Twists are a commonality among pictures nowadays. Everyone knows the ones that make films iconic. Fight Club, The Empire Strikes Back, and Saw all have cemented their spot in pop culture due to their mind boggling endings. Even the movies with bad twists such as Signs and The Village are remembered because they catch their audience off guard and make them think about how those movies have been foreshadowing their endings. Because of the constant exposure to these twists, now we look for them in movies and sometimes just discredit a film because it is clear cut and there is no ambiguity. Passengers suffers from delivering a twist too early in the runtime and having an unsatisfying ending.

Before diving into the weak narrative, the visuals have to be acknowledged. The futuristic ship, called Avalon, is stunning to gaze. Lillian Tate ‘17 stated “I’ve seen some stuff in movies, but I have never believed that someone could capture the size of that ship and make it feel real.” Not only that, but the backgrounds in the shots are clean and mysterious. Even the shot of the Avalon passing by a star, as used in the trailers, is amazing. The details of the star, the flames, the emptiness of space, it’s all just breathtaking to look at.

But unfortunately, amazing visuals do not equal a good film. The trailers lead us to believe that the reason why Jim Preston, played by Chris Pratt, wakes up from his hibernation chamber is because of bigger reasons, but it isn’t. Edgar Alvarado ‘17 said “I was led to believe the story would take a different turn, maybe aliens or something, but when it didn’t, I felt cheated.” The real conflict in the film raises moral arguments that would have made the movie feel different and fresh, but Passengers ignores its chance to be different and gives us an unsatisfying conclusion.

Overall, the trailer is deceiving and sets the viewer’s expectations perhaps too high. Big fans of Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt should see the movie as it fairly showcases their acting range. Reina Liang ‘18 said “Chris Pratt was hot as always, so at least that was a plus.” But if you are looking for a tight narrative that leaves you thinking, consider watching Rogue One, whose storyline does not fail to impress.