5 Frustrating Flaws That Ruined Chaos Walking

When Chaos Walking hit cinemas in 2021, it looked like a sure thing. With Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley leading the charge, Doug Liman in the director’s chair, and a much-loved book as its backbone, you’d expect a blockbuster. Instead, the film barely scraped together $27.1 million at the box office, a far cry from its hefty $100 million-plus budget. Critics weren’t kind either, handing it a dismal 21% on Rotten Tomatoes. For a story with so much potential, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher how it all went so wrong.

Missed Opportunities and Shallow Storytelling

Patrick Ness’s original trilogy wasn’t just another sci-fi yarn. The idea of ‘Noise’—where blokes’ thoughts are broadcast for all to hear—was meant to dig into power, entitlement, and the way women are silenced. The books used this to shine a light on how society keeps women under the thumb. The film, though, barely scratches at these themes. Instead, it often turns the concept into a running joke, especially with Tom Holland’s character, Todd, whose thoughts are played for awkward laughs. There’s little exploration of what it means for Daisy Ridley’s Viola to be the only woman in a world where men can’t keep their thoughts to themselves. The film shies away from the darker, more interesting angles, leaving us with a pretty standard sci-fi flick that doesn’t make the most of its cleverest idea.

The romance between Todd and Viola is another letdown. In the books, their relationship grows naturally, but on screen, it feels forced and unearned. The script seems to push them together because it’s expected, not because it makes sense. Both Holland and Ridley do their best, but there’s not much chemistry to work with. Ridley, especially, seems boxed in by another tough, stoic role, while Holland’s Todd comes off as more clueless than conflicted. The film spends so much time on world-building that it forgets to let the characters actually connect. Even Ridley admitted she wasn’t really involved in shaping her character, saying,

That’s something I really wasn’t involved with creatively. Not out of choice, just because it was one of those things. I was like: ‘This is great: I come in as an actor, do my thing and then off I go.’ It’s so funny, we were watching a show and someone used the phrase: ‘It didn’t trouble the box office’. What can you do?

Characters and Plotlines Left Hanging

Plenty of key moments and characters from the book get short shrift in the film. Todd’s dog Manchee, a real heartbreaker in the novel, is just a background pet here, and his death barely registers. Todd himself loses the cleverness and resourcefulness that made him interesting on the page, coming across as a bit daft instead. Viola’s big moment blowing up the bridge is nowhere to be seen, robbing both her and Ridley of a standout scene. Ben, who’s a strong, protective figure in the book, is reduced to a helpless bystander.

The film also limits the ‘Noise’ to men, missing out on the chaos and depth that comes from animals having it too. Instead of creative visuals or flashes of instinct, we just get repetitive spoken thoughts. It’s a missed chance to make the world feel truly unique.

Head-Scratching Choices and Production Woes

Some of the decisions in the film just don’t add up. Todd’s sudden urge to protect Viola comes out of nowhere, with no real reason behind it. Viola, who grew up on a spaceship and should be tough as nails, can’t swim—a pretty odd oversight. Aaron’s motivations are muddled, losing the personal menace he had in the book. The way characters suddenly master complex ‘Noise’ illusions also undermines how special that skill is meant to be. And the ending, where Todd and Viola stumble across a conveniently working ship, feels like a lazy shortcut rather than a satisfying payoff.

Behind the scenes, things weren’t much better. The film was delayed for nearly two years after poor test screenings, with heaps of rewrites and reshoots trying to patch things up. By the time it finally landed, cinemas were struggling through the pandemic, and punters weren’t exactly rushing out to see it. The reshoots only made the story more muddled, with shifting motivations and abandoned themes. In the end, it was a mix of weak themes, dodgy adaptation choices, rushed storytelling, and bad timing that left Chaos Walking feeling like a missed opportunity from start to finish.