Customer Reviews

Passengers

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Have to completely disagree with the put-down reviews below. This was an excellent and moving film with a very strong performance from Anne Hathaway inparticular. Be careful what you read below - one reviewer gives away the whole plot (why people do this in reviews I'll never know...). The film does leave you wondering what is really going on and it is NOT predictable. People tend to say this AFTER they have seen a film, I notice! Anyway, if you like any of Anne Hathaway's work, you will like this - and if you don't, then try this one out - you may be pleasantly surprised. Anne Hathaway has perhaps fallen into the same trap as many other excellent actresses in that she is type-cast over and over in fairly 'blah' roles (eg in films such Ella Enchanted, Bride Wars or Devil Wears Prada), roles which do not allow her to display her acting talents to their fullest. Passengers fortunately, is a film that does let us see what Anne is capable of and hopefully she will do other films of a more serious nature in the future, as she can most certainly carry them.

As an aside, Sandra Bullock comes to mind as someone who was (is?) in a similar postion to Anne. I have always felt that she has remarkable acting talent and it is only in recent years that I have really seen it coming out in her films, Premonition being a fine example (and the Lakehouse - though to a much lesser degree).

addendum - having watched Passengers about 3 times now, I would most certainly bump it up to 5 stars and also recommend the extremely moving soundtrack. This film is of a much, much deeper nature than it may first appear and is one of those few films that I can say has 'touched' me inside. I feel this is due to a combination of the film's subject matter, the score and Anne Hathaway's very powerful performance.

Passengers may not be the most memorable or original film I've ever seen; but it's actually rather well done and I liked the convincing acting of both Anne Hathaway and Patrick Wilson in their roles as the main characters. The cinematography and the choreography work wonders for the film; and the casting was very well done. The action flows along at a good pace although the script and the footage could have been edited down a few minutes to make the action tighter and the film a better one.

When the film starts, we meet a young psychologist named Claire (Anne Hathaway) who takes on the responsibility for running group therapy for the handful of survivors of a horrific plane crash. Her boss, Perry (Andre Braugher) believes it would be a good assignment for Claire to get her "out of (her) comfort zone." Claire must help them talk about their grief and pain to get over their post traumatic stress and "find out the truth."

Once the group starts, Claire meets the survivors and the group includes Norman (Don Thompson), Shannon (Clea DuVall) and Dean (Ryan Robbins). However, members of the group start to miss therapy sessions; and Claire slowly begins to believe that they are missing persons and not merely dropping out of therapy. Claire and other people in the group are also uncomfortable when they notice a stranger staring in from the outside at the group; and Claire's relationship with the airline representative Arkin (David Morse) is not exactly going well as he is clearly holding things back from her, possibly to avoid the airline being held liable for the accident.

In addition, one more survivor, Eric (Patrick Wilson), gives Claire a surprise when he comes off as rather happy and upbeat about life despite the terrible crash he just experienced. As the rest of the action occurs, Claire gradually finds herself falling for Eric and this muddles things for her both professionally and personally. She also has a well-meaning but rather nosy neighbor, Toni (Dianne Wiest).

Of course the plot can go in several different directions but suffice to say I never anticipated the way the film ended. Talk about a surprise! It's one of the best things about the film.

The DVD comes with a few deleted scenes and there's an optional running commentary with director Rodrigo Garcia and Patrick Wilson. We also get the featurettes entitled "Analysis of the Plane Crash" and "The Manifest & Making of Passengers."

I recommend this film for fans of the actors in it; and people who enjoy thriller dramas with mystery and even some romance will enjoy this film.

EDIT: I just finished watching "Lost." The movie is basically a replica of the show. It's still a good movie but not as "original" as I thougth.

I was sitting in my college dorm, browsing Netflix, looking for a good movie to stream. I'd never heard of "Passengers," and was pretty hesitant to watch it. I was expecting your typical "airplane crash" mystery flic and for a while it seemed to be moving in that direction. Soon enough however, I found myself in a lost state, unsure of what was happening--the pieces were there but something just wasn't "right." For the intellectual kind, this movie will keep your brain going--not hard to understand at all but incredibly intriguing. The surprise ending literally left me is a special kind of shock that I can most definitely appreciate.

Typically I'd get into detail about camera angles and soundtrack score--elements which were all greatly constructed and implemented in this film--but I am in genuine and sincere awe of the storyline and overall concept of the film. After reading the previous reviews, I guess it may not be for the typical moviegoer but if you give it a chance you'll certainly develop a GREAT appreciation for it. The film, however, was amazing at keeping my attention and interest.

I think I have a new favorite... you might too.

The Mexican writer Octavio Paz stated once :"The past is function of the future. The future's will stands up the dead ...". Words more, words less this clever idea invites us to rethink what's our role in this world and somehow allows us to establish the chaos has a clever, even unknown order that we use to call coincidence, intersections of the fate or simply tragedy.

Passengers- is without hesitation- one of the most surprising and smart movies of the year. Without being a great movie, it's a good one, due the curious plot. A febrile therapist begins to averíguate the in and outs of a weird crash plane. Through the film advances she will find some several clues that will lead us to an unexpected finale.

Anne Hattahaway and Patrick Wilson exhibit an overwhelming chemistry along the story that surely will captivate you.

Touching performances and fine direction make of this work a must-see.

On the surface PASSENGERS is the story about airplane crash following which the airline hires a psychologist Dr Claire Summers (Anne Hathaway) to hold group therapy sessions for those PTSD survivors. The group is strange, not so much for the crash but more for the lives they've lived leading up to the crash - or so Claire believes. Claire is particularly drawn to Eric (Patrick Wilson) who seems somehow above the emotional trauma and indeed begins to 'court' Claire with requests for house calls, incidents that lead to a romance. Gradually the survivors in Claire's therapy group disappear and Claire is made suspicious of the cause of the accident, a fact that disturbs the airline person Arkin (David Morse). Eric's strange behavior as well as the appearance of the odd character Toni (Dianne Wiest) and the counsel from Claire's colleague Perry (Andre Braugher) begin to unravel a mystery that is finally made clear in the closing moments of the film. To say more would be to spoil the ending.

PASSENGERS is not a great movie but it is a fairly good and well-acted suspense/romance drama. The cast is solid but the direction by Rodrigo García of the Swiss cheese script by Ronnie Christensen is shaky: the premise is good but the getting there is full of potholes and road kill. Nevertheless it is a good little diversion of a film for a rainy night. And the actors do their very best to make it better than it is. The pleasure comes after the ending is revealed and sets up the audience for some serious introspection. Grady Harp, March 10

"Passengers" begins with a very quick plane crash, that then cuts to the shore, with the wreckage and surviving passengers wandering around. From there, we meet Claire Summers, a professional psychiatrist who is assigned to help the remaining survivors cope with the tragedy. One of the survivors, Harry, is reluctant to come to the group sessions, and rather invites Claire over to his house for a session. From there, the two soon begin a fragile relationship that soon grows into a romance. But, when the survivors begin to disappear one by one, Claire predicts a conspiracy and major cover-up going on. I can't tell you anymore without giving away the major twist ending, but I can tell you that this intricate plot kept me guessing and my eyes glued to the screen from beginning to end.

The acting was phenomenal. I have always enjoyed Anne Hathaway, ever since her remarkable performance in "Rachel Getting Married." Here, she plays quite a different character, and she accomplishes it wonderfully. Playing a lonely and secluded doctor who slowly learns to open up is a difficult job, and I found her performance to be quite strong. Patrick Wilson stars as Harry, and together, they create great chemistry. Whenever they're on screen together, they just seem to click. The rest of the cast includes Andre Baugher and Dianne Wiest, who also turn in solid performances.

And though this film was a lower budget film, it was very hard for to tell. The only noticeable visual worth commenting on was the plane crash, and though it wasn't the most realistic one I had seen, it worked. What I found even better was the gorgeous scenery. This film was shot in Canada, and the whole atmosphere remained very misty, rainy and mysterious. It fit the film perfectly, and I couldn't think of a better place they could've shot the film.

What I didn't like, however, was some minor let downs in the film. There were several moments where I was sure something was going to happen, and it simply didn't. There seemed to be moments that promised suspense, and stopped right before achieving that suspense. It brought you to the edge of your seat and then immediately told you to sit back and relax. Though some parts in the film were intense and quite suspenseful, several moments were let downs for me.

Anne Hathaway deserved the Oscar for her performance in "Rachel Getting Married." Now, I wasn't expecting that type of work from her in "Passengers," but she gave me enough reason to watch the film. Though I expected more of a thriller, I was content with its outcome of occasional suspense, mystery, romance, and drama. It was very intense and parts, and very touching at others. It left me guessing until the end, my eyes always locked on the screen, and it never really seemed to bore me, even though several scenes left me wanting more. In the end, "Passengers" ended up being a satisfying combination of "Just Like Heave," "The Forgotten," and "The Sixth Sense."

--Anthony

Also find this review on my movie review website: ambreviews.webs.com

Very suspenseful movie. Keeps you guessing throughout. I really enjoyed it. Have watched it more than once, it gets better with re-viewing.

Based on PASSENGER's marketing, I was hoping for a scary supernatural tale. Instead, this was a case of too little "horror," too late.

Indeed, not so much horror as squishy, New Age mush.

If you like spiritual pseudo-horror like THE FORGOTTEN or DRAGONFLY, you might enjoy PASSENGERS, since it's the same old, same old (with borrowings from THE SIXTH SENSE, THE OTHERS, GHOST, JACOB'S LADDER, and the original TWILIGHT ZONE TV series).

This is not really a spoiler, since the marketing (e.g. DVD box blurbs) kinda give away the premise...

Passengers survive a plane crash, but then begin vanishing. Like that TWILIGHT ZONE episode about astronauts who survive a mishap in space, but when they return to Earth, they begin vanishing... Something they had encountered "up there" didn't mean for them to return, and is correcting its mistake.

PASSENGERS had scary potential. Why are surviving passengers vanishing? What's being "corrected"? A rip in space/time? Some Supernatural Order (e.g., FINAL DESTINATION)?

No, instead PASSENGERS borrows the more familiar explanation, found in THE SIXTH SENSE, JACOB'S LADDER, GHOST, and THE OTHERS. If you know those "twist" endings, you'll guess early on what PASSENGERS is about.

PASSENGERS is slow and boring. We're nearly TWO THIRDS into the film before it gets ominous. A horror film should be ominous 10 to 15 minutes in, then get scarier. Instead, PASSENGERS's "horror" starts late and remains tepid.

In its final 10 minutes, the film shifts from weak horror to "feel good" New Age spirituality.

Horror fans will be disappointed.

A bardo type film thoroughly recommended by myself. A convincing storyline and good acting ensure that the essential meaning of the story is conveyed to the viewer.

What makes an interesting film is a theme that plays off the title without giving away the conclusion too early. In this film, Ann Hathaway is a very vunerable and believable character investigating a tragedy that unfolds before the viewers eyes.
The interaction among the various characters hightened the plot as it eventually turned each corner.
It is a film that tugs that one's emotions and concludes with a logical and pulsating rate. I truly enjoyed this film!