SPOILERS for Passengers.
I wasn’t going to see Passengers in the theater anyway, but I’m definitely not going to see it now that the film is getting bad reviews all over the place. Entertainment Weekly gave the film a D+, and EW is in the business of supporting movie stars and these kinds of stupid space movies! Reviewers are using words like: grim, mess, stupid, icky, disaster, creepiness and stalkerish. In fact, most of the early reviews are focused (correctly) on the actual, central plot device at the heart of the film. This is pretty spoilery, so if you don’t want to know, don’t read past this paragraph.
The plot, as I’m sure you’ve seen from the trailers, is that Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence are part of a group of people who agree to spend 100 years in deep-space sleep and they’ll wake up in a new century in space or something. Pratt’s space pod malfunctions and he wakes up 90 years early. He gets lonely, being the only awake human on the spaceship. So he watches all of the hibernating girls and decides that Jennifer Lawrence is the one for him, so he sabotages her space pod, waking her up early too. So he decides that they should hang out and that she will be a good girlfriend/companion and her consent doesn’t really come into play whatsoever. NY Mag explains:
The reason Jennifer Lawrence woke up early is because Chris Pratt got lonely. Passengers begins with a mysterious malfunction in the sleeping pod of Pratt’s character, Jim Preston, which causes him to wake up 90 years before his spaceship is supposed to arrive on a new interstellar colony. For the first 30 minutes or so, Pratt wanders around the spaceship, trying to make peace with the fact that he’ll die before anyone else wakes up. He bonds with Michael Sheen’s robot bartender. He grows a beard. (Think Castaway, if it took place in an Apple Store.) One day, he sees Jennifer Lawrence’s character, Aurora Lane, asleep in her pod. He watches interviews she taped before setting out on the journey, becomes convinced that they belong together, and despite knowing that she’d also be doomed to die on the ship if he woke her up, he decides to do just that.
Much of what happens next involves the two leads developing a relationship while alone on the ship together, as well as dealing with the technical problems that start to plague the spaceship. Passengers’ trailers have played up the sexy aspects of the film, lingering on shots of Pratt’s chiseled body or Jennifer Lawrence’s bedroom eyes. But despite what the film’s marketing implies, Passengers is really more of a horror movie, especially if you view it from Aurora’s perspective: Her character never asked to take part in the space rom-com that Jim has devised for her, and compounding matters, she doesn’t know that he woke her up on purpose.
Passengers does explore the fact (it’s not really a question) of Aurora’s lack of consent — whether or not it succeeds is a matter for the reviewers. As you can deduce from the trailers, the film also introduces more action elements as the ship starts to malfunction. There are a few actual twists, which we won’t spoil here. But still, this is not exactly the movie you saw advertised, and we simply feel that it’s our duty to inform you that Passengers is darker than it seems. A lot darker. Like, wow.
If you couldn’t tell by the name “Aurora,” this is supposed to be a futuristic twist on Sleeping Beauty. But unlike Sleeping Beauty’s forced hibernation because of an evil queen’s curse, this Aurora falls asleep by choice. And she’s woken up without her consent by a guy who wants to be her friend and bang her, because it’s all about him and his loneliness. Many of the early reviews are making this lack-of-consent the central problem of the film – apparently, Pratt’s character seems stalkerish, creepy, predatory. So… yeah, don’t see this movie.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.
Just a few days or a week ago,I said I’d see this just to support an original film not based on anything…and I unequivocally take that back!!!! NO WAY am I seeing this dreck!!
Hahahahahaha…………… The two of them need to eat the humble pie
I still maintain that in original films by herself, Lawrence is not box office.
But it’s hard to know because she never seems to star in pics where she’s the only lead without it being a franchise or her starring opposite other big stars.
I honestly don’t know how people think she is a good actress. It baffles me that I am the only one to not see what all the hype about her is about.
Also I think she is trying to be too friendly with Chris and I have a feeling Anna is not particularly comfortable with that.
I’m the opposite. I don’t get people who think Lawrence isn’t a good actor! I can see why people find her annoying, but she’s a major talent. This film, though, sounds like a disaster…
Winter’s Bone
Her first break out role. Nominated for awards if I remember correctly.
