Passengers ★★☆☆☆

The recent swathe of space-set science fiction flicks has been an exciting trend to witness due to a blend of intriguing, original storylines and down-to-earth, affable characters, placed against stunning visuals. The nuanced craft of Gravity, Interstellar, The Martian and, to a lesser extent, Arrival, have brought Hollywood science-fiction blockbusters away from colour-by-number action sequences, forced romances, and archetypal characters to a place where real, human stories built around sci-fi elements are captivating enough.

This is the context and the challenge for Passengers, a 116-minute romance tale, starring Hollywood’s current hottest – Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence – as they float around a spaceship sent to colonise a new planet. Originally placed in hibernation for the 120-year trip, their new world settlement plans go awry when a meteor strikes the ship, leading to a host of mechanical issues and Jim Preston (Pratt) waking up 90 years too soon. 

The science is not too heavy handed to turn you off, and it gives director Morten Tyldum the chance to play with fun set pieces and bring a bit of awe. 

Sadly, that's the biggest positive to take from Passengers. I would like to avoid being too cynical about this movie, but the conclusion that's it's an empty Hollywood cash-grab is unavoidable. The story is a thin, tiresome, overwrought, cringe-inducing snooze fest that somehow manages to make Pratt, a loveable goofball, into total sleaze. He says he chose the role because he liked the themes, but I don't think “the redemption of Norman Bates” counts as a commendable character arc. 

Controversial plot points aside, Passengers is frustrating simply because of how much it rests on it’s laurels. Lawrence and Pratt’s effortless charm are to their detriment here as they show none of the depth we know they are capable of. Sony Pictures appear to have taken great ingredients – acclaimed director, writer and actors; a brilliantly cinematic setting; an intriguing sci-fi concept – and somehow have it add up to considerably less than the sum of its parts. The wasted potential is what is so vexing. Trying to fit into the zeitgeist of widely accessible science fiction, the film fails to live up to all that is making its genre so successful. It instead leans on that success to bring us a story we've all, in some guise, already seen. It might be Passengers by name, but it's pedestrian by heart.