Reviews

Movie Review: Voyagers

Voyagers is essentially ‘Lord of the Flies’ in space, taking William Golding’s classic narrative into a new and modern environment. Written and directed by Neil Burger, who’s best known for The Upside, Limitless and The Illusionist, he continues his venture into sci-fi after Divergent. Unfortunately, while a sleek undertaking with a handsome cast, Voyagers is hamstrung by its young adult posturing and justifiably numb disposition.

Capturing a clinical and calm mood much like Gattaca, Burger casts a broad and diverse group of young adults. While Colin Farrell is positioned as a headline act, bringing his name to the project, Voyagers is actually centred on its younger stars in Tye Sheridan (Ready Player One), Fionn Whitehead (Dunkirk) and Lily-Rose Depp (The King).

Much like ‘Lord of the Flies’, the focus is on a group of youngsters who become isolated, this time in deep space rather than stranded on an island. A spacecraft carries a crew who are undertaking an interplanetary journey that will see them pass the torch to their progeny when they reach a distant yet inhabitable planet to start a new colony. Raised to be comfortable living in isolated conditions, the young crew are given suppressants to keep them calm and out of trouble. When a Cain & Abel duo stop taking the daily sedative, they discover their true nature as urges arise and things begin to spiral out of control.

voyagers movie

“I’ve made a huge mistake.”

The sleek visuals of the spacecraft’s interiors create a clinical backdrop as factions arise from the chaos of a new order. While an accomplished filmmaker, Burger’s struggle is in translating or landing the deep-seated themes about human nature. Being subdued by the blue liquid sedative at first, it’s difficult to gauge performances from a group who have led sheltered lives and learned what they do know about normal life on earth from video footage. Trying to stay true to their insulated back story, this buffer hurts the actual storytelling but does create a curious escalation as basic instincts emerge and morality is questioned.

A much darker rendition of Voyagers would have given it the grittiness and primal discord needed to rise above its young adult constraints. The clean-cut sci-fi thriller didn’t need to be as unsettling as Event Horizon but could have ramped up the suspense with a greater degree of imminent danger. While it doesn’t really break new ground and is blunted by its wide-eyed and lightweight exploration, it remains entertaining, nimble, fierce and thought-provoking.

The bottom line: Slick

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