She was amazing in Winter’s Bone. And then incredibly overhyped in almost everything else.
She was excellent in the three DOR roles for which she got Oscar nominated. Maybe she shouldn’t have won in 2012, and she might be overhyped, but she holds the screen and has real ability. Pity Passengers has turned out so badly.
I don’t think she was excellent in any DOR role.
I hated her and Bradley Cooper in American Hustle, the over acting was just awful. It would have been ok in a broad farce, but I am not a huge fan of farce and I could see a really good film lurking under the surface which focused on the other characters.
I think she’s a good actress. I’ve enjoyed her performances, even in lesser movies.
How many movies are there out there with a woman leading to begin with? I would argue it is lack of opportunity more than anything.
Agree about Winter’s Bone. She was wonderful in that. She also looked gorgeous at her first Oscars in that red dress.
I’m pretty sure this is based on a book, Across the Universe. Or the book is based in the original script, where they explore the creepiness of Pratts character much more.
Basically Hollywood execs took the story, polished it and picked out the good bits and tossed em in the trash.
Imagine this with creepy Pratt? Where you slowly find out he’s a creep bag of epic proportions.
Don’t think he has the acting chops for it (Jurassic park was baaaad), but it would’ve been way more interesting.
Ahhh, that makes much more sense. Leave it to Hollywood to try to make the creep somehow more lovable. Self-conscious much? Hollywood is full of creeps who wanna be loved and want their grossness excused.
Who gave this the greenlight? And was the script this much of a mess when the stars signed on? Baffled.
Hmm. Yes, if it was presented as a disturbing thriller/drama rather than a scifi romcom, I might’ve been tempted to watch that. Off to check out Across the Universe.
It sounds like the scripts been around for ages, 2007 I think? Much longer than the book (2011).
It may just be VERY similar? It seems too big to be a coincidence but neither book nor movie have any reference to being inspired by another piece. This movie could have been much more interesting than typical Chad behaviour in space.
I don’t find Chris creepy. And frankly if I was going to be alone in space until I died I might wake someone up too. And not one of the ugly ones. And maybe more than one. Luckily it’s a moral dilemma I shall never have to face.
I was going to see it too. My jaw dropped when I read the actual plot. I thought it looked interesting, but I will definitely not be seeing this anymore. You have to wonder what Chris/J.Law and their reps were thinking when they decided this was a good idea.
What!!! Are you saying she is not going to win another academy award for this? But she has to. All that farting and peeing for naught?
The hell???? Is that for real the plot?? How creepy!!!
If we avoided every film with flawed characters in them…..
Exactly, the problem isn’t the story per se, yes he is a creepy stalker, but stories are about many types of people. The problem is it was advertised and promoted as Titanic in Space.
They would have been better going with it as a space thriller, no wonder they got him for he part they thought his cheeky chappie persona would cover for the fact the character did something terrible.
EXACTLY! If this was marketed as kind of a creepy space thriller, I’d be super into it. But they played up the romantic aspect of it so much that it just seems gross and weird now. There’s nothing wrong with movies about the subject matter, in fact, it’s rather interesting. But only if it’s marketed as such, not as some great romance.
I would love it if this film actually exposed him as a creepy selfish ass – now that would be novel. No romantic story, and her making it/saving everyone (whatever the plot it) without him.
The issue is not that he’s flawed, the issue is that the movie apparently presents his creepy and horrible action as somehow justified because what? Dude got lonely?
I mean, we have fangirls for Loki, clearly the moviegoing public has no problems with flawed characters as long as the movie isn’t trying to tell you they’re great.
There is flawed and then there is this. They are presenting the decision to consign a woman to a lonely life and death without her consent as a romantic gesture. It reflects and encourages the societal idea that women are here only to serve at the pleasure of men. It’s gross.
Wow. Okay, yeah… that’s not at ALL what the previews would lead you to believe. So, either they think it’s such a ~clever plot device they didn’t want to spoil it, OR, they realized it’s kinda creepy too, so why put it out there?
I wasn’t going to see the movie anyway.
JLAW is gross and Chris is treats animals like crap.
boom you said the truth
This. It’s a firm no for me.
