Alkony logo

If you'd like to be surprised by the Voyagers film, I don't recommend you to watch the trailer beyond 0:58, because it gives away too much of the plot. It basically provides a summary of the film, up to the ending scene.

Voyagers, movie (2021) - Watch the trailer on YouTube
video © Voyagers Financing and Distribution (AGC Studios?)

Article updated: 2022.01.04

The Voyagers (2021) is a futuristic drama film. The movie was reviewed by Kadmon.

Product: Voyagers, movie (2021)

Original title: Voyagers

Series: -

Setting: future Earth / spaceship Humanitas

Product type: Film, Genre: futuristic drama, Features: sci-fi, starship - generational starship, futuristic, thriller, action, Style: ?

Release: 2021.04.08

Reviewer: Kadmon, Type: Male, 40s, Preferences: Immersive, logical story, consistent setting, prefers surprises to spoilers, prefers establishing elements before referencing them

Watched: very recent (2022.01), first time

Rating: Weak (2- out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Bad (1 out of 3 points)

* * *

This is my review of Voyagers, a futuristic drama movie from 2021. It's about a group of kids getting horny, while left alone on a spaceship. The Voyagers film is irritating, I don't recommend it to anyone.

Voyagers, movie (2021) - Film review by KadmonVoyagers, movie (2021)
image © Voyagers Financing and Distribution (AGC Studios?)

* * *

Review (spoiler-free) - Voyagers, movie (2021)

I didn't know anything about Voyagers before sitting down to watch it. I don't remember reading reviews or watching the trailer. However, it looked like an interesting story.

The Voyagers movie is about a group of kids getting horny, while left alone on a spaceship.

The basics of the story could be good, but the creator lacks knowledge of spaceships and kids, and this is very unfortunate in a movie with the premise "kids on a spaceship. The pacing and the story is consistent otherwise. There are no character arcs. There are plenty of logical problems.

The cinematography is okay, you can see what's happening, although they didn't make it interesting visually. The sets and costumes look good, but you get bored seeing the same corridors after a while.

While we don't really get a lot of information about the characters, I can imagine that they might be just so shallow how we see them. The actors portray these shallow, emotionless and unsympathetic kids perfectly. They were all really good choices for the movie.

The music (by Trevor Gureckis) is good, atmospheric, fits the movie.

Voyagers is a watchable, but stupid futuristic drama, that I think only the most dedicated fans of the genre could enjoy.

My experience

I wasn't satisfied with Voyagers (2021). I prefer stories with well-thought, logical plots, and Voyagers was the direct opposite of that.

Rating: Weak (2- out of 3 points). Voyagers is a well-made film, except for the plot.

Enjoyment: Bad (1 out of 3 points). Voyagers was full of irritating elements.

Rewatchability: I'm not sure. I think it's mostly the surprise of the story that makes you feel interested.

Chance of watching it again: No.

Chance of watching a sequel: Maybe, but only if I get some good recommendations for it.

Voyagers, movie (2021) - Film review by KadmonVoyagers, movie (2021)
image © Voyagers Financing and Distribution (AGC Studios?)

Will you enjoy this?

If you like space travel movies (2001: Space Odyssey, Interstellar, Sunshine), you might like Voyagers.

If you get through the first 30 minutes of the Voyagers film without rolling your eyes, you might enjoy the movie.

If you don't mind illogical elements in your movies, you can enjoy this.

If you prefer visuals over story, you'll be bored by this movie.

If you hate romantic movies, you should probably avoid Voyagers.

Watching for plot points

If you are interested in generational starship stories, it might be worth watching the Voyagers movie for the plot points, although you can probably get the right amount of information if you read the summary of this article.

Should you watch this on your own screen at home, or is it worth going to the cinema?

The visuals probably look the same, no matter where you watch it.

* * *

Voyagers, movie (2021) - Film review by KadmonVoyagers, movie (2021)
image © Voyagers Financing and Distribution (AGC Studios?)

Review with spoilers - Voyagers, movie (2021)

I didn't like the Voyagers movie.

