Starring: Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, Mads Mikkelsen, Demian Bichir, David Oyelowo, Kurt Sutter, Cynthia Erivo, Nick Jonas, Ray McKinnon
Distributor: Roadshow Films
Runtime: 109 mins. Reviewed in Mar 2021
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Young adult futuristic fantasy.
Chaos does not usually walk. Rather, it hurtles along. There is some hurtling here, especially a journey and a quest, but the initial information announces to us that chaos occurs in the confusion of the male human mind, chaos walking can be men walking.
The film is based on a trilogy of science-fiction, science-fantasy, futuristic fables by Patrick Ness who contributes to the screenplay of the film. Its appeal is certainly towards a younger demographic. Director, Doug Liman, has ventured in the past into science fiction and fantasy with The Jumper and, especially, the Tom Cruise saga, Edge of Tomorrow.
We are introduced into a world of 2257. Not our world, exactly. Rather, a planet which takes 64 years of space travel from Earth to reach. There is a colony, made up solely of men, an explanation of the disappearance of women coming rather later in the film. The central character is a young adult, Todd Hewitt (played by Holland, who has had quite a spectacular career even though he is in his early 20s, known especially as Spiderman). Todd works on a farm with his father and friend.
But, we are introduced to Todd’s mind, the voice-over of his thoughts, the projecting of his thoughts in images, some revelations which he tries to conceal from others. This phenomenon is called The Noise and, with the voice-over, there are visuals of wisps of smoke, coloured fumes, swirling, so that we can see something of The Noise – and long shots of clouds of Noise rising from the gatherings of men.
The strange thing about the narrative is that this world of the future looks remarkably like the American frontier West of the 1890s. We discover a motorbike but the transport is by walking or by horse. We see some capsules of pills. But, by and large, this seems a very primitive, elementary community. It is ruled by the Mayor, an opportunity for Mikkelson to do something of a villainous role again. His obnoxious son is played by Nick Jonas.
So far, so 2257. Then, a young woman, Viola, Daisy Ridley (who has had considerable experience in fantasies in her Star Wars films) is seen in a crashing spacecraft, landing near this village, having to hide, under suspicion and eventually pursued by the men of the town. What we expect happens. Todd encounters Viola, they bond (even as he tries to control his thoughts and Noise), make their escape from the pursuing men, on that motorbike, then by foot, encountering strange river keep creatures which Todd kills for their food, an encounter with gangling aliens, then finding refuge in a normal village of men, women and children, with a female, Black Mayor (Erivo).
So, journey, quest, and eventual struggle, conflict between good and evil, the discovery of the vast hulk of a crashed spacecraft, radio contact, peril for Todd, rescue by Viola, leaving us wondering – or, perhaps, this has been enough for us – what the futuristic future holds for the two.
Peter Malone MSC
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