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Chaos Walking
(Lionsgate Films)
By Lucas Allen
Based on the first title in a trilogy of sci-fi books by Patrick Ness titled “The Knife of Never Letting Go,” “Chaos Walking” is certainly one of the most unusual and bizarre dystopian adventures ever put to the screen. The movie went through a troubled production in 2017 before reshoots were made in 2019 especially when trying to bring to life a story that’s very out there for the mainstream crowd especially for genre fans. It’s directed by Doug Liman (“The Bourne Identity” and “Edge of Tomorrow”), while re-shoots were done by Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead” and “Don’t Breathe”). On a barren planet in the year 2257, settlers in the town of Prentisstown are all male and all developed a special mutation called The Noise, which gives them the ability to speak their thoughts through their minds. Their mayor, Daniel Prentiss (Mads Mikkelsen), can control his Noise giving him power over the town’s population. A young man named Todd (Tom Holland) was raised in a beet farm by his guardian Ben (Demian Bichir) after the death of his mother, but has the most trouble controlling his Noise when his thoughts are constantly heard out loud. Just then, a spaceship containing new settlers crashed in the woods near the farm.
While investigating, Todd comes across a young woman named Viola (Daisy Ridley) who’s the only survivor. Unfortunately, she’s the first woman to appear in the world since the extinction of the females many years earlier, and the whole town’s after her because she doesn’t have The Noise. Todd becomes committed to protect her and bring her to safety, while the mayor and his mob are in hot pursuit. Along the way, they have to dodge some alien monsters called the Spackle, avoid the wrath of a vengeful preacher (David Oyelowo), and try settling into another town overseen by the kindly Hildy (Cynthia Erivo). While all that happens, Todd has to contain both his Noise and his growing attraction to Viola to complete his quest.
All that being said about the film’s story, would it pique anybody’s curiosity beyond its cast? That depends on how you can try to understand the concept of The Noise and the world these characters inhabit. The ideas they present do make for a fascinating viewing though the movie doesn’t go anywhere deeper but just entertains with some good action sequences. At a quick paced two hours, the film is rarely boring and only gives us enough room to breathe when things get dramatic.
This is also one of those movies based on a popular book series that tries to set up this strange world and its inhabitants even sacrificing story structure to lure viewers in. Making a franchise starter like this is always a slippery slope especially when your first entry ends up stumbling right out of the gate. With the way the movie was re-shot and re-edited, there’s a sense that the original cut might’ve been longer and whole scenes were missing that could’ve filled any story gaps. Things happen off screen and time lapses in between scenes, it makes one wonder if how much footage was shot before 2019. Maybe a director’s cut could be in this movie’s future, but don’t get your hopes up.
Both Ridley and Holland commit to the best of their ability trying to sell their characters through their good performances. There’s not much chemistry between them other than their natural friendly chatter, so it diminishes their star presence. The rest of the cast play their roles in an over-the-top manner though Mikkelsen deserves kudos for bringing class and sophistication to his villainous role like in the Hannibal TV series.
“Chaos Walking” isn’t going to set the world on fire the way “Harry Potter” and “The Hunger Games” already did, but it has enough interesting ideas and visuals for a single viewing. If you can get past its production woes, it can be simply a fine film to watch on its own. It also gets a slight recommendation on the strength of its cast.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG-13 (for violence and language)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 2.75 Stars (Out of Four)
