Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

Voyagers 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 29, 2021

If Lost in Space overtly exploited its connection to Johann David Wyss' Swiss Family Robinson in both its focal family's surname as well as marketing efforts which regularly described the group as the Space Family Robinson, Voyagers seems to want to be a bit more circumspect in divulging that its "high concept" (in more ways than one) might cheekily be called Lord of the Flies in Space. There's quite a bit of sidebar material distracting from that underlying central premise, but when you have a bunch of young(ish) types without any adult supervision reverting to an almost atavistic feral state, the connections are not hard to see. In the relatively near future of 2063, climate change has made the Earth uninhabitable, and the search for new planetary "digs" has resulted in a successful prospect, though the aimed for planet is so far away it will take two or three generations to get there. A plan is hatched by Richard Alling (Colin Farrell) whereby thirty (artificially inseminated) children are raised in an isolated high tech facility so that they don't become attached to things like, you know, trees and birds and the sky. They're also being schooled in a variety of scientific tasks that will be needed on a flight from which they'll never return. The plan is to have them grow up and eventually procreate on the ship, with their descendants finally able to make a new start once the spaceship arrives at its target planet. What could possibly go wrong?

Initially the kids are supposed to take the journey into space by themselves, but Richard insists the whole mad scheme will be better if he accompanies them, and the film simply segues to the blastoff which does in fact include Richard among the gaggle of tots. Things then segue again to find the whole crew ten years older, with Richard shepherding what are now teens in their daily tasks. It doesn't take long for a presumed ménage à trois to develop between focal characters Christopher (Tye Sheridan), Zac (Fionn Whitehead) and Sela (Lily-Rose Depp), even if the kids are surprisingly non-hormonal (which of course turns out to be a subplot). The fact that writer and director Neil Burger has already planted a seed of sorts with a very brief vignette early in the film documenting Zac as a little boy informing Richard how frightened he is will probably alert anyone with any familiarity with the Syd Field handbook on screenwriting to know who is going to end up being the film's villain.

A scene which seems almost deliberately lifted from (or at least referential to) 2001: A Space Odyssey ultimately dispatches with Richard, and in the meantime Christopher and Zac have discovered that a mysterious blue liquid the kids are required to drink every day may in fact be drugging them, a la saltpeter in days of yore. A certain "just say no" ethos breaks out in terms of ingesting the fluid, and the result is a descent into primal urges and fury, all in the claustrophobic confines of a spaceship hurtling toward some unseen destination.

Voyagers died a very quick death at the box office, part of which is no doubt due to the lingering effects of a global pandemic, but even in cheerier times, my hunch is the film would have been seen as too relentlessly derivative to ever generate a ton of interest. Performances are generally earnest, and the production design is at least decent (if, again, derivative), but the story doesn't really offer any significant surprises, despite efforts at introducing things like "secret chambers" in the spacecraft and the hint that some Alien or other may have penetrated the confines of the vehicle. I personally would have loved the plot to have averted so many clichés, especially in the more or less happy ending it presents. In that regard I couldn't help but think how much more compelling would it have been to have had a spaceship with no "adult" survivors and just a baby or two arriving at the "new, improved" home planet.

Voyagers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 Blu-ray.

Voyagers is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p presentation in 2.39:1. As I mentioned in our Voyagers Blu-ray review, while the IMDb doesn't really offer much in the way of technical data on the shoot, your intrepid reviewer was able to track down an interview with cinematographer Enrique Chediak where he mentions having used Sony Venice cameras for this film. Unfortunately, your intrepid reviewer was not able to find any authoritative data on what the DI's resolution was, but as I also stated in my review of the 1080 release, I'm assuming it was 4K since the Venice captures at much higher resolutions. That assumption made after doing background research for the 1080 review is confirmed, in my mind and to my eyes at least, by the superior detail levels easily observable in this 4K UHD version, one which in my estimation bests an already quite excellent 1080 presentation. There is significant new fine detail to be seen across the board, some of which may not be particularly "helpful", as in some of the CGI moments. That said, there are abundant examples of better fine detail in this presentation, including everything from stray hairs on Colin Farrell's neck to fabrics worn by the "space kids". The palette is also quite expressive in this version, and I was repeatedly struck by some of the new nuances in the range of blue tones the film repeatedly exploits. HDR gives new luster to these choices, and there are now some really interesting gradations that can vary from a kind of tealish blue-green to much more deep and vivid cobalt blues.

Voyagers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Some audiophiles may blanch a bit if they go to the Audio menu on this disc and just see "English Dolby 5.1", thinking that this is another Lionsgate release with only lossy audio, but the back cover listing of Dolby TrueHD 5.1 turns out to be correct. The film's sound design is probably inescapably tamped down by the fact that so much of the story plays out in the claustrophobic confines of the spaceship (as mutantly huge as it's supposed to be). There are moments of good immersion, and even a burst of LFE or two (as in the blast off scene), but a lot of the sonics here are rather subtle, consigned to distant creaking or thumping noises on the spacecraft, or the occasional moment of chaos with large groups once behaviors start to unravel. There are a couple of well done effects which won't be spoiled here, other than to say if you hear a big whoosh in an airlock, your days may be numbered. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Note: One thing that struck me about the 4K audio presentation is that the amplitude seemed a bit lower overall, especially if just compared to the opening bombast of the Lionsgate logo and theme that plays at disc boot up. Simply turning up my receiver made up any perceived deficits.

Voyagers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Commendably, Lionsgate has included the same slate of supplements on both the 4K UHD and 1080 discs included with this release:

• Born for This: The Cast of Voyagers (HD; 11:12) offers some decent interviews with the principal cast and crew, who discuss their characters and the film's plot in general.


• Against Type: Unlearning Human Nature (HD; 7:21) focuses on the supposed need of the performers to offer initial characterizations devoid of typical human behavior.


• Survival of the Fittest: The Physicality of Voyagers (HD; 4:38) features Neil Burger and members of the cast discussing some of the demands of the shoot, which some may find slightly ironic, since some of the clips inserted into this piece simply show the characters running through hallways, as happens repeatedly in the film.


• On the Surface: The Visual Style of Voyagers (HD; 9:42) looks at cinematographer Enrique Chediak's contributions and has some fun behind the scenes footage.


• Hidden Chambers: Tour the Humanitas (HD; 7:20) offers Kevin Houlihan as tourguide.

Voyagers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's kind of interesting to see Lionsgate lavishing such care on a film that barely made a ripple at the box office. Both the above average amount of supplements on this disc as well as the fact that there's even a 4K UHD version being released in addition to this 1080 version would seem to indicate Lionsgate thinks it has something on its hands (or is perhaps contractually obligated to act as if it does), but Voyagers is simply too rote for its own good. (The fact that Lionsgate didn't promote the 4K UHD release to me at least with the same fervor they did the 1080 version might also indicate that cooler reactions to the film have previaled.) There are some decent performances here and the film is well staged and nicely designed, but maybe Neil Burger should have searched for a better idea than recycling Lord of the Flies in outer space. Technical merits are solid, and this 4K version improves on already excellent detail levels while also adding some rather nice new highlights courtesy of HDR. Finally, the supplementary package is very enjoyable, for those who are considering a purchase.