A dystopian world where there are no women and all living creatures can hear each other’s thoughts in a stream of images, words, and sounds called Noise.
Chuck says:
Long before the Covid-19 outbreak caused the postponement of the entire slate of films for every Hollywood studio, Doug Liman’s Chaos Walking had already been shuffled from one release date to the next on at least three occasions. What with initial photography completed in late 2017, Lionsgate ordered reshoots to be done in 2019 after disastrous test screenings. Now it arrives in theaters as sort of a tepid enticement to lure viewers back the multiplex, a canary in the coalmine of sorts to see just how badly patrons want to pay for overpriced popcorn and see a Tinsel Town offering on the big screen.
Based on the novel by The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, Chaos is yet another YA dystopian novel that benefits greatly from being delayed. What with The Hunger Games, Divergent and so many other films of this ilk hitting theaters en masse nearly a decade ago, audiences grew weary of the formulaic adaptations that had flooded the market. Ironically, enough time has passed that Chaos feels fresh as it proves to be an engaging well-made adventure that Liman keeps moving at a brisk pace, steadily building the tension and keeping us hooked with one interesting reveal after another.
The year is 2257, the place is New World, a colony on a distant planet inhabited solely by men. Many years ago, not long after the initial landing, the newly arrived Earthlings were attacked by an alien race that slaughtered all the women. Adding to their woes, something in the atmosphere makes their thoughts visible to each other, which the men refer to this as the Noise. Needless to say, this makes them guarded – as much as they can be – repression being a way of life.
This society of roiling angst is thrown into turmoil when the only survivor of a scouting mission, Viola (Daisy Ridley), crash lands not far from the settlement. Discovered by Todd (Tom Holland), an angry young man with little direction, he soon finds himself on the run with the displaced woman as the leader of the settlement (Mads Mikkelsen) sets out to apprehend her for nefarious purposes.
Holland and Ridley make for a solid screen couple, complimenting each other throughout, their give and take natural and engaging. Were they to make another film or three, you’d get no objections from me. With Mikkelsen as well as Damian Bichir, Cynthia Erivo and David Oyelowo rounding out the cast, the acting requirements for the film are more than covered.
The production values are top-notch, the film looking far more expensive than its $125 million price tag, while the scope of the story is tailor-made for the big screen. Perhaps my perspective is skewed from not having seen a movie like this is such a long time but at times it swept me away in the way only a big-budget Hollywood production can and having gone so long without seeing films of this size, I welcomed it.
While the fact that the characters can see each other’s thoughts is intriguing, as executed on screen, it’s a mixed blessing. Yes, it sets up an interesting plot twist here and there, but when heard, the dialogue comes off us muddled, eventually leading to a sense of frustration. If Liman was intent on putting us in the shoes of the characters to experience this discordant element in their lives, he succeeded. Unfortunately, it proves to be an unnecessary distraction to an otherwise finely made piece of entertainment. In the end, Chaos is a timely cautionary tale that, thankfully states its theme concerning the dangers of blindly following a merciless zealot clearly.
3 Stars
Pam says:
“Chaos Walking” is an aptly named film as is portrayed in the initial scene where we meet young Todd (Tom Holland) walking along a dirt road. We are privy to his every fleeting and scattered thoughts, seeing colors wafting above his head that almost help us visualize his mind’s eye. Upon an encounter with a horseback riding preacher, we see that there is a class system in place and Todd is at the bottom. Beaten for his internal comments which Preacher (David Oyelowo) also hears, we struggle to discriminate spoken words from thoughts. We are immersed into the confusing and chaotic world in which these men live. And yes, there are only men in this dangerous world that in many ways mirrors Earth, but it isn’t. This new planet is inhabited by a group lead by a menacingly manipulative man, Mayor Prentiss (Mads Mikkelsen). There’s more than meets the eye in their origins here but it isn’t until Todd discovers the sole survivor in a spacecraft crash landing–Viola (Daisy Ridley), a girl, that we begin to have our eyes opened as well.
Hunted like prey, Viola can hear The Noise, the men’s thoughts, and must trust Todd to help her escape to find a way to communicate with her ship to avoid an ambush. Together, they race against time, only to discover there’s a whole different world out there than they realized.
The story is initial incredibly confusing, but in a way that is mesmerizing. It’s a metacognitive challenge that pushes you to dampen what’s unnecessary and hone in on what is truly important. Submersed into this world, we eventually find our footing as explanations are given and Director Doug Liman lightens the burden of distraction. The use of special effects allowing us to see the thoughts and place color values on them makes it an even more lush story.
Holland once again proves that he is so much more than that geeky teen from Spider-Man however there is one moment that brings us back to his super hero talents. Additionally, this difficult role requires him to react to his thoughts as well as his speech which elicits a layered and rich performance. Ridley’s reserved performance fits her role well –we even have a call-back to a “Star Wars” scene–with an awkward chemistry with Holland that is engaging. Demian Bichir, Mikkelsen, Cynthia Erivo, Oyelowo, and Nick Jonas round out this star-studded cast to bring us into a believable dystopian world as it cautions us against many scenarios.
While this is a dark drama, and animal-lovers beware, there are elements of humor as well. Holland’s Todd meets a young woman for the first time…yes, his thoughts certainly wander and Viola can see and hear them! One of my favorite and under the radar scenes explains why the men sleep in different areas than the women…oh, how we women can relate to this!
“Chaos Walking” is a chilling tale reminding us of the importance of taking care of the land beneath our feet and to embrace differences rather than shun them. Transforming this story from the book, “The Knife of Never Letting Go,” to a visual story is an incredibly daunting task, but screenwriters Patrick Ness and Christopher Ford find an artistically creative way to do so. The special effects incorporated into the film punctuate these aspects elevating it to an even higher level. This is an ingeniously challenging film that initially throws you off-kilter, but quickly rights the ship you to give you depth and clarity.
3 1/2 stars
