Ten years after the film was first announced, Chaos Walking has finally made it out into the world after an initial take on the story by Charlie Kaufman (I’m Thinking Of Ending Things) – all but lost in the rewriting process – and lengthy reshoots after poor test screenings. Director Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) notes in the commentary track that the film started production without a completed script, a fact that will come as no surprise to anyone who takes time to watch it. Adapted from a beloved young adult trilogy by Patrick Ness, Chaos Walking presents itself to the world as a film with no sense of what it wants to accomplish. In this futuristic tale, the Earth-like planet “New World” has an atmosphere with the quirky side effect of making all men’s internal thoughts audible for everyone to hear – here depicted as a colorful haze known as “The Noise” that is reminiscent of a 70s rock concert. This is a clever idea for a novel, but the filmmakers do not seem to grasp how to best make this a compelling cinematic experience. While Liman previously made a high-concept science fiction tale sing beautifully with Tom Cruise, the creative vision here hits a flat note.
In 2257 A.D., our young orphan hero Todd Hewitt (Tom Holland) is an awkward, painfully sheltered adolescent who works the beet farm with his guardians Ben (Demián Bichir) and Cillian (Kurt Sutter). They live in a pioneer community known as Prentisstown that is governed by David Prentiss (Mads Mikkelsen), a man who has convinced people to call him “The Mayor” among other dubious actions. There are no females in Prentisstown, and by extension the entire world, as they were slaughtered long ago by the indigenous creatures of the planet known as Spackle. As far as Todd knows, he is the youngest human on the planet, and everything The Mayor has told him is 100% factual – no questions asked. The Mayor has learned the rare ability to control his Noise, while Todd is out trying to keep his teenage-boy thoughts hidden from people in town. This is not as embarrassing as it could be with the lack of females around.
This all changes upon the crash landing of “space girl” Viola (Daisy Ridley), a scout for the long-overdue second wave of reinforcements these settlers were promised years ago. Todd has never seen a female before and is understandably shook, perhaps most of all due to the fact that females do not give off the Noise. Since men hate a secretive woman, The Mayor convinces his followers she is bad news and must be killed at which point Todd jumps into hero mode to facilitate an escape to another colony his guardians have just told him about. What ensues is a chase across the land to what the young pair hope to be a sanctuary away from the crazy men. One of the best decisions this film makes is the fact that Viola is not really a helpless damsel in need of saving. She appreciates the assistance from Todd, but she is quite capable in her own right. Their dynamic and burgeoning friendship is one of the most satisfying aspects of this narratively muddled film. Todd is very much in eager puppy mode with his Noise betraying his embarrassing inner-monologue, but there is growth between these two over the course of the film.
There are many things that hamstring Chaos Walking, and one of the big ones is how the concept itself is implemented. When you have a town filled with men with uncontrollable Noise, it can begin to be a bit of a sonic overload where everything loses its meaning. That, and almost none of the characters are thinking anything particularly interesting, which does not make for a compelling film. While this is obviously supposed to be a YA-friendly film, the pure insanity of a woman suddenly being dropped into a planet filled with men never even makes an allusion to the direction you figure it might. There’s also the convenient plot hole that most of these men were around to see some events that are important to the story, but none of them have ever thought about it once while Todd happened to be around to hear it? On a more practical level, this story abandons storylines with reckless abandon in a way that is almost comical. There is one scene where the “fearsome” Spackle are finally seen, but it never amounts to anything of significance in the grand narrative. The same could be said when they get to their sought-after colony for sanctuary.
There are moments where you see what this film could have been with a more cohesive vision. Themes of toxic masculinity and the insidious nature of religion are touched upon in really interesting ways before eventually being dropped for more standard sci-fi laser action. While Mikkelsen is the loathsome villain, he is actually not given that much to chew on outside of being able to wear an impressive fur coat. It is actually David Oyelowo as the Preacher who gives this film a spark of madness it so desperately needs to register as somewhat interesting. Religion has always been unkind to women, and he takes this ethos and puts it into an unhinged performance that is an appreciated diversion. Outside of this performance, the movie just plods along with minor set piece after minor set piece until the credits start rolling. Chaos Walking is a movie with big ideas but none of the structure to wrangle it into a satisfying narrative. The interpersonal moments between Holland and Ridley are a bright spot, but outside of this you will be left wondering what this material could have delivered under different circumstances.
