***First warning for anyone who has yet to watch Passengers and do not want to be spoilered. Second warning for anyone who is unfamiliar with the story of Jane Eyre, and do not want to be spoilered. Read this later!!!
I have watched Passengers during a preview and have proceeded onto read some scathing reviews blasting it. I do not need to repeat it again, and will share two articles which I feel have put the argument across very well, the first article being very negatively impassioned, the second being more analytical.
I recall during the viewing of Passengers, a weird sort of familiarity, and upon reading those numerous negative reviews, some notion brewed about. I hit the eureka moment last night, realizing that I saw some shadows in two other of my favourite stories/films, Jane Eyre and Beauty & the Beast. However, those two have been lauded since time immemorial. Then what made them the paragons they are, while Passengers fell flat. After a bit of musing, I may have some inkling.
1. Perspective
Positive relatability really does work through osmosis. I recall once telling a friend that one of my favourite romances of all time is that between Jane Eyre and Rochester, and my friend asking “Why? He is a temperamental egoistical selfish man.” Rochester is indeed all that, but the dynamic or support for him does not lie with him, but with Jane. When reading the book, we are in awe of Jane’s coming of age since childhood, through her romance with Rochester, the heartache of having to leave him, till the happy resolution. We have befriended Jane along the way, we want her to be happy, and are cheering for her happy ending to as to speak. So it does not actually matter if the guy in question is not exactly a beacon of perfection. What matters is Jane loves him, and we love Jane, and do not wish her upset.
Similarly, the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast is told in a similar plot narrative perspective. We are introduced to Belle, her spunkiness, her curiosity, her courage and receptivity to look beyond appearances, as shown in her hobby of reading. It is actually through her point of view, that we begin to give the Beast a chance too, eventually shipping for their happy ending.
Imagine if these two stories had been retold from the perspectives of Rochester or the Beast instead. The element of support would have dwindled exponentially. And this is the critical mistake that the movie Passengers made.
I did still enjoy the first act of the movie which portrays Jim’s struggles. There was the basic amount of relatability and humour. However, because of the moral conflict made by his selfish act of waking Aurora up, his likability has been great diminished. The remnants of sympathy and relatability we have for him is insufficient for us to condone his actions, lest of all even grant him that happy ending. Usually for viewers to be willing to grant him forgiveness, his character would have to redeem himself somehow with an immensely selfless act and or bear some consequences for his immoral actions. This then leads me to my next point.
2. Consequences
The redemption curve of Jane Eyre and Beauty & the Beast are very steep ones. Rochester got his estate ruined in the fire set off by Bertha Mason. In the process of still trying to rescue Bertha Mason, he lost sight in both eyes. While trying to protect Belle, the Beast was captured and fatally injured by Gaston, dying as the rose wilted away, till in the nick of time, Belle acknowledged her love for him and reversed things.
Let us examine closely the dynamics of selflessness between all three stories. Rochester could jolly well have not bothered with saving Bertha Mason. In fact, it would be good riddance to have her finally dead. Nevertheless, the goodness in him made him do what he did. The selflessness of the Beast is so evident I need not explain it at all.
Meanwhile what about Jim in Passengers? Sure he does have that heroic deed in the final act, with the opening of the combustion engine valve door. If he decided not to take action, he and Aurora would definitely have still died due to eventual engine implosion, together with all 5000 other passengers onboard. The heroism element is severely reduced, and the act is not as selfless as Rochester or the Beast’s actions. This paltry atonement by Jim definitely does not win him as many fans. What is worse is the consequences count.
Before Belle came along, the Beast was trapped in an animal body for goodness knows how long, with his servants all transformed into cutesy cutlery and furniture, while being shunned by the outside world. And even his rescue by Belle was hairline tight and had the audience on the edge of our seats.
Rochester basically had a huge proportion of his estate value wiped out, such that when Jane returns later, her inheritance from her uncle actually surpasses that of his. There is also the issue of his blindness, though the author did eventually cut him some slack, by letting him regain sight in one eye in time to see the birth of his child with Jane.
For Passengers, Aurora managed to get Jim back to the cabin. Though clinically pronounced dead for a while, Jim is revived by Aurora and is largely unscathed. And finally, he basically departs into a “happily ever after” with her for the next 89 years on board the spaceship. Yes, I can already hear the “what the heck” coming out from myself. No wonder so many harsh critics have derided the film for being a fairy tale for males.
Conclusion
Well, there is a bit of bias. I still like Passengers quite a bit and think the casting choices of Chris Pratt versus Jennifer Lawrence is great. It is a pity that they got the structure of the film skewered in the wrong angle. If they had started the narrative structure from Aurora’s point of view, things could have been very different. I read so many reviews that bemoan the lack of character development for Aurora. I agree, and despite the minimal character development for Aurora, I already find myself liking her a lot (Jennifer Lawrence’s pleasant depiction adds value a lot). With more backstory on her (there were already hints of Aurora’s spunkiness in the scenes of Jim reading up on Aurora’s profile while she was still in hibernation), we would have a better understanding of why she made her eventual choice to forgive Jim in the way she did. Maybe then, we would not insist that she made her choice out of a defeated resignation to fate. Afterall, Jim did make it very clear in the ending that he had finally figured out a way to put her back in hibernation, and was letting her decide. Aurora willing relinquished her choice and choose to be with him. It is a pity we do not have a better idea of her feelings towards Jim, such that we’re able to fully forgive him too.
