Passengers - A Journey Beyond Space

It has been more than 8 years since I last felt compelled to write a movie review - and this time, it is on a most unlikely choice: Passengers (2016).

I downloaded it recently on Netflix for my budget flight to Osaka to watch with my beloved wife. I had low expectations because it seemed like a standard Hollywood movie which cashes in on two of the brightest stars in the entertainment industry: The ever-lovely Jennifer Lawrence and brawny Chris Pratt.

The story sounded intriguing right from the onset: The Avalon, a sophisticated spaceship transporting 5,000 colonists and 258 crew members in hibernation pods, is en route to the Utopian planet Homestead II, a journey which takes 120 years. However, due to an unexpected asteroid collision, one pod malfunctioned which caused its inhabitant, Jim Preston (Chris Pratt), to wake up 90 years too early. Hence, Jim finds himself in certain doom and gloom: spending the rest of his life in solitude and knowing he can never reach Homestead II alive. In desperation, Jim faced an ethical conundrum: whether to wake up his dream girl Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence)...

The rest of the story pans out Hollywood modus operandi: guy makes a big mistake; guy & girl fall in love; girl finds out the truth and hates the guy; finally guy & girl get back together to save the world and live happily ever after.

If you were to view the movie merely at the surface level, you will inevitably end up with many complaints as seen here.

And so, I beckon you to journey deeper to explore its fascinating philosophical and theological undercurrents - I offer you 4 interesting analogies here:

1. Life is a Journey

Just as Jim was awaken against his will on Avalon, we too were "awaken" without our consent as we left our mother's womb for a journey termed Life. Whether we like it or not, our journey will statistically last only an average of 72.6 years according to a 2019 estimation by the United Nations.

As Jim started to despair, given his inevitable fate, he received wise counsel from Arthur the android bartender, in which we can perhaps take refuge in too from our inevitable destiny termed Death:

"Point is, you can't get so hung up on where you'd rather be that you forget how to make the most of where you are... Take a break from worrying about what you can't control. Live a little."

2. The Key to Happiness

Aurora to Arthur, "I envy you, Arthur... You have a purpose. You're always happy."

This remarkably echoes what Plato said more than 2,400 years ago, "Man - a being in search of meaning."

What then is the purpose/meaning of our finite lives? Check out my personal answer here. Archbishop William Goh offers a more complete answer that examines the very nature of human beings.

3. A New Day - A New Beginning

Both Jim and Aurora look forward to a fresh beginning at Homestead II - the promise of adventure and excitement was so enticing that they were willing to take the risk to go on a century-long journey...

What if we consider each new day as Homestead II? As we wake up from the hibernation of a night's sleep, we can choose to make each and every day a new adventure that is free from yesterday's failings!

4. The Power of the Human touch

When Jim was alone on the Avalon, his life was pure hell despite having access to unlimited free food, high-tech entertainment systems and luxurious suites. But when Aurora entered his life, his life was pure heaven!

In our current digital age, we can so easily get addicted to our mobile phones and computers that we forget to spend real quality time with one another! It is really sad that despite all of our technological advances, one person dies of suicide every 40 seconds.

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There are certainly many more analogies that you can think of, so let Passengers take you on endless journeys that would transform your life!