keine Filme, in denen ein oder zwei Figuren auftauchen und noch dazu irgendwo im All oder auf einer einsamen Insel. Eine Ausnahme bilden intelligente Filme vom Typ Moon - Die dunkle Seite des Mondes. Die Ankömmlinge ließen sich zu den Ausnahmen rechnen, aber wohl nur bis zur ersten Hälfte, die Handlung lief recht schnell dahin, und ich langweilte mich nicht, doch das letzte Drittel des Films erschien mir rein amerikanisch, und mir fehlten etwas eine bessere Idee, eine Pointe, eine Wende. (30.01.2017)

Well, the idea wasn't half bad, and initially, I had a decent time with Robinson and his trusty robot bartender. But then the mummy woke up, and the whole movie took a wrong turn. The most frustrating part was how painfully predictable the story became. The screenwriter didn't hesitate for a moment, checking off all the clichés I expected without offering a single interesting twist to shake things up. Despite the sizable cast, only Michael Sheen managed to win me over. Arthur was perfect, adding some much-needed charm. However, the romantic couple failed to hold my interest, and Morpheus's decay was convincing but too fast. It felt like a wasted opportunity with all the promising material at hand. I can only assume the cleaning bots initiated their self-destruct sequence the moment they detected the mess on the main promenade. / Lesson learned: If you're planning to colonize a distant planet, pack a book or two, just in case. 3*- (26.02.2022)

I thought it would be something grand like Interstellar, but it's actually a sci-fi romance. But a sci-fi romance where both the sci-fi plane and the romance plane work well. Honestly, the sci-fi aspect is a bit better; after all, the romance is somewhat too obvious and follows an expected course, but there's simply chemistry between the actors here. It was enjoyable to watch, I empathized with the heroes every moment, and visually, it's stunning. (29.12.2016)

A straightforward space opera that's built primarily on divine visuals (it's totally badass in UHD) and appealing performances from Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence. Overall, it's an ultra-romantic, at times seemingly heartrending space adventure that apart from the flashy visuals brings no surprises. (26.01.2020)

Passengers ist ein guter Film. Ein angenehmer Ritt durch den Weltraum mit einem netten Paar, begleitet von friedlicher Musik und netten Visuals, zu denen man immer noch gerne von Zeit zu Zeit zurückkehren wird. Morten Tyldum kann so was halt. Nicht mehr, nicht weniger. Der norwegische Regisseur hat eindeutig so seine Qualitäten, aber es fehlen ihm größere Filmambitionen, die etwas mehr daraus hohlen würden. Die ganze Liebesgeschichte kommt daher nicht so zur Geltung wie sie es bei manch anderem täte (ich möchte mir gar nicht vorstellen, was James Cameron mit dem gleichen Material anstellen könnte). Nicht der Rede wert. Immerhin ist auch der brillante Michael Sheen ein Teil von dem Raumschiff, und er gibt nie eine halbherzige Vorstellung. (03.03.2017)