Passengers

LANDON **1/2
For the first half-hour or so, I was completely floored by "Passengers."  The premise felt very similar to the brilliant "Cast Away."  Chris Pratt wakes 90 years too early from his hibernation pod and is left by himself on a massive expedition to a new planet.  This entire segment is funny, emotional and terrifically acted by Chris Pratt.  The minute Jennifer Lawrence comes on screen however, the narrative turns from engaging and interesting to boring and corny.  It's not Jennifer Lawrence's fault.  In fact, she gives a great performance here as well.  It's the notion of introducing a great concept and then suddenly shifting gears towards a new direction.  Granted, it does this all with breathtaking visuals and a fantastic score by Thomas Newman.  But one can't help but feel that behind all the clichés and dullness, there is a much more fascinating story to be told here.

CHASE **1/2
I actually think, without giving too much away, that how Jennifer Lawrence came into the picture is a great idea of moving the story forward.  I did like a lot of the second act even though it's not as interesting as the opening.  For me, the real problem is when we get to the third act.  I could feel the movie losing momentum.  It just seems like the story got less interesting as the it went along.  It's a shame that happens because I know there is great talent behind it.  But overall, I found "Passengers" a bit disappointing.

BANGERANG SCORE: **1/2