For all of the mystery and intrigue swirling around Passengers, Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt’s intergalactic commuters very much remain the beating heart of Morten Tyldum’s super-sleek sci-fi.
Whereas previous promos have doubled down on the core hook – Jim Preston (Pratt) and Aurora Dunn (Lawrence) were forced out of cryogenic sleep far too early, but why? – with today’s all-new clip, we’re given a closer look at the dynamic between our lovestruck duo, as they set off on a first date aboard the Starship Avalon. It’s a welcome change of pace from blockbuster action and nail-biting trips down to the ship’s on board pool, as it allows viewers to get a sense of the simmering chemistry between Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence.
Besides, without many human characters to bounce off of – that we know of – together Jim and Aurora will no doubt be the driving force behind Passengers, and here we get to see them interact with Michael Sheen’s amicable AI bartender. Thanks to previous teasers, we know Sheen’s android doesn’t remain amicable for long, and malfunctions in eerie fashion once things start to go awry.
Yes, it seems faulty sleep chambers aren’t the only cause for concern aboard the Avalon, and though some of Sony’s marketing has come dangerously close to spoiling the film’s big reveal, we remain cautiously optimistic that Passengers can offer up a space thriller with heart, assuming Pratt and Lawrence’s on-screen chemistry strikes a chord with the audience.
On December 21, Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence will embark on a gruelling trip through space and time with Passengers. Early forecasts claim Tyldum’s tentpole could emerge as something of a dark horse going into awards season – and not just through the technical categories – so it’ll be interesting to see how the sci-fi pic fares once those nominations are announced.