To say that Lionsgate’s sci-fi film “Voyagers” never honors its true nature would be overstating the case and unfair to filmmaker well-intentioned Neil Burger’s latest directorial effort. But as an initially thoughtful, would-be intelligent sci-fi morality tale that loses its way, there is something to be said about the manner in which “Voyagers” undermines its considerate Aldous Huxley-ian contemplation of human nature in the name of thrills, entertaining audiences, and simple-minded messaging. Truthfully, the film is clearly aiming for a mix of both smarts and spectacle in the grand tradition of Nolan, Kubrick, and all the forebears of cinema who have managed to blend thought-provoking ideas with big-budget scale, but the movie never quite manages to get there despite an absorbing first act.
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In “Voyagers,” set some time in the not-too-distant future, the fate of the human race is at stake thanks to various global environmental calamities that have depleted Earth’s resources (very familiar, yes). The planet’s stakeholders have hatched an ambitious expedition to colonize a distant planet with a similarly hospitable environment. The catch, the voyage to get there will take nearly 90s years and even with a baton hand-off scheme of inter-generational pioneers to carry on the mission in place (the crew having babies that will grow up and carry on the plan), the unknown X factors—how humans will react to the absence of sunlight, nature, intimacy, connection, isolation and the rigors of space—are too formidable and unidentifiable to be risked.
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So, a new strategy is proposed: breeding an entire new hyper-intelligent generation of genetically modified humans who will never know parents, loved ones, the pleasures, and comforts of Earth and thus will never feel deprived of them or know any different. They will be bred for the sole purpose of ensuring that future generations of humanity can live on in a new planet.
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Much of this (dys)utopian idea and ideal is conceived of by the virtuous science officer Richard Alling (a convincingly serene Colin Farrell) and soon, he charts off into the stars with 30 young children to help complete this mission for the greater good. He won’t make it all the way there, he knows—but his aim is to give them a better fighting chance and perhaps a mentor to help guide them. Many years later, many of these children are young adults, Christopher (Tye Sheridan), Sela, (Lily-Rose Depp) Zac (Fionn Whitehead), and Alex (Archie Madekwe) are among some of the more dominant personalities (Chanté Adams, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Viveik Kalra, Quintessa Swindell, and Madison Hu co-star).
Without getting too many key spoilers: the operation quickly goes awry, much of it because the young voyagers stop drinking “the blue,” an enzyme they resourcefully discover is meant to make them docile, obedient, and passive. Thus, the “Brave New World” aspect of the film arises, their true primitive nature reveals itself, and “Voyagers” essentially turns into “Lord Of The Flies” in space. This is also, unfortunately, where the film begins to become less and less interesting as it progresses.
Like Burger’s “Limitless,” which also had a strong concept, the film is engrossing but loses its way to some uneven, reductive writing and unnecessary visual fireworks meant to visualize the serotonin-high idea of mind-blowing sensory overload— a cheap holdover technique recycled from “Limitless” meant to enliven a cold, sterile space palette but feeling incongruous, nonetheless.
As the defiant “villain” Zac, Fionn Whitehead just goes a little too overboard as the unhinged leader of this Lord of The Flies troupe, consumed by fear, lust, and the insatiable hunger for power, and no one reins him in as an actor. As the leader of the morally virtuous side of the space quest—those who don’t believe they should give in to their base tendencies and still complete the mission—Sheridan is respectable, as is, Depp, but everything about those who let the ship descend into chaos, the acting and especially the writing, just feels slightly too overcooked and overwrought. Essentially, it’s often the case that the need to propel the story forward and create conflict always chafes with “Voyagers” more thoughtful side. The tension and action inadvertently sabotaging the good stuff.
“Maybe this is our true nature,” Sheridan says ruefully in a key moment, ready to abandon hope when the entire ship has seemingly abandoned reason, ethical thinking, and basic codes of conduct in favor of hedonism and chaos. And this is clearly what Burger’s film wants to grapple with, the big questions of life, humanity, but also space and cosmos. It’s double or triple dipping, one into the William Golding-esque notions of society, groupthink, morality, immorality, and the other into the Isaac Assimov grand traditions of space exploration Why are we here on Earth? What is our purpose and what’s out there in the greater universe? mixed with Huxley’s notions of dystopian civilizations. And it’s when “Voyagers” grapples with all these questions, that it’s at its best.
There’s also a little Trump and fascism in there too and the ways fear has been weaponized to make people behave irrationally and motivated by the panic and the unknown (there’s a thread throughout the movie whether there are outside alien forces at work too). Much of this aspect—the fearmongering—is relevant, but far too superficially written and escalating way too unbelievably quick. And, of course, brushing on ideas of Galton/Charles Darwin nature or nurture, which of course begs the question of whether “Voyager” is simply taking on too many philosophical questions (the answer is kind of).
For all its flaws and layers “Voyagers” is well-meaning and seemingly wants to act as a kind of hopeful commentary on today’s polarized divisions; the way we mistrust one another, the way we distort truths, and the way the best of us can hopefully navigate us through these dark times. For all its dystopian thoughts, “Voyagers” is eventually idealistic and hopeful—something symbolized through Colin Farrell’s minor, but clutch character. Ultimately, “Voyagers” is ad astra personified—the Latin phrase there is no easy way from the earth to the stars— and all that signifies, the exceptionalism, the ambition, the optimism, and the personal struggle and costs—all rolled into one. Unfortunately, this noble effort never truly achieves the lift-off and greatness it aspires to reach. [C+]