Passengers

The young psychologist Claire Summers (Anne Hathaway) is assigned to help the five survivors of a plane crash through group therapy - except Eric (Patrick Wilson), who refuses group treatment. Following the first session, Claire learns from her patients that the explosion they experienced before the crash doesn't match the way the airline is explaining the accident, which was supposedly caused by human error. After being told by an airline employee, Arkin (David Morse), to discount the passengers account of the crash and subsequent events, Claire begins to believe her patients when they tell her the airline is out to get them. When she starts being followed by Arkin and her patients begin disappearing one by one, she becomes even more determined to find out the truth. In between all this, there's a budding romance between Claire and Eric during their one-to-one sessions. The lack of suspense and depth in the story makes for disappointing viewing. Although the impressive cast of actors try to balance out the flaws in the film, their efforts are impeded by the feeble script. Awkward silences, an ending that drags on and the fact that crucial information about the crash is never revealed add to the disappointment. The twist ending is unimpressive even if it does tie up the loose ends effectively. This is a psychological thriller - minus the thrill - that has been seen many times before. It is also not one of Hathaway's greatest achievements. Passengers is not really worth wasting 90 minutes on, but it could pass off as a good rental if nothing else is available.

* Fatima Mulla