Director: Doug Liman
Cast: Tom Holland, Mads Mikkelsen, Daisy Ridley, David Oyelowo, Nick Jonas
Rating: 12
Running time:109 mins
Release date: April 2nd 2021
For many people who have read the YA best-selling book, The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness, the wait to see the film adaptation is finally over. This project has not been easy to get off the ground and has been severely delayed in its release, but has it been worth the wait? Yes, it has.
For those who are unfamiliar with the books or for those of you who may have never read the Chaos Walking series, the story is set in the not-too-distant future where there are only men living their lives in what is known as the New World. There are no women within the community as they were killed by the Spackle, a race of hostile aliens. These aren’t just regular men though that inhabit this New World, they are followed (or plagued) by the ‘noise’ that surrounds them – a mist of their inner thoughts which are revealed to those nearby and are difficult to control.
This is certainly the case for Todd (Tom Holland) who cannot contain the thoughts inside his head, which are then revealed. Uncomfortable and occasionally embarrassing as this may be, matters are made worse when a crash landing from space sets up an encounter with a young survivor – Viola (Daisy Ridley).
Trying to do the right thing, Todd informs the local mayor, David (Mads Mikkelsen) of this new, unexpected arrival but he quickly learns that is a mistake. The community of men that live there are threatened by the fact that women do not have the same kind of ‘noise’ surrounding them and their thoughts and feelings are not exposed.
There may be no surprises here, but of course the ruthless mayor wants her captured and Todd makes the decision to help her escape and contact another ship to warn them of the mayor’s plans and to get her out of there. Along the way though, Todd discovers some interesting secrets about his community and how things did not play out as he was told they had…
For those who have read the book, there might be a slight pang of disappointment with the penning of the script for this one, as the characters back stories do not exactly ping to life and the workings of the new world which they live on aren’t thoroughly touched upon. However, for those who have not read the book, this movie will be an entertaining escapade into a dystopian world that has the right amount of action to move the story along.
Holland and Ridley are entertaining to watch with the script they have been given and Mikkelsen shines as the ferocious, determined mayor but it seems a shame that there was not more of David Oyelowo‘s preacher. He plays his part well, (a little too well in a waterfall scene during a chase!) but it would have been even better if his character’s story was expanded. The real scene-stealer in the movie is the dog, Benji. Loyal and adorable, that little four-legged bundle of cuteness is the little ray of sunshine in this movie.
Overall, there are very few surprises in this movie but it is an enjoyable, entertaining watch. It boasts solid performances and action that keeps the plot moving forward.
