2021 saw the release of one of the biggest sci-fi movie flops, despite featuring some of the biggest stars. The sci-fi action thriller, Chaos Walking, which has Tom Holland acting as the main character, joined by Daisy Ridley, known from the Star Wars movies, Mads Mikkelsen from Doctor Strange, Jumanji’s Nick Jonas and Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo, had a rough start, and it doesn’t seem to get easier. The movie, which is set in a dystopian world, was recently added to Netflix, but four years after its initial release, Chaos Walking is still an infuriating watch.
Apart from Chaos Walking missing the YA boom and simply failing to capture the audience’s interest as it perhaps would have a decade earlier, the story of Todd Hewitt and Viola also lacks depth and meaning. When a sci-fi movie with none other than Hollywood’s favorite golden boy and Spider-Man star, Tom Holland, has a 21% score on Rotten Tomatoes, then it really must be bad. And Chaos Walking is beyond bad. You don’t need Spidey senses to see that. While the entire cast consists of respectable actors, there is one particular name that does not match with the terrible storyline at all, and that’s Cynthia Erivo. Clearly, the Wicked star didn’t know it at the time, but Chaos Walking has turned into a movie she should never have been a part of, and here is why.
‘Chaos Walking’ and Its Sexist Apocalypse
In some ways, Chaos Walking is a classic sci-fi movie. It’s set in a dystopian world and introduces a rather unique scenario. The movie explores a planet called “New World,” which is far away from Earth, and society is quite different there. For some reason, men’s thoughts are revealed there. No matter what they do or try, their thoughts are audible to everyone around them. Only women live normally, and can keep whatever they are thinking to themselves. Of course, this puts men in a vulnerable position. Who would want their thoughts constantly revealed? Chaos Walking has a reason to spare women, though, because they are the victims in the rest of the story.
Tom Holland’s $100 million sci-fi bomb is basically about a sexist apocalypse. The fact that men’s thoughts are revealed and those of women aren’t creates an odd dynamic. In Chaos Walking, men feel threatened by women because they are now able to know everything about them. In more ways than one, Chaos Walking introduces women-haters and continually adds fuel to the fire. At one point in the first few minutes of the movie, Todd is struggling to hold back his thoughts, and because of failing to do so, he is told that he is “weak like a woman,” which gives you an idea of this world’s misogyny. What exactly this statement entails isn’t made clear, because all that Chaos Walking reveals is that men hate women for being able to hear their thoughts. How profound.
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Women are presented as utterly incapable, a burden, a threat. When Viola crash-lands on “New World,” a literal hunt after the young woman breaks out. The men are dedicated to finding and eliminating Viola, and, it later turns out, they killed all the other women before that as well, due to them not suffering from the so-called Noise. There are settlements where women still live, but their lives are far from easy.
One of them is Cynthia Erivo’s Hildy, the mayor of Farbranch. She is tough and dedicated, but her character falls equally flat like the others. There are bad movies that are saved by great world-building, but unfortunately, Chaos Walking isn’t one of them. The setting is just as bland as the storyline and the characters, making the fury that is evoked from the sexist apocalypse approach the only real emotion Chaos Walking can stir up.
Cynthia Erivo Should Have Never Been in ‘Chaos Walking’
Cynthia Erivo has always been a talent in the industry, but 2024 elevated her career to unimaginable heights. Ever since the release of the chart-topping Wicked, Erivo has turned into a force to be reckoned with. Whether it is in the form of a song or powerful conversation, Erivo has become an actor who is associated with perfection, depth, and attention to detail. She uses her platform and voice to fight for various causes, and most predominantly, Cynthia Erivo has become a feminist icon.
Keeping this in mind, Cynthia Erivo and sexism aren’t exactly two concepts that should go together. Chaos Walking had a vision. Sure. However, the movie completely missed the mark and fell straight into the drawer of failure. There must have been something in the script that caught Erivo’s interest, but her role in the sci-fi flop might have been one of those times when the movie ended up entirely different from what she (or anyone, for that matter) assumed.
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Hildy is at least someone who fights for the good and protects women, but Erivo should never have been a part of a sexist movie that doesn’t even reflect on its mistakes. It’s almost shocking that someone like the Oscar-nominee for her role as Elphaba was a part of something like this, since she promotes feminist causes and even uses Wicked to spread profoundly empowering messages. Ultimately, Chaos Walking will remain forgettable, and Cynthia Erivo will continue to prove that she can shine more by reflecting her values in her movies. Chaos Walking is available to stream on Netflix.