One lesson writers should learn, is that they shouldn't write sci-fi stories, if they don't have a basic knowledge of science, be it engineering or human behaviour.

Cover

The cover of the movie is okay, it doesn't say much, but it doesn't spoil the movie.

The trailer

The trailer is basically a substitute for watching the movie.

If you prefer spoilers, it's a great trailer for the Voyagers film. If you prefer to avoid spoilers, it will ruin the movie for you.

Promise of the first scene

The first scene is exposition about how are they creating perfect human babies to send on a multi-generational voyage to another planet. I assume they'll send those babies, but I have no idea what would happen. They either reach the planet quickly, and the real story starts, or there's going to be some problem during the voyage.

Execution: They've gone with the problem. I'm not sure I was satisfied with this.

Plot summary / Synopsis

Scientists find a habitable planet. They prepare a spaceship that will reach that planet in 86 years. They create perfect babies from the DNA of the best people on Earth. They choose 30 members of the crew out of these babies, and keep them in isolation in a replica of the spaceship, so they feel at home, and won't feel isolation is a problem during the mission.

There's one of the scientist (Colin Farrell as Richard), who brings them up, teaching them the necessary knowledge. He decides he wants to go with them on the mission. When they are big enough (4 year olds?), they board the spaceship (Humanitas), and start the trip.

10 years later: We see them doing their daily routine.

One of the boys (Tye Sheridan as Christopher) in the crew finds some toxin in the hydroponic garden, that's coming from their urine. The scientist reassured him that it's no problem. So the boy and his friend, the feisty boy (Fionn Whitehead as Zac) tries to find information about it, but he can't access the information, until he directly connects to the processor. They find it out that it suppresses their senses of pleasure, and their sexual desires. Two boys decide to stop taking the medication,, but they tell it to a girl and another boy. They also find a hidden room on the plans of the spaceship. The boy confronts the scientist about the hidden room.

Both boys feel attracted towards the same girl (Lily-Rose Depp as Sela). The two boys start to compete in physical things (wrestling, running). They find out that there are noises, coming from outside the spaceship. The boys see that the scientist holds private sessions for the girl they are attracted to.

The scientist says that their transmitter is faulty, so he has to go out with the feisty boy to repair it. During the preparations, the feisty boy forces himself on the girl. The scientist is told that the feisty boy is not taking his medication. The other boy also reveals that he isn't taking his, and also raises concerns about following the needs of the greater good. Yet, the scientist decides that he'll be the one to help him with the repairs. While they are out, the crew hears the noise again, and some black thing hits the scientist. It also takes out the power in the whole spaceship, causing fires. The scientist dies, with burns on his body. They choose the boy as the new first officer.

They manage to restart the power, but their camera archives got destroyed by the burning of the server room.

The feisty boy convinces the others not to take their medications. Soon, the kids stop working on the ship, and start having sex, fights, emotional breakdowns, murder attempts.

The feisty boy convinces some of the others that an alien creature is on board, and they shouldn't continue repairing the ship until they kill the alien. The feisty boy destroys the surveillance computer of the server room, not knowing that the boy already removed the records. On the records, they find it out that the feisty boy switched on the power on the station the scientist was working on. They show the video to the others, but it doesn't matter. The feisty boy says the alien is hiding in one of the crewmembers, so they start to chase him and beat him to death.

The girl tells the boy that the weapons are in the hidden room. He tries to get inside, but access is denied. The feisty boy finds out about it, and forces the room open. The feisty boy's team starts to hunt the boy and the girl, after killing the third member of their team. The feisty boy follows them into an airlock, and as the boy and the girl is already in a protective suit, they open the airlock. The feisty boy's body gets discoloured, but then they kick him out of the spaceship.

The rest of the feisty boy's team suddenly decides to give up their weapons, and start obeying the commands of the boy. Then the girl is voted as the new first officer.

They also decide not to take the medications any more.

Luckily, no further violent acts hinder their mission.

86 years later: We see them arriving at the new planet.

The setting

It is set in the future of Earth. They are able to build spaceships that reach a nearby solar system in 86 years.

