5 reasons "Passengers" could work as a great sci-fi romance

Writer: Casey Chong

Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence in "Passengers".

We're in the final month of 2016 and that means there will be plenty of Hollywood blockbusters to look forward to this crowded holiday season!

Among them, of course, is "Passengers", a unique sci-fi romance starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt as two people in hibernation who end up waking 90 years too early during a 120-year space voyage. No doubt one of the heavily-anticipated blockbusters of the year, here are five reasons why "Passengers" is worth checking out.

The title may sound generic, but it was the basic premise that got us hooked in the first place. After all, who could resist seeing two of Hollywood's biggest stars of today's generation - Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt - embracing each other as two lovers? Being a sci-fi romance in general, "Passengers" has the look and feel of James Cameron's "Titanic" complete with Jennifer Lawrence's "I die, you die" line as seen in the trailer. Except, of course, this one is set in space. If their chemistry truly clicks, Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt could be the next Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Director Morten Tyldum, stars Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt on the set of "Passengers".

Morten who? In case you are not familiar with this talented Norwegian director, he is best known for helming "The Imitation Game", the acclaimed historical biopic about the life of famous mathematician Alan Turing. Played by none other than Benedict Cumberbatch, Tyldum's English-language debut was a critical darling at the time of its release in 2014. Not only did the US$14 million movie proved to be a huge success at the worldwide box office, but it also scored an impressive eight Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Best Supporting Actress for Keira Knightley and Best Adapted Screenplay. But prior to his runaway success of "The Imitation Game", Tyldum already proved himself a rising talent back home with the well-received Norwegian thriller "Headhunters" starring "Game Of Thrones" fame Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. With "Passengers", it would be interesting to see Tyldum making the quantum leap with his first big-budget studio effort.

Let's face it, audiences these days are difficult to please. But it's hard to blame them anyway, given the rise of the ticket prices and whatnot. So, from the look of the trailers so far, it's nice to see director Morten Tyldum aiming for various demographics by expanding to more genres beyond a strict romance concept. In "Passengers", you will see some comedy as well as action scenes wrapped altogether into one slick Hollywood package.

It's bound to happen sooner or later, and we finally get to see Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt collaborating with each other in "Passengers". Both of them have their own respective huge fanbase. For Lawrence, she has already proved to be a major draw in blockbuster movies including the "X-Men" prequel trilogy and "The Hunger Games" saga. Not to mention her talent as a versatile actress is equally evident in acclaimed movies like "Winter's Bone", "American Hustle" and "Joy". She, of course, had won her well-deserved Oscar for Best Actress in "Silver Linings Playbook".

Next up is Chris Pratt. Now, who doesn't enjoy watching him on the big screen? The former TV's "Parks And Recreation" star has quickly become one of the most sought-after Hollywood stars ever since he scored big time in "The Lego Movie" and "Guardians Of The Galaxy" back in 2014. His reputation continued to soar with "Jurassic World" the year after and he also proved to be a worthy addition as one of the star-studded ensembles of this year's "The Magnificent Seven" remake.