After seeing Arrival, we especially wanted to go see Passengers, since we thought that these two films would be pretty compatible. This is actually our first versus - post where the films come from almost the same genre. Sci-fi mixed with romance is something rarely seen, and both of these films fall under this category. It's a straightforward comparison, but in the latter we refer to the previous (which we found the superior movie).
Arrival
This was hands down the best movie we've seen the whole year. So the comparison is going to be a little unfair, since the gap in quality is so apparent. Science fiction often has an element of mystery to it and leaves the viewer pondering philosophical questions. In both of these departments Arrival absolutely delivers. Previously, we haven't been the biggest fans of sci-fi, but this film was everything we would ever want from a science fiction movie. It succeeded in those things that left us disappointed with Interstellar. Mainly the fact that the film lets the viewer make the connections instead of having the plot explained to them like to a little child. It's a visual medium, don't treat it like a book. The device they use to further the story is something we haven't seen used before - at least in mainstream movies. It's a gimmick, but the filmmakers wield it so expertly that it never turns into one of those "surprise!" - plot lines that so many purely plot driven movies indulge in. And the reason we think it works so well, is because of the film's characters. Although it might seem that the movie's premise is larger than life, it's actually quite intimate. For example, while the flash forwards give you the information why the aliens are there, the more important information they reveal is about the main character herself.
We absolutely loved it that the main character was such a grounded character. She was complex and her internal struggles were at the center of the film. None of the minor characters suffer from stereotyping either, though we don't get to know them as thoroughly as we do the protagonist. That is, of course, supporting characters' function. The relationship between Louise and Ian progresses naturally, there's nothing forced in it. You're completely invested in it, and the pay off is both beautiful and bittersweet. The only thing that left us wanting was the music - but since we had seen Sicario, our expectations in that regard wasn't the highest. The sound design was absolutely superb though, and the soundtrack argument is not even a real complaint, we just miss classical music in movies. As pacifists, we appreciated that the film promoted dialogue, diplomacy and communication over warfare and militarization.
Passengers
Dear god, where do we even start from? Some perspective here to begin with, it's not the worst movie we've ever seen, by far! It just pales in comparison to Arrival in all respects. Even the music was better in Arrival, because at least it fits the film's atmosphere and environment. This movie was so 'meh', that we find it hard to focus long enough to write a review. The story was clearly inspired by Sleeping Beauty. More on that later, let's first compare the two. There is no element of mystery in Passengers; the mystery is that something simply malfunctioned. It's too straightforward, which wouldn't be problematic if the rest of the movie was interesting. Namely, the characters and their relationship. Holy fuck, is that boring as hell as well. And creepy. So creepy.
The romance is unbelievable, and that is because it's from a fairytale. Name one fairytale in its original form that is romantic, we dare you. Beauty & The Beast : passive-aggressive guilt tripping. Cinderella : dude is so 'in love' that he sends his servant to find her because obviously he wouldn't recognise her, plus child abuse. The Little Mermaid : the choice between murder or suicide. And finally, Sleeping Beauty : an already married king tries to wake up a pretty girl sleeping, and when she doesn't he rapes her, and she wakes up giving birth to his twins. Lovely, right? That is pretty much the main problem with the romance. The writers had no idea how to address the source material, they probably thought about the "cute" Disney animation (she's Aurora, duh) but didn't realise the implications that come with the story the way they have presented it. The storyline they went for is the original fairytale, ie. the guy is a dick and takes her ability to choose away from her. That premise is actually good, it's simply the execution that lacks depth and understanding which are required to handle this kind of subject matter. Unlike in Arrival the film never addresses the ethical and moral dilemmas of their situation or his actions. Sure, she's mad at him and even beats him up, but all of that is undone by the ending. Because, you know, true love etc. What could have improved the film was that in the end she would've chosen to go back to sleep. Because it was so implausible for her to suddenly forgive him after being so furious for most of the film's duration. The pay off was so unsuitable and underwhelming considering the material. Visuals weren't that bad. The first 10-15 minutes were pretty entertaining. Sigh, what a waste of Michael Sheen.
Arrival
This was hands down the best movie we've seen the whole year. So the comparison is going to be a little unfair, since the gap in quality is so apparent. Science fiction often has an element of mystery to it and leaves the viewer pondering philosophical questions. In both of these departments Arrival absolutely delivers. Previously, we haven't been the biggest fans of sci-fi, but this film was everything we would ever want from a science fiction movie. It succeeded in those things that left us disappointed with Interstellar. Mainly the fact that the film lets the viewer make the connections instead of having the plot explained to them like to a little child. It's a visual medium, don't treat it like a book. The device they use to further the story is something we haven't seen used before - at least in mainstream movies. It's a gimmick, but the filmmakers wield it so expertly that it never turns into one of those "surprise!" - plot lines that so many purely plot driven movies indulge in. And the reason we think it works so well, is because of the film's characters. Although it might seem that the movie's premise is larger than life, it's actually quite intimate. For example, while the flash forwards give you the information why the aliens are there, the more important information they reveal is about the main character herself.
We absolutely loved it that the main character was such a grounded character. She was complex and her internal struggles were at the center of the film. None of the minor characters suffer from stereotyping either, though we don't get to know them as thoroughly as we do the protagonist. That is, of course, supporting characters' function. The relationship between Louise and Ian progresses naturally, there's nothing forced in it. You're completely invested in it, and the pay off is both beautiful and bittersweet. The only thing that left us wanting was the music - but since we had seen Sicario, our expectations in that regard wasn't the highest. The sound design was absolutely superb though, and the soundtrack argument is not even a real complaint, we just miss classical music in movies. As pacifists, we appreciated that the film promoted dialogue, diplomacy and communication over warfare and militarization.
Passengers
Dear god, where do we even start from? Some perspective here to begin with, it's not the worst movie we've ever seen, by far! It just pales in comparison to Arrival in all respects. Even the music was better in Arrival, because at least it fits the film's atmosphere and environment. This movie was so 'meh', that we find it hard to focus long enough to write a review. The story was clearly inspired by Sleeping Beauty. More on that later, let's first compare the two. There is no element of mystery in Passengers; the mystery is that something simply malfunctioned. It's too straightforward, which wouldn't be problematic if the rest of the movie was interesting. Namely, the characters and their relationship. Holy fuck, is that boring as hell as well. And creepy. So creepy.
The romance is unbelievable, and that is because it's from a fairytale. Name one fairytale in its original form that is romantic, we dare you. Beauty & The Beast : passive-aggressive guilt tripping. Cinderella : dude is so 'in love' that he sends his servant to find her because obviously he wouldn't recognise her, plus child abuse. The Little Mermaid : the choice between murder or suicide. And finally, Sleeping Beauty : an already married king tries to wake up a pretty girl sleeping, and when she doesn't he rapes her, and she wakes up giving birth to his twins. Lovely, right? That is pretty much the main problem with the romance. The writers had no idea how to address the source material, they probably thought about the "cute" Disney animation (she's Aurora, duh) but didn't realise the implications that come with the story the way they have presented it. The storyline they went for is the original fairytale, ie. the guy is a dick and takes her ability to choose away from her. That premise is actually good, it's simply the execution that lacks depth and understanding which are required to handle this kind of subject matter. Unlike in Arrival the film never addresses the ethical and moral dilemmas of their situation or his actions. Sure, she's mad at him and even beats him up, but all of that is undone by the ending. Because, you know, true love etc. What could have improved the film was that in the end she would've chosen to go back to sleep. Because it was so implausible for her to suddenly forgive him after being so furious for most of the film's duration. The pay off was so unsuitable and underwhelming considering the material. Visuals weren't that bad. The first 10-15 minutes were pretty entertaining. Sigh, what a waste of Michael Sheen.
