It’s official: I have no idea what to make of “Passengers.” The script by Jon Spaihts (“Prometheus”) was once touted as one of the great unmade scripts in Hollywood, and has been knocking around the industry forever. And certainly, no one can argue about being intrigued by the casting of Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence in the lead roles. But is this a sci-fi movie or a rom-com? It seems Sony isn’t quite sure themselves and trying to sell both is proving a bit wonky.
Bland alterna-whatever band Imagine Dragons have provided the song “Levitate” to the soundtrack, and it has compelled Sony to cut a new teaser for “Passengers” that is slightly….baffling. While it features flashes of the story’s more tense and adventure-filled portions, it mostly refashions it as a space rom-com with Pratt and Lawrence. But if you’re looking for a (hopefully) more reliable indication of what the film is like, a new clip with Pratt’s character becoming aware of what’s going on is a nice counterbalance.
But will “Passengers” be a mish-mash of tones that don’t quite cohere? We’ll find out on December 21st.