Voyagers Movie Review
Voyagers is a science fiction mystery and thriller movie released in theaters on Apr. 9, 2021. Starring Tye Sheridan, Lily-Rose Depp, and Fionn Whitehead, this movie directed and written by Neil Burger is entertaining, but isn’t remarkable or new in any way.
Though presenting with an exciting premise and abundant opportunities for deep thinking, Voyagers fails to take advantage of its alluring plot points and creates a movie that leaves viewers unsatisfied by giving them a predictable storyline. Set almost a half century in the future, it follows 30 crewmates, bred to be ideal, obedient crewmates, in their journey to scout a planet that may be suited to carry life. After discovering they were being drugged through The Blue, a drink that suppressed their feelings and personalities, friends Christopher and Zach begin to avoid the drug and disobey orders, leading them and the crew mates that follow them to receive a flood of emotions that they have never felt before. Left to their own devices when their communication to Earth was severed, the ship descends into chaos, and crewmates run amok, forcing them all to question the true nature of humanity.
Honestly, there are many things to praise in this movie. The set design and equipment, for one, is very believable. It manages to look simplistic, clean and realistic while still looking futuristic. Additionally, the cuts to the windows where planets and stars are visible are breathtakingly beautiful and intricate. The story does manage to keep you captivated as it is very action packed, and comedic relief is sprinkled in various times in the film.
Unfortunately, this movie still offers many reasons to be disappointed. The main one is that, while it’s a good movie, it’s nothing that hasn’t been done before. Drawing much inspiration from books like Lord of the Fliesby William Golding and 1984 by George Orwell, Voyagersexplores important ideas that would be extremely powerful had they not been done before. Passengers in the movie are forced to confront the true nature of the human race, and while it is done well, the majority of viewers have simply seen it already, leading to boredom from the audience. Not only that, but the storyline is drawn from the basic cliché and left unchanged. From the first 30 minutes, it became obvious who would fall in love, who would die and who would have a happy ending. Nothing deviated from this predetermined storyline, and this was definitely noticeable.
Voyagersis an entertaining movie. It is action packed and very well made. However, the overused storyline and themes fail to satisfy the audience. Overall, this is a good movie for those who like to be entertained and who don’t need a very thought-provoking movie to be engaged.