Voyagers, movie (2021) - Film review by KadmonVoyagers, movie (2021)
image © Voyagers Financing and Distribution (AGC Studios?)

The mission

They've made babies out of the DNA of the best people on Earth.

On the mission, they are going to have children when they are 24, in order to maximise the use of supplies.

They have day and night cycles on the spaceship. During night-cycles, people are probably sleeping (?), but it's not mandatory and they are not closed in their rooms. During night cycles, even though there's no work done, the work rooms are open.

They are given medication that makes them more obedient, docile, and weakens sexual urges. They don't check it, however, if they actually take that medication.

The spaceship was launched in 2063. It will reach its destination in 86 years.

The message of the story

"It's better not to hinder our violent and sexual urges, even if the survival of an important mission depends on it." I think this is a stupid and false message.

The structure of the story

The scenes of the Voyagers film are played in sequence, following the same storyline. We see some previous events viewed on records.

There is no single viewpoint character.

It has the usual arc of the dramatic structure - introduction, action, resolution.

Parallels with other stories

William Golding: Lord of the Flies (1954) novel

  • The kids start to believe there's a creature out there.
  • The original leader tries to deny the existence of the creature.
  • The new leader gets into a leading position by promising to kill the creature.
  • The new leader also promises more food for those who join his team.
  • Members of the small team join the feast held by the new leader.
  • The kids mistake one of their members for the beast, and beat him to death. (Although in Lord of the Flies, it's a honest mistake, and everyone takes part in it, not just the evil team.)
  • The evil team tries to hunt the previous leader down.
  • There's a kid, who gets mocked and bullied by the others, then killed before the final act.

Lord of the Flies (1990) movie

  • One of the boys kill their adult leader.
  • A boy has to reach a deserted place to find out about the killing of their adult leader.
  • When the boy reveals the killing of the adult leader, the evil kids kill one of the boys.
  • The evil kids come up with the idea that the beast can come in the guise of anyone.
  • The bullied kid tries to talk sense into the evil kids, when he is killed.

* * *

Things I liked

  • I liked the sets and the costumes.

* * *

How does it compare to the other works of the creators?

From the writer (Neil Burger), this is his first work I've seen. Seeing how bad this was, I'll try to avoid his pseudo sci-fi works in the future.

From the director (Neil Burger), I've seen Limitless (2011), that was good, and Divergent (2014), that was bad.

* * *

Voyagers, movie (2021) - Film review by KadmonVoyagers, movie (2021)
image © Voyagers Financing and Distribution (AGC Studios?)

Analysis of the story - Voyagers, movie (2021)

I didn't like the story, the lack of logical plot prevented me from enjoying Voyagers.

Problematic elements

Lack of parenting: The fact that it was Richard, who brought up the kids, could be okay, if it would just be a long trip, with isolated crew. But this crew lacks basic parenting experience on their own, and they will have to deal with bringing up their own kids on the spaceship. These kids won't know what to do with them.

Lack of protective suit: Richard kept his protective suit on so he won't infect any of the kids, to keep the place sterile. The spaceship was probably also sterile. Yet, the first thing he does is taking off his protective suit. He should have kept it on during the whole journey.

Lack of medics: It's strange for me that they send the father figure, but they don't send medics. Do they hope that these kids will be so healthy, nothing will happen to them? Not even accidents?

Hacking the system: If the system of the spaceship can be hacked so easily, it's designed very poorly.

Not taking the medicine: Taking the blue liquid seems to be mandatory. That means they should record if they take it, or test their blood afterwards to make sure they did.

Keeping the information about the medicine hidden: First, they could be totally open about the whole thing. As long as they take it, they shouldn't have problems with taking the medication. This is what they feel normal. Second, if they really wanted to keep that information, it should have been filtered from their urine before being used on the plants, and even if they can't filter it properly, the computer should have just indicate "there's an unidentified toxin", and that's about it.

Finding out about the boy: When Richard finds it out that Zac is not taking his medicine after forcing himself on the girl, he should send a search team to sedate and close the boy up until he has time to deal with him.

