Movie Reviews: 'Voyagers,' And 'Sugar Daddy'

This weekend, themes of existentialism, greed and power are explored in a couple of new releases headed to theaters and streaming services.

In the sci-fi "Voyagers," a crew of wunderkind teens makes a special space odyssey to a new planet that can sustain human life, starring Tye Sheridan and Fionn Whitehead as the young astronauts' leaders, along with Colin Farrell as the spaceship's commander. As their journey unfolds, an unexpected twist happens.

The other movie is the drama "Sugar Daddy," starring Kelly McCormack as a young budding musician who moonlights as a paid date, propelling her into a world dominated by powerful, wealthy men.

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Here's what to see/stream and what to skip this weekend:

“Voyagers” — Colin Farrell, Tye Sheridan, Lily-Rose Depp; directed by Neil Burger

Neil Burger’s sci-fi space odyssey is an allegory of existential journey into the unknown, persistently raising questions about mankind’s destiny, purpose and uniqueness coupled with a longstanding quandary about distance versus time.

Set in 2063, the film opens with Earth increasingly uninhabitable, thereby springing great minds into action to explore life beyond the stars. Alas! They’ve discovered a planet for the intergalactic migration; however, it would take 86 years to get there. Their off-kilter solution? Send a group of wunderkind children, who were conceived with in vitro fertilization and nurtured in isolation with simply the crème de la crème of everything in life.

As they traverse the intergalactic orbit, they are expected to reproduce a new generation of mankind aboard the spaceship. Subsequently, their offsprings will give birth to their grandchildren who will then reach and colonize their new abode. The only adult supervision onboard is the spaceship’s commander (Colin Farrell), who must settle into a multifaceted role — a voice of reason and authority over the young crew.

Furthermore, to suppress the young astronauts’ burning desires and emotions during the trip, the teens — led by Christopher (Tye Sheridan) and Zac (Fionn Whitehead) — have to take glasses of a liquid inhibitor called “The Blue.”

In the end, however, what happens when one kid suddenly begins to stop taking the immunosuppressant drug? Human basic instinct and uncontrollable urges simply take over.

Skip it. While “Voyagers” is not a badly made movie, the film about existentialism languishes in character development, ultimately rendering one’s 108 minutes of viewing time devoid of memorable escapism.

Watch the trailer:

“Sugar Daddy” — Kelly McCormack, Colm Feore, Amanda Brugel; directed by Wendy Morgan

Filmmaker Wendy Morgan’s feature directorial debut is a drama about a young woman named Darren (Kelly McCormack), a struggling music composer who is barely making ends meet. With a straightforward plot, the story also explores themes of exploitation, greed, power and worldly desires.

As the narrative unfolds, audiences will learn more about this young dreamer. As it turns out, Darren has an estranged relationship from her family, and she has dropped out of college to pursue a music career in Toronto.

To eke out her living, she moonlights as a paid date, attracting old affluent men to pay her handsomely for her time to accompany them to gallery openings, dinners, operas — and nothing else, period. However, her roommate, Peter (Ishan Davé), has become increasingly irritated and jealous, as he has for a while now, been secretly pining with unrequited love.

At some point, her music career and her side gig collide in a very unexpected way. Is Darren baring her soul toward a dark path beyond the point of no return?

See/Screen it. The film dazzles with Morgan’s captivating directorial vision and execution as well as writer-star McCormack’s well-crafted script and mesmerizing gravitas.

Watch the trailer: