Hi everybody,

with the corona lockdown and nowhere to go in the evenings, I found myself dying for some fresh entertainment but bored with the same old series I’ve been watching.

“Passengers” – a science fiction movie starring Jennifer Lawrence caught my interest though I was doubtful of the genre. I can’t remember the last time I watched a sci-fi movie (maybe “Planet of the Apes”?) as spaceships, robots and androids are not my preferred entertainment.

But “Passengers” reeled me in right from the beginning.

The opening scene takes us to the gleaming, hi-tech insides of a spaceship on its way to a space colony. On board are 5000 passengers being transported to their new home in sleeping pods, which they hibernate in for 120 years. However, due to a collision with a meteorite one of the sleeping pods malfunctions, releasing and re-awakening its passenger after only 30 years. This means that Jim, a young engineer – played by Chris Pratt – finds himself completely alone on the spaceship running on autopilot with everyone else, including the crew asleep. It is a gripping and tragic story that unfolds as Jim realises why no one else is awake and that he will never reach his destination but will spend the rest of his days on this spaceship. His terrible isolation certainly hit a nerve during the corona crisis!

Without giving away too much of the plot, you may guess: If Jennifer Lawrence is in this movie, she’s bound to find her way into the storyline…

The movie was nothing like I expected. It is a touching love story. But also, a tale of choices and moral dilemma. It is an action movie too, something that I tolerated well enough because the whole film is so enthralling and visually exciting that the action scenes bring excitement and move the story forward. Two people trying to keep power stations on board from melting down seems a bit unrealistic but, hey, that’s what sci-fi is about…

All in all, “Passengers” is a movie that surprised me in its depth and the incredible storyline. In fact, I ended up googling the author because I was convinced it was based on a novel I might read. I guess this says a lot about screenwriter Jon Spaihts and his truly brilliant imagination.

Also, with no holidays in sight due to corona, the sparkling white, minimalistic interior of this massive luxury liner in space (including a pool looking out into black star-studded eternity) seemed like it would offer a welcome change, at least for a few days.

So, I was surprised – in a good way – by a genre I had put down as a bit geeky and dull.

Do you know the movie? And what did you think of it? Check out the movie trailer here

Have you watched any good films lately? Or have you been hooked on a series?

Share your thoughts in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you and be inspired.