TAKE THIS COOKIE
Same for me. Will not contribute one dime to any movie with that man in it.
I had no idea what his history with animals was about, so I just googled. F* him. Yeah, I’m done.
Yep. Read the script months ago and the one thing I hoped they would change was the central plot of how Aurora wakes up (they changed her name btw). It’s really disturbing that they didn’t. Even more disturbing is seeing the director tout this as a love story.
So while I still like Jen and Chris I will be skipping the movie unless I go to a free screener. Yikes
Same and it is disturbing. If they had purposely turned it a thriller & stalkerish film it would have worked.
I dont think the film will bomb but yeah.. I doubted the film from the moment they announced the director.
But I have been enjoying the creative ways critics have been panning this movie. I loved David Ehrlich and Mark Harris have been my favorites.
Mark Harris awarded JLaw the “Be Careful, Honey!” award alongside Laura Linney in Sully and Kate Hudson in Deepwater Horizon. Apparently she is very supportive while Chris Pratt does stuff. 🙄 Ughhhhhhh.
Well…get that $20 million for the supportive girlfriend role I guess?
Oh gawd. I hate those types of roles. I hate all roles for women where she does nothing but be rescued or give concern face or she’s just some one dimensional love interest the protagonist wants to bone. Ugh.
Well since it was Sully rather than Mrs Sully that landed the damn plane I think it’s kinda hard to give her a rollercoaster exciting role. She is perfectly fine as the wife of the man who landed the plane. I enjoyed that film but it was about a scenario In which the pilot’s wife was not directly involved.
I hope you guys have all watched Arrival, because there you have a complete gender role reversal.
Yeah. Wasn’t going to see the movie even if it was good. I’m just over lawrence and her try hard attitude, and Pratt gave away he’s old frail cat on twitter.
I though it was bad because they’re pushing this film far too much with the help of JLaws shenanigans. Sounds like a mess with a stupid plot. I love sci-fi but this sounds really bad.
Lord, I hope it bombs badly
I never liked Chris Pratt…
hold on, not a fan of either of them, but the review says that her lack of consent is explored in the film? or is it romanticised?
from what I got ….She reacts to it but after a while they need to work together on something and then just kind of glosses over it
She gets mad for a little bit and then it’s forgotten essentially. At least from the early script I read it may have shifted a little but essentially her lack of agency is not something that is critiqued much
Yes, based on the reviews I read, she is upset initially, but then the ship starts to fall apart so she and Pratt need to “work together” to save everyone. Personally, I think this would have worked better as a smaller budget indie film (like Moon) if they had just focused on the central premise of the film: a man wakes up early on a 100 year voyage and, rather than die alone, decides to wake up a female passenger w/o her consent. That in and of itself is a good plot and, as Kaiser noted, it would have made for a great space horror film if they dealt with the lack of consent issue properly.
gotcha. and i agree, had they dealt with it properly it would have been a much better idea.
Yeah, had they dealt with that it would have been a very interesting premise.
Yeah, no. Hard pass.
This plot may have worked as long as Pratt’s character was a bad guy. But it doesn’t work as a rom-com.
Those two are giving serious Jolie-Pitt vibes, Mr. & Mrs. Smith era.
They are just very similar goofy types with a little chemistry. Anna has said that Jen approached her before shooting and talked to her about rumors that were bound to fly. They are pretty much the only people on the film and they play love interests and they are at career peaks and they are similar and they appeal to the same audience and they click as friends, the stories were kind of predictable.
OMG Elle, I won’t forgive you if Chris dumps his wife in some months and gets with Jennifer.
Yeah same…
I was interested after seeing an earlier trailer. I like sci-fi movies. After reading the reviews and spoilers, I won’t be going.
It’s seems like a film I would watch while doing the ironning. In my familiy, we usually watch bad movies while we iron so we don’t have to pay them too much attention. Crazy rituals.
Lol that’s great.
Oh, good. I thought it looked completely idiotic from the trailers, but I like sci-fi, so I figured I should give it a chance. Gonna buy some booze and read the latest Expanse installment instead.
