by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Who doesn’t love a good elevator pitch for a film? That high concept idea is such a great way to sell a film. Dances with Wolves with blue aliens. Action movie Groundhog Day. Slasher movie Groundhog Day. Probably plenty of other examples of ideas thrown in with specifically Groundhog Day. How about Lord of the Flies… IN SPACE? That one sounds good, doesn’t it? Neil Burger, director of The Illusionist and Divergent, thought the same thing. That is how we now have Lionsgate’s new sci-fi film, Voyagers, coming your way.
How does Burger bring these classic themes and ideas into this sci-fi package?
Burger takes quite a few different ideas from different literature and films. As mentioned before, the film really does end up being a similar tale to Lord of the Flies. But instead of a group of British schoolboys trapped on an island we get a group of genetically perfected and racially diverse groups of teenagers trapped on an 86-year voyage across space. Throw in a famous movie star like Colin Farrell and we have quite a recipe for a potential blockbuster. We definitely experience some common tropes like, “the earth is dying and we need to find a new place to live” and, “what happens when you suppress human feelings and finally let them loose for the first time.” Have we seen these tropes before? Certainly. Does that mean they cannot be executed well and in an entertaining fashion? Of course not. I do not want to divulge too much of the plot because I think it would be best served fresh (even if many of the twists can be seen coming a mile away).
With some familiar ideas, can Burger make things more interesting with his direction?
Not quite. There are aspects of the film that do standout and make things more interesting, but there are also some choices that take you right out of the film. There are some solid, long tracking shots down sleek corridors. In general, the film is well shot. The pacing is solid even if the film feels a bit clunky in the beginning scenes. As the film goes on, Burger is able to inject some strong tension delivering solid genre thrills. There are some tonal issues throughout the film, though, especially in how it is balanced. The beginning feels much more like an introspective and thematic sci-fi experience but then shifts clearly into a sci-fi thriller. Throw in some horny teen romance and the film can get cheesy. As a whole, it feels too cheesy for you to take the serious tone and story seriously. The editing of the film is hit-or-miss. It sometimes cute to swift montages of random visuals when a decision is made by the characters, which feels so forced and jarring. Some of the action sequences come off as over-edited and hard to process. There are also some awkward edits that cut off scenes too early and the ending shots feel unnecessary when a previous shot felt more impacting.
We have spoken plenty about Burger in this review, but what about the cast that brings this story to life?
Starting with the largest name… Colin Farrell. I won’t go into it, but his place in this film will probably go just as you might expect. But what about his performance? It is fine. I am a big fan of Farrell, but his performance feels straightforward and solid, similar to Dumbo and Fantastic Beasts. His American accent is wavering and he does get a few choice moments to bring some gravity and presence to the proceedings. But let’s get to the main cast… this crew of young adult stars. Yes, this film feels like many other YA sci-fi flicks. Tye Sheridan is a young actor who I’ve been a huge fan of since Mud. But recently some of his works have felt so inconsistent and flat. This film follows that trend. There are certainly moments that feel emotional and powerful, but many times feel awkward and flat. Lily-Rose Depp gets her moments but doesn’t always make a big impression. Speaking of making an impression, enter Fionn Whitehead. He takes the attention in every scene. There is a level of intensity from him that commands your attention every time he is on screen. He really puts the rest of the cast to shame. But that might be unfair because basically all that the rest of the cast gets to do is be completely emotionless and extra horny.
So… are you ready for a horny teen sci-fi version of Lord of the Flies?
What a sentence. I really think it depends on what you are looking for. There are enough thrills and sci-fi trappings to be entertaining. The romance and sex feel so cheesy and thrown in because… you know, they are teens. Is Voyagers the most unique film out there? Definitely not. But you will probably have enough enjoyment to at least check it out.
Grade: C+