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Voyagers Blu-ray Review

“Voyagers” loses its way.

Written and directed by Neil Burger, “Voyagers” revolves around the spaceship Humanitas which is making an 86 year voyage to a planet which is suitable for colonization. The crew is made up of 30 children who were born and raised strictly for the mission so that they would not miss Earth or have attachments. Richard (an adult male) accompanies them as a sort of father figure on the 1 way mission. The story jumps ahead in time to when the crew becomes teenagers. Christopher and Zac discover they are been drugged and controlled by a drink they are taking and decide to stop taking it. Eventually, the entire crew decides to stop taking it and this is when disaster strikes. Soon the once peaceful crew turns against one another. Moreover, the possible presence of an alien threat only exacerbates the situation.

There’s been an overabundance of space dramas as of late and “Voyagers” is among the latest. The Neil Burger film starts off with loads of potential with an intriguing premise, but unfortunately, the sci-fi angle is quickly dropped in favor of what can only be described as “Lord of the Flies” in space. In fact, you could easily say “Voyagers” is a straight up knockoff of “Lord of the Flies” in its exploration of human nature, primal urges, and humanity. It also warps into more of a thriller than a sci-fi film as it focuses on toxic masculinity and mob mentality. Sure, it may be topical, but there’s a better story within the premise that isn’t being told here. What we do get is a tired story that wraps up in a tidy package.

The cast does help propel the movie forward. Colin Farrell is good albeit in a limited role. Tye Sheridan continues to impress as the lead Christopher. Lily-Rose Depp (daughter of Johnny Depp) is showing great promise as an actor as Sela. Fionn Whitehead may be the cliched villain as Zac, but he does it well in that you absolutely detest the character. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.39:1 1080p. How does it look? A nice crisp hi-def transfer   Note: A 4K disc is also available.

Audio Track:  Dolby TrueHD 5.1. How does it sound? The 5.1 track is satisfactory.

Extras:
* Digital copy
* DVD copy
* “Born For This: The Cast of Voyagers”- A featurette on the cast.
* “On The Surface: The Visual Style Of Voyagers”- Self-explanatory.
* “Hidden Chambers: Tour The Humanitas”- A tour of the space vessel sets.
* “Survival Of The Fittest: The Physicality Of Voyagers”- A look at the stunts of the film along with some tidbits about the themes.
* “Against Type: Unlearning Human Nature”- A featurette on the characters and primary story.

June 12, 2021 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Colin Farrell, Sci-Fi Movie, Tye Sheridan, Voyagers Blu-ray Review