Overview
- Directed by André Øvredal and starring Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell and Melissa Leo, Passenger has opened in theaters and drawn mainly mixed to negative notices for its storytelling.
- Reviewers consistently praise Øvredal’s direction, Federico Verardi’s cinematography and the film’s sound and creature design for creating sustained atmosphere and unsettling set pieces.
- Lou Llobell’s portrayal of Maddie is widely called the film’s emotional core, with several critics saying her performance anchors the movie more effectively than the horror itself.
- Criticism centers on a thin screenplay that leans on jump scares, familiar horror tropes, uneven pacing and an underdeveloped mythology about the shapeshifting Entity, which leaves many plot elements unexplained.
- Paramount positioned the movie as a theatrical genre release and moved its opening earlier to avoid internal competition, and the film’s reception suggests it will primarily connect with hardcore horror fans rather than mainstream audiences.