As a filmmaker Christopher Nolan has certainly left his influence upon the medium. His take on Batman throughout his Dark Knight trilogy continues to have an influence on the DC heroes today. One of the most common complaints about the modern day DC Extended Universe was how dark these characters were, or how deconstructed these heroes became - all motifs that Nolan brought to his take on Bruce Wayne’s tenure as Batman through Christian Bale. His influence brought us a controversial take on Superman through director Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. One could argue that this version of Superman continued into Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, never really reaching the Superman we know until Zack Snyder’s Justice League only a few weeks ago.
All of that started with Nolan’s Batman. Even with the upcoming The Flash, people are still holding out hope that we will see Christian Bale don the cape and cowl one more time. All of it started with Nolan. Perhaps I’m alone in this next statement, but I feel as though Interstellar, an often divisive film, has shaped science fiction outings in a similar way since its 2014 release. If you’ve never seen it, the movie depicts the story of a man who embarks on an exhibition into space to find another planet in order to move all of humanity from Earth to said new planet. The tag line for the film was “The end of Earth will not be the end of us.” At one point in the movie, Matthew McConaughey even says “mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here,” thus embarking the audience on a near three hour epic executing that very sentiment.
For the past several years, I have been unable to divorce myself from that idea of science fiction. Maybe it’s been done before and maybe I didn’t experience it until Interstellar. Either way I feel like I have experienced quite a decent amount of copycats who once again have taken influence from Nolan. Even seven years later, another film has come along which attempts to blast off into space for a new civilization in Voyagers. Voyagers tells the story of test tube children born in space with the hopes of sustaining new life. When their father figure, played by Colin Farrell, dies, a divided society is born. Voyagers is an updated intergalactic version of Lord of the Flies. The only difference being this film lacks the nuances of Flies to truly make an impact.
The film echoes the aforementioned Interstellar influence along with Flies and a few other notable sci-fi staples. There is one point within the film where the narrative literally copies John Carpenter’s The Thing and Alien. The fact that Voyagers copies all of these iconic properties makes the film extremely predictable. There are several points within the film where the antagonist, Zac (Fionn Whitehead), would do one thing and his next actions were predictable. This film definitely made me feel like a prophet. Everything that I predicted would come to pass with these characters eventually came to pass. Voyagers feels like a near two hour experience of a Newton’s Cradle.
Voyagers is about as formulaic as they come. On top of that offense the majority of the acting is atrocious. Lily Rose-Depp, the daughter of Johnny Depp, apparently didn’t inherit the acting gene from her father, which feels completely ridiculous to say because she was incredible in 2016’s Yoga Hosers. She is terribly wooden here and completely devoid of emotion. Her arc throughout the film places her in some seriously dangerous positions, but audiences never see any real expression from her. She is the same in calm situations that she is in terrifying ones. Depp is incredibly monotone throughout, which makes it even harder to see her emotion. Then you also have Whitehead, who is on the opposite spectrum by overacting. Along with a large number of the cast, Whitehead leads this young cast into overacting on an astronomical level. Between Whitehead and Depp, the cast feels unsure of what they're trying to convince the audience is happening. They are either way over the top or stoic.
But out of the ashes comes the saving grace of Tye Sheridan. Sheridan is the sole member of that cast that is able to effectively convey emotion. You feel nearly every ounce of emotion that he pours into the character and subsequently his arc throughout. His performance alone actually had me nervous when I was supposed to feel nervous. His performance is the standout among the stars. To a lesser extent, Farrell is also among the film’s highlights. Though his character doesn’t have much screen time, Farrell does make a minor impact. The visual aesthetics of the film are the last of the redeemable things Voyagers brings to the table. Don’t get me wrong, there are sometimes where the cinematography can look generic, but there are other times where the film comes off extremely beautifully.
Overall, Voyagers is a forgettable, bland film unable to perform the basic functions of a movie. The film can run on from time to time with overextended performances. Its inconsistencies in performances from its young cast make the film seem longer than it actually is. This cast is either way over the top for the tone attempting to be established or wooden and void of emotion. Tye Sheridan is really the only actor among the cast that knows how to toe the line of emotion and stay in sync with the tone. The film takes on nearly every thinkable sci-fi trope imaginable, resulting in a predictable and boring young adult film. Voyagers might be set in space but it voyages into nothing but bland boredom.
RORSCHACH RATING:
Mental Health Moment: Early on in the movie as we are learning the rules of this universe. Richard, played by Farrell, is presented as a scientist and surrogate father to the young cast we spend the remainder of the movie with. The original plan was to send them into space without Farrell. When asked why it has to be this way, a fellow scientist says, “The whole reason we do it this way is for their mental health.” Throughout the film’s first act, as the film shifts ten years into the future, the children are given what is called “the blue.” The blue is a drink that is basically for their “mental health”.
Understand that only you can decide what is good for your mental health. No one else understands what you feel and why you feel it. For example, for as big of a cinephile I am, there are certain movies I won’t watch because of how they affect my mental health. I explain that because others often don’t understand that choice. Then again, no one is going to understand why I get sad at certain moments in life while I rejoice at some of the things that make me happy or why I get scared the way I do. Even with us, here at Victims and Villains, we create content that advocates for mental health awareness. We can never say 100% that we can speak for your mental health. We can advocate for help and resources but in the end, you have to speak for your mental health. Consider our resources if you need help finding your mental health’s voice. Don’t let someone else speak for you; it could be detrimental later for your mental health.
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Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Voyagers is property of Lionsgate Pictures. We do not own nor claim any rights.
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