It’s very rare that I’ll dislike a movie right from the beginning and then love the ending of the film, but such is the case with PASSENGERS. This film dragged so much at the beginning I fell asleep a few times only for my wife to nudge me and wake me up reminding me that I need to review it. She can be very persuasive, so I gutted though the boring dialogue and drawn out scenes to get though this one. But there is a light at the end of this tunnel, and it’s one that’s not really scary, but it’s uplifting in a way.
PASSENGERS begins with a plane crash, where survivors of the crash walk among the wreckage while the rest of the plane blows up. They are rushed to a nearby hospital where they are treated and are introduced to a grief counselor named Claire Summers (Anne Hathaway) who’s there to help them remember what happened so that the airline can figure out the who, what, where, when and why. All of the survivors agree to attend these meetings, expect for one guy named Eric (Patrick Kelly) who would rather meet with Claire one on one. The two develop a close bond, but as Clare digs deeper into the mystery as to why the plane crashed all of the surviving victims seem to be disappearing, and strange people keep showing up just before they disappear. Clare will soon find herself fighting to uncover the truth behind the crash, even if it means her life and her career.
I’m going to be honest here folks the script for this film is not really that great. The majority of the film consists of a lot of conversations between characters and it drags on and on. The story is complex and it’s really hard to figure out just where the story is going. With all the twist and turns the plot has it get to be a bit of a disaster to really get into the script, especially with all the extensive dialogue it’s very hard to keep your focus on the film. Don’t get me wrong, the dialogue is well written, its just that there is more talk and less action in this one.
One thing PASSENGERS has going for it is it’s star studded cast which includes Anne Hathaway and Patrick Kelly who are both good in this film. The supporting cast includes Andre Braugher, Dianne Wiest, David Morse, William B. Davis and Clea DuVall. The film does have some decent production value that includes a very detailed and believable plane crash scene. In terms of visuals the plane crash scene is really all we get, there is no blood and guts in this film at all, and most of the locations in the film were your basic home and office backdrops and on location.
The DVD does have a few special features which include Director and Cast Commentary, “In the Night Sky: The Making and Manifest of PASSENGERS” Analysis of the Plane Crash, as well as deleted scenes.
Overall, while PASSENGERS really drags for the majority of the first and second act, it’s the last act of the film where the story really comes together and the film becomes more of a story where we find out the truth and learn everything that has happened on the plane and it ends on a sad, yet happy note. It’s one of those movies that makes you look back at the story and discover all the little things that lead up to the ending. I think this is a film that’s not for the normal horror fan, but rather for couples or fans of suspense films.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