Haven’t seen it or read the script, but it sounds like it could have been an interesting premise if they’d properly explored the ramifications of the Pratt character’s decision. But if it’s just a brief plot point in a fluffy space romcom, then yeah, I’ll have to pass.
I’m flabbergasted this was green lit at that budget! I don’t object at all to exploring difficult themes or troubling characters…but that works in a $20 million dollar indie, not a $100 million plus movie that needs total mass appeal. Oh and if they gloss over her reaction….to hell with that. Gross. What were they thinking?!?!
Anyway, go see Rogue One, it’s fantastic!
So it’s like a bad version of Titanic.
More like that rom-com with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russel. The one where he tricks her into thinking she’s his wife, after she fell off a boat. Only, at least Kurt didn’t shove her off the boat…
Overboard – I love that movie!
Well, this movie could be something for you then!
I loved overboard when it came out on VHS. My bff and I watched it at least a dozen times. I saw it while flipping channels a few months ago and watched the last 3/4s of it and viewed it much differently at 30something when I was a kid.
I read a spoiler about the “twist” awhile ago on Reddit. Apparently for awhile on IMDb, the one line synopsis was about a man waking up a female passenger after his whatever malfunctioned. I think it’s great that this is spurring the conversation about consent rather than romanticizing the situation. I enjoy both CP and JL, but this is a hard pass for me.
OMG I love Overboard! I first saw it on tv as a kid. I mean there isn’t anything wrong or creepy with a man romancing a woman and tricking her into thinking she’s his wife while he has sex without her knowing the truth, because because…you know she was mean before and threw his tools in the water but then he fell in love, and she became a better person who loves beer so it’s all ok. Lol. Overboard came on tv some months ago and I was still engrossed.
I think it was being marketed as Titanic and one review said ” It is not the Titanic but it surely is a disaster” ! I love reviews of bad films!
I think if it was intentional, that would be an interesting plot. If they explore the problem and make it a problem concerning consent, that’s interesting. If the lack of consent is accidental and made as not a big deal, then we have a problem, Houston. So how is it? was it the intention of the movie to point out the lack of conscent as a central problem on the plot or are they trying to down play it and marketing it as a rom com?
I think the plot would have worked better for the 21st century if he accidently opened her pod and then explored that as a B storyline note for his character. Also, they needed to either make this and market it as a romance in space or a space thriller with romance on the side. As it is now it seemed like a bland space thriller with some romance because why else would you use two hot actors alone in space plot point.
I’m all good with having to sit through another white people in space movie.
ahhahahahahahahaha. cackling madly.
thanks for the big belly laugh, mkyarwood <3
Bahaha you’re right there are a TON of those these days aren’t there? Thanks for the chuckle!
If I remember the script correctly, that aspect is clear and it is explored. That there’s no big resolution to it is the point. There’s nothing Aurora can do once she actually knows what happened. Going back to sleep isn’t possible. They have all these problems to deal with and if she got revenge on Pratt’s character or just stopped talking to him she’d be alone and dealing with everything alone. That’s the horror of it. At least in the original script it is meant to be more of a dark psychological thriller. That the trailers make it out to be something different shouldn’t really be held against it, unfortunately that’s becoming standard.
Pratt’s character makes a lot of questionable choices, but it explores some very human frailties. If you woke up all alone, through no fault of your own, and the only way to ever talk to another human being again was to wake someone else up, would you? I think almost everyone would at some point. It’s human nature to want to be with people, and extended time alone makes people do strange things.
I totally agree. Not every movie has to be a paragon of gender equality. It’s a story. It explores a real aspect of what it’s like to be human. If I woke up alone on a ship and faced being alone for 90 years, I’d wake up other people, too. Companionship is an essential element to humanity.
I would probably eject anyone who woke me, straight into the trash compactor. Revenge – it’s only human nature. Or, my nature anyway.
Agreed with both of you, Sarah and Jesie. I find this to be a much more interesting plot than “Titanic in Space”, which would bore me to tears. But as it is a big-budget Hollywood film, they will definitely try to push a happy ending. And as Jese pointed out, in reality there would be no simple happy outcome for a situation like this. It’s just a truly dark theme, with no easy resolution, and Hollywood isn’t good at making films based on complex themes that aren’t distinctly black and white.
