Passengers is a sci-fi romance…. a genre that is highly likely to cause some controversy among its viewers. Jim and Aurora are two of 5,000 passengers heading towards a new planet on a giant spaceship that will take 120 years to complete its journey. The movie starts with everyone asleep in their pods as the ship hurdles through asteroids that damage the electronics, waking Jim up 90 years too early. A great start to reel in the audience!
Though the ship is full of luxuries for him to indulge in, it is only designed to host guests for the last four months of their journey. After a year of trying to solve this life-or-death issue, Jim finally comes to terms with the fact that he will die here. Drowning in misery at the complimentary bar, he befriends the ship's bartender - an AI robot. Jim's alcoholism leads to loneliness, depression, and suicidal thoughts until the day he discovers Aurora's pod.
Looking into Aurora's profile, he finds himself completely enamoured by her and contemplates waking her up. This eats away at him as he knows it would mean the end of her life, too. He follows through, hoping to keep it a secret from her, claiming both pods failed. They form a companionship that flourishes into love, and Jim plans to propose to Aurora. On this special night, the bartender, believing “they hold no secrets,” reveals the lie Jim has told Aurora. This devastates her, and they cut ties with each other, avoiding the same places on this ship. Rightfully so!
Soon after this, the captain wakes up as he two has a faulty pod. He gains access to the control rooms so they can fix the ship, but his organs start failing due to an incomplete reawakening process. Aurora and Jim must put their anguish aside and now work together to save the other 5,000 passengers on the ship. We all love a good hero, right?
Except the ending of this film sparks a lot of mixed reviews as it moves through the complex emotions of love, sacrifice, and moral ambiguity. After Jim and Aurora have saved the day, along with the other 5,000 passengers from impeding doom, Jim discovers a way to save Aurora's life too. However, Aurora chooses to stay awake with Jim instead of continuing with the journey to fulfil her great career aspirations. Aw, true love always finds a way.
The ending becomes very intense as emotions run high through each character. The decision to stay awake and live out the rest of her life in isolation with Jim gives romantics a warm fuzzy feeling inside and rings out the “love conquers all" cliche. Unfortunately for the writings, it left many people angry at why Jim was absolved of his unethical decision to ruin another person's life.
The ending scene, in which the crew wakes up decades later to find the ship's main hall changed into a lush, Eden-like paradise, shows how strong Jim and Aurora's determination to make a life together was. Though sharing glimpses of Jim's dream it ultimately meant Aurora completely abandoned hers.. It makes it seem like they didn't just live, they thrived, leaving behind a legacy that echoes the movie's theme of finding happiness and purpose in unfortunate situations.
A thought-provoking storyline with a warm fuzzy message at the end wraps it all up nicely! But…. what if it wasn't just the two of them? What if after they decided to “live happily ever after” Aurora became very sick?
What if Jim then discovered that Aurora was carrying his child? What a moral dilemma they are both in now!
It is easy to make decisions about your own life and we all know the phrase "love is blind.' However to sacrifice the life of an unborn child knowing that they will never know the real world is just unthinkable. Jim has to be strong, dig deep and let go of the only thing that's keeping him alive! The movie would pull at heartstrings as those who are parents themselves know the true meaning of unconditional love.
Aurora beside herself with emotions accepts that this is not the end of their love as he will live on within the child she carries. As he lays her down to sleep he promises to write to her every day so long as she promises to write that book! She puts her hand on her belly and falls asleep with tears rolling down her face. Jim pulls up a chair next to her pod and records a blog post for them every day.
Fast forward 88 years, and Aurora wakes up in Jim's garden, with his journal laid opening reading “There is nowhere else I'd rather be than right here next to you.” A reflection on Arthur, the bartender's famous quote, You can't get so hung up on where you'd rather be, that you forget to make the most of where you are,” which he imparted on Jim earlier in the film."
Now, there is an ending that will leave viewers questioning what they would do in Aurora's shoes!
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