Bad choice of assistance: When the scientist heard that the boy is not taking his medication, he should have chosen another assistant. Why take the risk?

Very thin suits: Although this might be just an artistic impression of a space suit, but it looks very thin, more like a biohazard suit, than a spacesuit designed to be used in outer space.

Powering off the communication system: It's a small thing, but if it's not working, they should have powered it off before going out.

Convincing people not to take their medications: It would have been more efficient for the plot, if the medicine system also got damaged. It would make it easier to believe that suddenly nobody takes it, instead of the suddenly everybody decides to not take it.

Lack of security on the weapons: What kind of protection is it, if it can be opened by a crowbar?

The hunt: The hunt is a bit too long, and there's no tension, because we know that both the boy and the girl will survive.

The airlock: How stupid is Zac that he shoots the door leading to an airlock? Also, there should be indicators around the airlock, showing if it's open or closed. Third, the door should be hinged in a way that it seals the inside when the air flow sucks it. So, the door should open to the outside, rather than inside.

The outcome: Do we really have to believe that three generations of people full of hormones, closed in a limited space will behave just fine? Even though we have seen what happens after a few days of skipping the medicine?

Misleading shadow: The movie tries to mislead the audience by showing a shadow creeping over Richard before he is electrocuted.

The last boyscout: The protagonist was so devoid of any faults, it made the character boring. I would have preferred if Christopher were the one trying to rape the girl, or if he had lost his temper at least once.

The future: Did they really think this through?

  • Pregnancy: Every kid was born around the same time. They'll be 24 around the same time. Then, according to the plan, at 24 all of them will have kids. This means that every woman will be pregnant at the same time, while their partners will all be occupied with the pregnancy of their girlfriends. Then, both of them will be occupied by their kid. So, there won't be people around to do any kind of work for the next couple of years.
  • Supplies: They plan to double the population every 24 years, to maximise the use of supplies. Is this wise? Do they realise there are people who live longer than 24 years? Where are they going to put them? How are they going to feed them?

Unanswered questions

 

* * *

Possibilities of improvement

  • Their medicine supply might have been damaged by the electrical problems, causing everyone to miss the medicine, at least until they repair it.

How it could have been better?

Make the story believable. The spaceship should have been engineered properly. There should be an initial adult crew. The kids shouldn't be so picky about the sex of their sexual partners.

Let the protagonist have faults. Let him make mistakes. Let him commit violence, or things that he'll regret.

* * *

Behind the scenes

 

Thoughts about the reviews of others

 

* * *

Voyagers, movie (2021) - Film review by KadmonVoyagers, movie (2021)
image © Voyagers Financing and Distribution (AGC Studios?)

Uses for the film - Voyagers, movie (2021)

Plot

  • There's a generation spaceship.
  • The crew of a spaceship starts a mutiny.

Scenes

 

Designs

 

Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas

 

Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas

The hunt: The attackers want to kill the defenders. The defender sets up the playing area. The defender sets up their units on the edge of the playing area (if it's a rectangle, the defender has to choose one of the short edges). Then the defender units can spend a turn. In the beginning of the next turn, the attacker units also enter through the same edge. The attackers are more numerous. The defender wins if more than half of their units leave the playing area on the opposing edge. The attacker wins if they kill more than half of the defender units.

Random arrival (easier for the defender): The attacker has to roll on the beginning of every turn after the first one. One a roll of 1-3, the player can set up the attacker units.

Closed place (harder for the defender): Every other edge, but the one they entered, is a wall. After the attacker units are deployed, the defender units can leave the playing area through that edge.

Fixed exits (harder for the defender): The attacker places a number of exit points along the edge of the playing area. The defender models can only leave the area at those places.

Weapons cache: The defender knows about a weapons cache. The place of the weapons cache can be written on a paper, or be indicated by a token hidden under a terrain feature. When a defender model reaches the location of the cache, the player has to reveal the location to the other player. Then the model has to spend an action to open the cache. From the opened cache, they can have access to more effective weapons.

Random opening time (easier for the attacker): It takes 2d3 effort to open the location. One model working for a turn on the lock gets one effort. Every model in the same place can work on the lock.

Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)

Crew: Human-sized humans in jumpsuits.

* * *

Similar stories - Voyagers, movie (2021)

Short stories

Kurt Vonnegut: Welcome to the Monkey House (1968): In a futuristic setting, people have their emotions suppressed by a medication. A minority of rebels refuse to take the medication.

Novels

A. E. van Vogt: Rogue Ship (1965): In a futuristic setting, the crew a generational starship starts to fight each other.

Aldous Huxley: Brave New World (1932): In a futuristic setting, people have their emotions suppressed by a medication.

William Golding: Lord of the Flies (1954): In a contemporary setting, a group of kids (boys) are left alone in a closed environment (an island), and they start to fight each other.

Movies

Alkitrang Dugo (1975): In a contemporary setting, a group of kids (boys and girls) are left alone in a closed environment (an island), and they start to fight each other.

Brave New World (1980): In a futuristic setting, people have their emotions suppressed by a medication. Based on the Brave New World novel.

Brave New World (1998): In a futuristic setting, people have their emotions suppressed by a medication. Based on the Brave New World novel.

Equilibrium (2002): In a futuristic setting, people have their emotions suppressed by medication. A minority of rebels refuse to take the medication.

Ladyworld (2018): In a contemporary setting, a group of kids (girls) are left alone in a closed environment (trapped in a house), and they start to fight each other.

Lord of the Flies (1963): In a contemporary setting, a group of kids (boys) are left alone in a closed environment (an island), and they start to fight each other.

Lord of the Flies (1990): In a contemporary setting, a group of kids (boys) are left alone in a closed environment (an island), and they start to fight each other. Probably the basis of Voyagers (2021).

TV series & episodes

Brave New World (2020): In a futuristic setting, people have their emotions suppressed by a medication. Based on the Brave New World novel.

* * *

Frequently asked questions - Voyagers, movie (2021)

Is the Voyagers film based on a book or comics?

No, Voyagers is not based on either books or comics. Although it's hard to hide that it's based on parts of Lord of the Flies novel, or more specifically, the 1990 film adaptation.

Is the Voyagers film a remake or reboot?

No, the Voyagers film is neither a remake nor a reboot. Unless you consider it a futuristic remake of the Lord of the Flies (1990) movie.

Is there a post credit scene in Voyagers? Does Voyagers have end credit scenes?

No, there's no post credit scene in Voyagers.

Where can I see Voyagers? Where can I watch Voyagers online? Is Voyagers available on Netflix? Is Voyagers on Amazon?

As of 2022.01.03, Voyagers is available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft Movies, Netflix, YouTube.

* * *

Resources - Voyagers, movie (2021)

Official

Lionsgate: Voyagers: Official article.

Information

IMDB: Voyagers (2021): Database article.

WikiPedia: Voyagers (film): Database article.

Letterboxd: Voyagers 2021: Database article.

Rotten Tomatoes: Voyagers 2021: Database article.

TVTropes: Film / Voyagers (2021): Database article.

Creation

: Concept art article.¤

Reviews with no spoilers - Voyagers film (2021)

: Review video about the Voyagers film with no spoilers.¤

 

https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/voyagers-spoiler-free-review

Reviews with spoilers - Voyagers film (2021)

: Review article of the Voyagers movie, with spoilers. Includes a very detailed plot summary.¤

Analysis - Voyagers movie (2021)

: Analysis video, explaining the finale of Voyagers.¤

 

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/voyagers-movie-review-2021

https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/voyagers-review-tye-sheridan-lily-rose-depp-1234946293/

https://www.timesunion.com/moviereviews/article/Space-thriller-Voyagers-never-reaches-liftoff-16080848.php

https://thenerdstash.com/voyagers-review-why-you-should-give-it-some-space/

https://twitter.com/ImpressionBlend/status/1380412843649040387
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=485AVEKsZns
https://letterboxd.com/impressionblend/film/voyagers-2021/

* * *

Buying the product - Voyagers, movie (2021)

* * *

Have you seen the Voyagers film? How do you like the movie? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!

 

Comments powered by CComment