Knowing they would die before you get to the planet? It is a selfish and a death sentence. Also, they wouldn’t be able to colonize the planet, which is their mission for future habitants. It ruins everything. He is essentially a murderer.
Apparently lots of posters would spend the next 50 years alone rather than wake anyone up.
I like to think I wouldn’t be that selfish to ruin other peoples’ lives because I feel lonely.
Exactly! I would leave them videos so that they would know what happened to me, and I’d take great care of them if the ship started having problems – and would let them know that I didn’t let them die.
No way in the world would I wake up someone knowing that I would be killing them like that.
Annetommy. Yes, I would rather be alone than force someone that I didn’t even know to begin with, to do something they had no control over. Sorry if that’s a concept you can’t get your head around.
I can, thank you. I’m not applauding the character’s action. The noble thing would be not to do it. But I think it’s quite easy to say what one would or would not do in an extreme situation. Some people act heroically. Some are primarily concerned with self-preservation. It’s hard to predict without experiencing it. But humans are a social species and I can well imagine people taking the action the character takes. Good to know that others belive they would adhere to higher moral standards.
This is exactly what I wanted to hear, that it was meant as a thriller where his waking her up, and the dubious morality of that, was part of the point. THAT is a movie I’d see. But casting a problematic doucheface like Chris Pratt doesn’t help. The movie will, and should, suffer from being marketed as a Space RomCom, a star vehicle for an up-and-coming star plagued by stories of douchey behavior.
I feel bad for the original writers/ producers…
I suspect some of the criticism/frustration with this movie altogether is Pratt/Lawrence fatigue. Personal and professional just TOO MUCH OF THEM.
Yes, indeed!
if this wasnt a romcom but a thriller i would have liked this premise. like a romcom in the first 30 minutes with them doing romantic sci fi stuff and gazing at the stars and then she finds out what he did. maybe even her killing him and later on waking up another man because she also felt lonely.
Or waking another to ultimately plot revenge against him, but no one trusts each other eventually (even works as a sci fi dark comedy)…
Or…she finds she wasn’t the 1st he’s roused, and as a journalist, starts quietly investigating what happened to the other(s) while happily playing house as a cover…as he & the ship starts to slowly “crack”…
Classic Hitchcock premises, but in space.
Now you’re talking Sigh.
Passengers has such a good premise. In the hands of someone who understands nuance, subversion and how to build tension it could be stellar. But from what I’m hearing it’s your typical over produced schlocky fare.
Oh, my god, why didn’t you guys make this film!? Amazing plot ideas. Too bad some older “white” dudes decided to dumb it down in a creepy way…like they’ve done for lot of other issues.
Reminds me of The Shining for some reason.
I like a good rom-com that turns into horror. Anyone else see Takashi Miike’s “Audition”? WHOA.
Her name is Aurora Lane. And she’s supposed to be a journalist. My first thought was that she was named after Sleeping Beauty and Lois Lane. Apparently, there is some scene in the movie (per the Variety review) where they go on a “date” outside the ship in the night sky calling back to the romantic flight in Superman the Movie except, as per Variety, this isn’t romance. This is horror.
Thank you! I was going to go see it, the trailer seemed like fun but now I won’t as I’m a little depressed (not bythis, just generally) and this is definitely not something I’m interested in seeing
“Passengers is darker than it seems. A lot darker. Like, wow.”
Sounds like Event Horizon 2.
Snort, snort
This could have been a low budget thriller in space. Aurora starts to suspect something is off and investigates. Discovers that she’s the 4th person Pratts character has woken. She works with him to fix the ship and also discovers what happened to the 3 woken up before her (all dead because Pratts crazy). Ship gets fixed / or doesn’t — either way she manages to save the other passengers and Pratt dies. Auroras the hero. The end. LOL.
Ha! I said the same thing above, then saw your post! Great(er) minds think alike!
Love it! Except that after Aurora kills off Pratt’s character, she gets lonely.
