Psychologist Claire Summers (Anne Hathaway) is called to aid the survivors of a plane crash. While the group sessions progress, she becomes closer and closer to Eric (Patrick Wilson), a survivor who has taken private sessions. Soon, members of the group of survivors begins disappearing one by one. Claire begins to suspect the airline is covering up the reason for the crash, but she is eventually confronted with the shocking truth and must face what is really happening.

CRITIQUE

Ever since Citizen Kane, filmmakers have found twist endings irresistible. Director M. Night Shymalan famously perfected this movie-going coup-de-grace with 1999’s The Sixth Sense, and many films have attempted the same following that film’s immense success. This film is one of them. Passengers has an ambitious premise and fulfils some of its promise with the help of good performances but ultimately needs a stronger script.

The flaws in the screenplay here all stem from the surprise ending the filmmakers attempt to effectively pull off. Risking a spoiler, I need to discuss that ending here. Claire finds out that she was actually on the plane and that she is now in purgatory. As a basic idea, this impresses as a twist ending, but the problem comes when you work backwards from it. The best twist endings, like The Sixth Sense, work because they are written with an extremely close, detailed eye.

Every detail points the viewer toward that final plot point and nothing that contradicts it mars the narrative. Here, most of the scenes flow like they are just one event or conversation after another, not a seamless advancement of a story. I do like the tone of a lot of the scenes that make up the romantic subplot between Claire and Eric- it can be sweet and funny. Plus, there are attempts made to create some sort of through-line as to the hints to that twist ending, even if the logic to back it up isn’t as strong as it should be.

Director Rodrigo Garcia joins with the cast to make the film as good as can be, though. The opening sequence shows this, as Garcia leads his editor, Thom Noble, to a nice intercutting of flashes of the crash and aftermath with the titles. The final sequence of the film also has nice editing. He is also careful to keep the staging of scenes inconspicuous, which is a better idea than flamboyance. None of the production values, such a music or costuming or locations, serve to be very memorable.

Garcia has assembled quite a cast, however; Anne Hathaway, and especially Patrick Wilson, subtly convey their characters and show a conviction for all the scenes. Though the performances and premise are appealing and promising, the actual story of Passengers is flawed and the execution of it is only intermittently successful.

THE VIDEO

Sony presents Passengers in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen. The transfer is free of glitches as well, and the color is preserved from the theatrical print.

THE AUDIO

Sony presents Passengers in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, and it is still perfect for soundtrack exhibition at home. There is also a French track in the same format, and English, French and Spanish subtitles are also offered.

THE EXTRAS

Deleted Scenes: Three extra scenes are included here. The most interesting restages the moment when Claire finds out the truth but changes her reaction- or includes only part of the scene. These are actually forgettable and can be skipped.

Audio Commentary: Director Rodrigo Garcia and actor Patrick Wilson join together for a track. They have an okay discussion-style with each other. Garcia speaks more, seemingly, but they can often pick up what each other are saying and add more information. Garcia asks Wilson early on how he approaches a character, which leads to interesting comments, and some of the little details revealed are fun. Wilson eats figs in one scene, for example, and the crew had to find what they could because the fruit wasn’t in season at the time of filming. I like the discussion of Wilson’s approach to his character the most.

In the Night Sky: The Making and Manifest of Passengers: This extra is the usual making-of doc filled with all the expected interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. There is a nice sense of commitment from everyone involved in the production, and there is nice discussion from people like production designer David Brisbin about the look of the film. Each of the main characters is also covered. This is the best extra on the disc.

Analysis of the Plane Crash: At just under 15-minutes, this extra is an in-depth look at the way the plane crash in the film was shot and completed on computer to become what we see in the film. The actual level of CGI that went into it is impressive and it is quite interesting to see that all the burning aftermath the audience sees was really done on-set.

FINAL THOUGHTS