Academy Award-winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell brings us Saltburn. It’s a beautifully wicked tale of privilege and desire. Student Oliver Quick, played by Irish actor Barry Keoghan, struggles to find his place at Oxford University.
He finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton, played by Jacob Elordi. Felix invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.
Rosamund Pike, Alison Oliver, Carey Mulligan, Richard E. Grant and Ewan Mitchell also star in the movie.
Written and directed by Neil Burger, Voyagers is about the future of humanity at stake. A group of young men and women, bred for intelligence and obedience, embark on an expedition to colonize a distant planet. But when they uncover disturbing secrets about the mission, they defy their training and explore their most primitive natures.
As life on the ship descends into chaos, they become consumed by fear, lust, and the insatiable hunger for power. The film stars Tye Sheridan, Lily-Rose Depp, Fionn Whitehead, Chanté Adams, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Viveik Kalra, Archie Madekwe, Quintessa Swindell, Madison Hu and Colin Farrell.
The storyline and a young adult cast helmed by Burger seem like a sure-fire hit. Burger’s movie credits include Limitless, starring Bradley Cooper, about a man who takes a pill and has unlimited mental capacity. Eddie soars to the top of the financial world. Still, the philosophical aspect of Burger’s touch proves that going up the pole without naturally developing your talent is socially and spiritually dangerous. The Illusionist is another well-crafted movie by Burger, where the protagonist steps out of the natural realm of progression and defies convention.
So, what happened to Voyagers?
Some of the reviewers say it’s Lord of the Flies in space. I beg to differ, though I can see why they think it. Kids are trapped alone without adult supervision and socially self-destruct. The book’s author, William Golding, put boys on the island, contrary to the spaceship with girls and boys. Perhaps the reviewers only read the Cliffnotes instead of the whole book, according to the teacher’s instructions. There is an adult onboard the space vessel — Colin Farrell.
Perhaps the secrets kept from the crew fell flat. Or, similar to Limitless, unnatural elements that cause supreme powers based on their breeding for intelligence and obedience are complex for teenagers, predominate audience, to believe.
