Voyagers

Voyagers has built a real following in the US on YouTube TV and MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel, and in the UK on Sky Go and Now TV Cinema among viewers who want their sci-fi to think as hard as it looks. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. 985 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Tye Sheridan leads a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on YouTube TV.

There is a reason Voyagers keeps coming up in conversation. What makes Voyagers work is that the ideas never crowd out the people having them. With the future of the human race at stake, a group of young men and women -- bred for intelligence and obedience -- embark on an expedition to colonize a distant planet. When they uncover disturbing secrets about the mission, they defy their training and begin to explore their most primitive natures. As life on the ship descends into chaos, they soon become consumed by fear, lust and an insatiable hunger for power. Tye Sheridan and Lily-Rose Depp lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2021. Voyagers resists the temptation to explain everything, trusting the audience to sit with ambiguity. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

For late-night viewing or a proper weekend binge, Voyagers fits the bill. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Tye Sheridan anchors it with a performance that makes the more abstract moments feel personal. If you have been burned by ambitious sci-fi before, this is the exception.