But instead of waking up a man, she wakes up a group of awesome women, explains her situation to them over a few bottles of wine, and although they are pissed off at her, they all can put themselves in her shoes and understand why she woke them, so they forgive her and all become the best of friends. Plus, there is work to do! So they all get busy, and they create an amazing and utopian gynocentric society right there on the ship, and eventually figure out not only how to run everything like clockwork, but also manage to find the secret to long life as well, so they are re-united with their loved ones 90 years in the future and no one has aged one bit. (In fact, they all wind up to be smokin’ hot. ) THE END. 🙂
This is awesome! I’d watch that movie
Or, he wakes her up because he needs her to fix the ship because she’s a genius mechanical engineer, and he can’t fix anything more complicated than a toaster. Of course that might mean some re-casting – Chris could probably pull off brainless doofus pretty well, but I’m not sure JLaw would make a convincing rocket scientist, and I say that as someone that has liked a lot of her work.
I remember Denise Richards was badly mocked for playing a rocket scientist in a James Bond movie.
This is the only reason to wake someone up like that imo.
So he basically condemns her to death by waking her up?? No way they’re going to survive as long as the others who remain in their cryo-sleep (can’t believe that sentence just came out of my mouth). That’s incredibly F’ed up!
I’d rather see Pandorum again.
Watching the Pandorica open was pretty cool.
Love that movie!
I have tried my best to like Jennifer Lawrence, but I can’t. I think she was just okay in the Hunger Games and that came after an Oscar win. Joy was hard to finish because of her facial expressions alone. Three words: Weinstein, casting couch.
I hate for it to be true about her but I agree with you Allie B.
Wow. Pratt and Harvey. The minx. All speculation of course, but hey, it’s a gossip site.
@AllieB
Lawrence owes her career not to a man (Weinstein) but instead to two women. The first director to put her in film was a woman and the second person to blow up her name was the author of the Hunger Games-who is a woman too. Oh and the person who hired and directed her in Winter’s Bone was not named Weinstein. The more you know….
Would love to hear who Chris Pratt slept with to get such a big Marvel lead role. But I’m sure being a man he was cast on pure talent. LOL!!!!
This. According to the internet every actress that has a film produced or distributed by his company is a “casting couch actress” and Harvey’s girl.. WTF. Lawrence got her first Oscar nomination for Winter’s Bone before winning for SLPB. And American Hustle and Joy are not Weinstein films.
Personally, I think a lot of men in Hollywood are on the casting couch as well. Keanu Reeves is one. I’ve seen Winter’s Bone. I stand by what I said.
Last week I told my BF that it seemed like they didnt know what to do with this movie in advertisement cause first it looked like Mystery Sci fi, then they try to sell us on the romance and lately the trailers were about explosive vacuum seal out of the ship sequences and Michael Bay-ish sh*t , It seemed off ( as does their chemistry in the trailer) and NOWWWW we know why.. That said can I say that Glory Be to God that finally these things are being examined from these POVs?? Like not only was the premise of your film sh*tty, but here is why and so on… the cracked podcast STAYS talking about how movies give men these false ideas of how to relate to and deal with women from the appearance thing to things like pulling ” the Hail Mary Pass” and doing stalkery creepy sh*t to women, taking advantage of vulnerable chicks as played for laughs, or things like fostering this entitlement to a certain type of woman ” cause they are nice” or “They have their heart set on them” or whatever other tripe in the name of love and not taking no for an answer… So.. Good for critics for taking a dump on this shiny piece of trash
THIS. On point as always, QQ!
I think sometimes Hollywood thinks we are retards! that’s the only explanation for them to do this movie.
No.
Allie B, three words…see Winter’s Bone.
I would be so happy if Hollywood would make a solid funny, goofy (not stupid), not overly sexual, not overly gross/creepy movie for once. Nothing racial, sexist, ageist, victim, secret suffering, rage filled, or dark. Like when people used to have a sense of humor and like to laugh.
Hail Caesar was a bit like that. I really liked it but it didn’t do that well commercially. So you may be in a minority.
I think you are right about me being in the minority. 🙁 Thanks for the movie advice though.
Well worth seeing it.
Also add age appropriate. 25 and 35 is annoying. I didn’t like deadpool but it’s one of the few movies where the the woman was the same age as the lead. I really appreciated that.
the trailer for this movie makes me think of the movie “america’s sweethearts” it is like the final absurd space movie they shoot that ends up being a mockumentary.
