The film received generally positive reviews with some qualifications. In his review in "The New York Times", Vincent Canby called the story "a modern variation on the Oedipus myth" and had a mixed reaction to the film, writing, ""Voyager" has been handsomely photographed in all sorts of exotic locations ... It is well acted by Mr. Shepard and Miss Delpy, and is full of moments so particular and odd that they invite belief. Yet its tale of fate and predestination seems, at last, to be not timeless but absurd."