Passengers (2016)
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The story
In the distant future, the Avalon is a sleeper ship transporting 5,000 colonists and 258 crew members from Earth to the planet Homestead II. The journey is intended to last 120 years as a means to escape an overpopulated Earth. However, an asteroid collision causes a malfunction that awakens mechanical engineer Jim Preston 90 years before his scheduled awakening. Unable to return to hibernation or contact Earth due to communication delays, Jim faces a period of isolation. He eventually decides to wake another passenger, Aurora Lane, for companionship, leading to a complicated dynamic as they navigate their predicament together on the ship.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
On the sleeper ship Avalon, an asteroid collision awakens Jim Preston 90 years early. After a year of isolation, he awakens Aurora Lane for companionship. They fall in love over the next year, though Aurora is initially devastated by the realization that she can no longer reach her destination. The situation becomes dire when another passenger, Gus Mancuso, is awakened and reveals that the ship's systems are failing due to the asteroid's damage. Jim and Aurora must work together to repair the fusion reactor. During a dangerous repair, Jim is blasted into space and must be resuscitated by the ship's Autodoc. After the repairs are successful, Jim convinces Aurora to use the Autodoc as a hibernation pod for the remainder of the journey, but she chooses to stay awake with him. Eighty-eight years later, when the crew awakens for arrival, they find a lush garden and a recording of the life Jim and Aurora shared together.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 116
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Morten Tyldum
- Writers
- Jon Spaihts · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jennifer Lawrence · Aurora Lane; Chris Pratt · James "Jim" Preston; Michael Sheen · Arthur; Laurence Fishburne · Gus Mancuso; Andy Garcia · Captain Norris
- Genres
- science fiction; romance
- Themes
- isolation; sacrifice; love
- Tone and mood
- dramatic; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- space travel; survival; time dilation
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, though the performances of the leads were praised.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 30% · scale: approval rating · review count: 287; Metacritic · score: 41 · scale: 100 · review count: 48; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 77% · scale: overall positive score
- Awards and nominations
- Best Original Score · Academy Awards · 89th · nomination; Best Production Design · Academy Awards · 89th · nomination
- Production trivia
- The script was written in 2007 but faced long development.; The film was originally intended to star Keanu Reeves and Emily Blunt.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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