Image provided by Lionsgate
Chaos Walking is directed by filmmaker Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity & Edge of Tomorrow) and stars Tom Holland as Todd Hewitt, a man who discovers Viola (played by Daisy Ridley), a mysterious girl who crash lands on his planet, where all women have disappeared and the men are afflicted by "the Noise" - a force that puts all their thoughts on display. In this dangerous landscape, Viola's life is threatened - and as Todd vows to protect her, he will have to discover his own inner power and unlock the planet's dark secrets.
To put it simply, this movie is a complete mess. Plagued by reshoots and numerous delays, Chaos Walking is finally being released this Friday and the film feels incomplete and shockingly bad. To state just a few issues that immediately come to mind include: scenes not matching up, character motivations are head scratching and plot points are stated and then never are brought back into light and become inconsequential. It's unfortunate that a cast as good as Chaos Walking has is given such poor material to work with.
Another problem with Chaos Walking is the lack of appeal it creates for it's own landscape. The film has a great premise and loads of potential, but the film captures none of that. We learn nothing about why Earth is in the state it is, how characters achieve their roles and what the possibilities are within the world. The film also misses the mark on the idea of having your thoughts displayed publicly. Throughout the film, Todd's thoughts show he has romantic feelings for Viola but that is about it. They never use this opportunity to show Todd's humanity, his fears and even what he loves or finds funny. Instead, its used to show he is a young male adult who finds a woman attractive.
Every bad film has some likeable qualities to it though. The actors all do a serviceable job and are fine. Tom Holland, Mads Mikkelsen and Daisy Ridley are all super talented actors and they try their best here. The most frustrating thing about this film I had was the potential that could have been. I am all for science fiction and the idea of a new science fiction franchise always has me excited, it's just unfortunate this won't be one of them.
Grade: D
Chaos Walking releases in theaters and IMAX Friday, March 5th.