Chaos Walking review – dreary sci-fi romp wasn’t worth the wait
It’s never a promising sign when a movie is released that should have been on our screens several years ago. Chaos Walking, an adaptation of Patrick Ness’ sci-fi novel, began principal photography in 2017, with a view to a 2019 release date. Poor test screenings resulted in extensive reshoots followed by a delay due to the Global Pandemic. Over three years on from the initial shoot, we finally get to see the end product.
The film is set in 2257AD, and stars Tom Holland as Todd, a young man living in a human colony on a distant planet. His community is all male, after all women were slaughtered in a war when he was a baby. The men are also affected by The Noise, where something in the planet’s atmosphere causes their thoughts to be heard and, in some cases, seen.
His quiet life is disrupted by a crash-landed spaceship, assumed to be from Earth. All on board die except for Viola (Daisy Ridley), the first woman Todd has ever seen. The colony’s corrupt leader (Mad Mikkelsen) wants to kill Viola and use her spaceship to get off the planet, but Todd manages to escape with a map to a secret settlement where she will be safe.
The plot throws a lot of interesting ideas at you, but despite this world building it’s a bland and tedious story that suppresses the talent it has at its disposal. The chief culprit is The Noise, designed to be something that shifts perspective but in execution feels like a drunk narrator. Instead of getting into the innermost thoughts of our hero, it’s a comedy foil, revealing what embarrassing thoughts and making Todd seem childish at every turn. As he stares at Ridley, we hear Holland’s voice repeat “pretty hair, pretty hair” like an infant.
It’s not Holland’s fault, or indeed anyone in this loaded cast, none of whom ever has much to do. Every time we inch toward some kind of social commentary, or the chemistry between the two stars, it’s immediately buried in exposition or a well signposted reveal. Ridley, like her co-star, digs valiantly to find some meaning, but can’t escape this straight-forward sci-fi chase movie.
The award-winning supporting cast are equally as stranded. Mikkelsen is a bland villain, with silly CGI shapes stripping any of his normal mystique (his character has better control of his Noise, to the point where he can conjure images). Notable names like Nick Jonas (as Mikkelsen’s son) and David Oyelowo (as the town preacher) wander round with thinly drawn characters that are far beneath them.
While not the apocalyptic mess some feared, Chaos Walking is dreadfully dull. There must have been an interesting pitch to get so many great performers involved, but their abilities are lost in the endless studio tinkering.
Chaos Walking is available on demand from Friday 2nd April.