Voyagers

The movie or story has quite a few themes that are interesting and could be described as deep. And especially early on, it feels like the movie tries to be sensible and might really go full head on with those issues. But than you realize it opts out - takes the easy (cliche) way and route. It sort of panders to the teenage audience it aims at. Now I don't think it is bad overall - but I can see that some people felt offended (intellectually and otherwise) by the movie not taking the viewer seriously. It just isn't the philosophical movie you may expect it or want it to be. Still there are (predictable but still) enough twists and turns and tension to keep you on your toes .. of sorts. It depends on how much suspension of disbelief and how much slack you cut it ...

When I first saw the rating, I was going to skip this movie, but because I like the Space movies I gave it a shot. The movie has actually impressed me, especially in the first half, I'm not sure about the second half because it has some nonsense events, but I don't think that could push the rating beneath 6/10. The idea, the story, the environment, the dialogue, the SFX and visualizations are good enough, that's why I'm giving it 7 out of 10.

Many very shallow comments call this "Lord of the Flies in Space", or something akin to that. Doing so, or thinking so, misses the point completely. I'd say this movie has more in common with "Pleasantville" where the writer-director asked the question "Is it better to live in a totally safe, predictable world or in one where you have choices and can make mistakes?" The hook here is 40+ years in the future and we are beginning to worry about long term viability of the Human species on Earth. So a voyage is planned to an inhabitable planet, even traveling at a very high speed will take 86 years to get there. So the plan involves creating roughly 30 babies by conception and delivery in a lab, using genetics of intelligent and successful donors. The subjects are raised, educated, and trained in isolation so they have no attachment to the real world. During the 86-year trip they would reproduce and their grandchildren would become the settlers of the new planet. While the ending has a satisfying statement the real story is during the trip itself, roughly ten years into it, when some then most of the voyagers begin to exercise free will, some don't care if the mission succeeds, "we will all die anyway." The question ultimately becomes "What is our true nature and can we learn to care about others and do things for the common good?" My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library, a fine movie and much better than its IMDb rating would suggest.

There are many interesting ideas floating about in VOYAGERS, but many clearly are borrowed from THE LORD OF THE FLIES. The attractive-young-people-learning-about-sex material feels lifted from films like THE BLUE LAGOON. The cast is convincing in their roles, and the production design is good. Although there is some novelty with the science-fiction setting, the overall familiarity of the material undercuts the quality of the production. The ending feels like an afterthought.

I can sum this up quite tidily, as the premise of isolation in space while trying to explore for habitable worlds is nothing new and found this one to plod along quite predictably. If I might suggest a film that is much more well made and palatable; Clair Denis' "High Life" from 2018. Art-house as it is uniquely provoking and well shot that files easily as one of the best of the similar sci-fi premise.