Heh–it also resembles the awful space epic Julia Roberts’ character stars in in NOTTING HILL. 😉
“Pratt’s character seems stalkerish, creepy, predatory.”
Well, but isn´t that all the rage in the romance genre these days? Last summer I was in the mood for some chick lit and almost all the popular books had these themes so I just gave up. Women, look at lives, look at your choices.
But those books are sooo deliciously awesome. I actually not into the Kidnapped/captive/stalker love interest stories but a lot of them do have those themes. A whole sub-genre actually. I especially love the Billionaire CEO who discovers he loves her from afar and then does everything in his power to get her into his circle so he can woo her genre. Lol, ridiculous!
It’s even better when it involves an arranged marriage. My favorite subgenre – arranged *mafia* marriage. God, they’re amazing. A++ goldstar, Nobel prize winning literature there.
Eh, I’ve read and enjoyed dark romance novels, and I have no problem recognizing and calling out that behavior outside of fantasy. It’s problematic when normalized, not so much when it’s acknowledged as a kink.
I actually have a theory that the real appeal of those books isn’t the “alpha male” behavior- it’s the power placed in the hands of the *woman.* She takes a man who is (superficially) acknowledged as a completely unacceptable partner, and then utilizes the power of love (read: her vagina) to break down his walls and completely reconstruct him into a loving and devoted partner. Since we all know how “changing him” tends to work out in reality, it’s the height of female sexual conquest fantasy if I ever saw it.
My 16 y/o when we first saw the trailers weeks ago ooh do you want to see that, NO that looks like rubbish. Now that I know the story won’t be seeing it either.
So, in other words, it is like the earliest version of the Sleeping Beauty tale from Italy: some Baker type guy finds a sleeping beauty in the woods, has sex with her pretty much as often as he wants; she bears twins; his wife is furious and tries to kill the twins, but fails…AND SLEEPING BEAUTY NEVER WAKES UP.
I’m so sorry, wood dragon — I somehow missed your comment and made the exact same comment right after you! 😀
We know our sources, don’t we?!!
Well.
If it was based on Sleeping Beauty, then I guess the studio decided to go back to the source material and put the rape back in.
Because Sleeping Beauty didn’t just get kissed in her sleep in the original stories; she wound up pregnant.
Of course, he can’t really get her consent to wake her up without waking her up without her consent, so ….
So he just gets to do whatever he wants? It’s not for him to choose her fate. THATS THE POINT.
Exactly. Plus, she actually already made a choice regarding whether or not she wants to be asleep, and that’s why she was asleep.
I remember reading the script and thinking Pratt’s character was creepy, but then also having some sympathy for his situation.
There’s actually another twist to the plot (if the film sticks to it) that made me feel better about Aurora’s situation.
I’m still seeing this.
I’ll end up watchig this two to three times.
As a matter of fact, I’m starting a line at my local multiplex.
…So basically it’s (white) Tinder in Space with involuntary profiles.
Swipe right, baby.
Yeah. I stumbled upon the original script spoiler in a Jezebel or Gizmodo comment awhile back. I’m totally fine with watching this (when it comes on HBO) because I love creepy sci-fi twisted flicks. I just thought it was odd they didn’t market it that way? Because a scary film where you find yourself trapped in isolation with an amoral stalker is far more intriguing than that romantic comedy atrocity they were going for.
Why are you all freaking out? IT’S FICTION!!!!! You can talk about dark topics in FICTIONAL MOVIES.
So much drama for nothing.
Yep. Pretty much.
I agree. All kinds of terrible things happen in fiction. These people are freaking out about what this fictional story should and should not contain.
Incidentally, Donald Sutherland calls Jennifer an acting genius and says she is the best actor he has seen in his 60 years of acting. The director of The Burning Plain said that she was the best actor of her generation and would win “many Oscars.” Read the praise she has received from other actors and directors. It is endless.
Her personality characteristics come from a disorder related to ADHD that causes impulsiveness, reduced inhibition, disorganization, lateness, etc. She was treated for many years for it