Video Quality
Chaos Walking makes the most of its 4K 2160p presentation in 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc. The uptick in detail is apparent in the lush greenery of the forest, the textures of the clothes and the production design of the spaceship. This presentation especially shows its worth with black levels that are incredibly deep and detailed with digital noise mostly absent from the screen. The 4K presentation provides a depth of field that just cannot be replicated as well with the accompanying Blu-Ray. Brighter scenes like those depicting the daytime journey through the forest wow with an intense clarity and a strong handle of white levels that show no evidence of blooming. Skin tones look very realistic throughout and show a great amount of facial detail. Color highlights are another area of substantial improvement in comparison to the Blu-Ray. Colors look more natural in this presentation with the digital manifestation of “the noise” displaying some vibrant pastels. Overall, this is an excellent 4K UHD presentation that offers a noticeable uptick in clarity and depth.
Audio Quality
This disc comes equipped with an incredibly effective Dolby Atmos presentation that fully immerses you in this world. There are elements in this track that are truly enveloping, such as the sounds of “the noise” on display from various characters in a way that utilizes the height channels. Sounds are appropriately rendered with precise directionality from the more kinetic scenes to the quieter dialogue-driven scenes filled with subtle whispers. The score from Marco Beltrami and Brandon Roberts brings to life a truly sweeping soundscape that amps up emotional stakes. Dialogue is presented perfectly clear without ever being overwhelmed by any of the competing sonic elements. The low end is engaged well when Todd gets into various skirmishes which put a lot of sonic elements out in front. The sound design of this film is quite intense, and the implementation of environmental sounds are executed very effectively. The mix here is very well done with nice engagement of all the channels, which makes this track more than satisfactory for fans of the film.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director Doug Liman, Producer Alison Winter and Editor Doc Crotzer provided a commentary track recorded in Summer 2020 in which they discuss the difficulties of beginning without a locked script, creating the story in post production, unused material in the film, working with the dog, the chaotic nature of the production and more. Liman makes a ton of references to Edge of Tomorrow while talking about this film, which only goes to make you want to watch that instead.
- A Director’s Noise: An 18-minute featurette in which Doug Liman and various cast and crew members share their thoughts on the production over candid behind-the-scenes footage. There are some interesting insights about how Liman’s process differs from others.
- Inner Thoughts with Patrick Ness: A nine-minute piece in which author and co-screenwriter Patrick Ness shares his idea for the book series and his relationship with getting it developed into a feature film.
- The Source of Silence: A seven-minute featurette in which Daisy Ridley discusses her relationship with the film including the changes from the original shoot to the reshoot, her relationship with director Doug Liman, her thoughts on the story and more.
- Citizens of Prentisstown: A ten-minute piece that takes a closer look at some of the supporting characters in the film and the actors that inhabit them. There are some interesting insights provided by the author and performers that are worth hearing.
- Establishing Shot with Cinematographer Ben Seresin: An eight-minute piece which delves into establishing the look of the film and depicting “the noise” in a cinematic manner.
- The Music of Chaos Walking: A four-minute piece which takes a closer look at the creation of the score in the film with co-composer Brandon Roberts.
- Deleted Scenes: 45 minutes of unused material is provided here with optional audio commentary with Director Doug Liman, Producer Alison Winter and Editor Doc Crotzer. There are many interesting moments in the film that possibly could have made the final cut, but this feels like a movie that was very hard to feel cohesive under the best circumstances.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here which displays the messy nature of the film.
Final Thoughts
Chaos Walking proves to be an easy target with such a title and its connection to such a tumultuous production process. There are some interesting ideas and themes buried within this film, but the messy nature of the storytelling does not allow them to flourish or become substantially interesting in any particular way. The movie just lacks drive, and not even some decent performances from Daisy Ridley or Tom Holland can elevate the movie enough to survive that. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that sports a truly stunning A/V presentation and a decent array of special features. The film may be good for a mindless watch, but the idea of what the movie could have been under different circumstances haunts this feature.
Chaos Walking is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-ray, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.