Overall Thoughts: Interesting and engaging concept, but could have been more.
Like The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner and several others before it, Chaos Walking takes a young adult look at an apocalyptic future. This is a film genre and storyline that defined the 2010's for movies. This makes Chaos Walking feel a bit dated in some way. Yet, at the same time, it still has some interesting and entertaining tricks up its' sleeve.
For one, Patrick Ness' concept of thoughts being out in the open for all to hear is very unique. It's used for dramatic effect, as well as for laughs and the shock factor. While I felt like the film started off leaning too heavily on the shock factor (there's a lot of profanity in the first 10-15 minutes), it does manage to mostly course-correct itself as the movie goes on. While we hear every man's thoughts at some point, Todd Hewitt (Tom Holland) gets the most to say (or think about...). As a result, he's also the only real fleshed-out character here too.
Holland is very solid here in the lead role, shifting effectively between different emotions throughout the story. He's also given a few solid emotional scenes as well. As Viola, Daisy Ridley brings her no-nonsense vibe that she brought to Rey in Star Wars. I only wish the script would have let us get to know her character more. Out of the remainder of the cast, Cynthia Erivo (Harriet) stands out in a limited role as a female leader. Mads Mikkelsen is appropriately threatening as a villain, but we also don't really get to know his character either. Meanwhile, Nick Jonas and David Oyelowo are wasted as two other villainous characters with very little to do. Oyelowo, in particular, seemed like he was too far out of his comfort zone here as a radical extremist of sorts.
The visual effects are nicely-done and carry some solid creative touches. It also exercises notable restraint on some VFX choices. For example, a couple of alien characters appear, but the film doesn't spend too much time on them. Also, I appreciated how the film shied away from too much exposition. We hear a little bit at the beginning, but the solid pacing keeps it from dragging on for too long.
Like other films of its genre, Chaos Walking ends on a cliffhanger that is supposed to lead into a sequel. As a result, some characters are not fully developed. With that in mind, I felt like this film left off at a place where I would be interested in seeing what would happen next. However, with multiple release date changes and re-shoots, plus the increasing starpower of Ridley and (especially) Holland, it seems likely that we won't get to see what happens next.
With that in mind, I do feel a bit frustrated with how the overall story and character development are held back by the studio's original "multiple movie franchise" ambitions. The idea was creative and promising. And at the same time, I have to give director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Edge of Tomorrow) credit. Despite the franchise limitations and especially after all of the trouble this project went through, he was able to turn in a decent movie.
Grade: B-
Is this movie family friendly? Chaos Walking is rated PG-13 for violence and language. Despite the rating, I would hesitate to let a 12 or 13 year old watch this. The violence is surprising and intense at times, with occasional bloodshed. A villain is burned to death (not graphically, but we hear him scream), and others are shot to death. A dog is drowned. Knives are used in battle. A spaceship crashes with multiple casualties (we see a couple of people fall repeatedly from the gravity issues). Lots of threatening dialogue, and reminders of cruel behavior. In the meantime, there's also a lot of language (particularly in the first 15-20 minutes). I heard at least two-dozen uses of the s-word, along with multiple uses of milder profanity (mostly "h---", "a--" and "oh my g--"). There's also a distance shot of male rear nudity at one point as Todd goes into a river naked to hunt a large fish. Women are treated very disrespectfully throughout the film as well. That being said, there's no alcohol or sexual content (besides Todd imagining kissing Viola in one or two moments). In the end, I would say mature 14 year olds and up might be OK watching this, but parents are encouraged to use discernment when it comes to whether or not the film is appropriate for their family.
