Passengers

Interesting film, not for any technical, acting or artistic reasons, but rather conceptually. There's some very dubious shenanigans going on in terms of a story-line, value-bases, moral standing and disasters to sort out, intertwined with a half-baked love story, but you won't want to watch it for all that clap-trap!

The ideas posed by the whole concept of a huge commercial spaceship taking 5000 paying passengers to a world 120 (earth) years travel away (whilst they 'hibernate') are fascinating. If you listen to scientists on the matter of leaving earth to colonise a distant planet as ours goes downhill, they'll tell you that it's not commercially viable and will 'never' happen. (Apart from anything else, a commercial investment with no outcome for over a hundred years would not be attractive.) Never, however, is a long time! And they could be wrong. So let's not nit-pick!

This travel/hibernation thing has been done before, of course, many times, but I guess that some of the scientific areas of interest are drawn out a little in this film, along with very nicely executed visual exposures of a backdrop of space and distant stars. The inside of the craft which clearly somebody allowed a team to run away with in terms of layout, scale and idea. Look out for the nod in the 'bar room' to The Shining, Mr Grady! Taking a 'sling shot' around a distant star and the sheer size of the craft allow the imagination to drift into what on earth (and beyond) might be going on with our species long after you and I are merely dust.

The only other attraction really was Jennifer Lawrence to gawp at (though not to study the acting of) and Chris Pratt. But of course two beautiful people would happen to be thrown into the stew together! It's an interesting yarn and worth a look as it's currently available via NowTV in the UK and no doubt elsewhere. Enjoy.