Is Chaos Walking woke?
Chaos Walking (2021)
Movie
Released: January 1, 2021
Wokeness Score
7/10
Strongly Ideological
Woke messaging is very prominent and often feels forced or shoehorned in. Characters and plot are primarily shaped to serve the ideology. Many viewers feel the agenda overshadows the entertainment.
Key Summary Points
- Hyper-masculine Prentisstown society portrayed as toxic and oppressive toward emotions and women.
- Plot reveals men killed women to suppress their silent thoughts, condemning male control and rage.
- Strong female protagonist Viola exposes and challenges patriarchal flaws, promoting gender commentary.
Wokeness Analysis
Chaos Walking presents a dystopian society of hyper-masculine men in Prentisstown who enforce toxic masculinity, suppress emotions, and persecute any display of vulnerability as 'acting like a woman.' The revelation that men murdered the women to control their silent thoughts frames male rage and desire as inherently dangerous and oppressive. Viola, the capable female lead played by Daisy Ridley, serves as the catalyst for exposing these flaws, contrasting the men's visible, uncontrollable Noise with women's secrecy and competence. The story critiques patriarchal control and celebrates the introduction of feminine influence as redemptive, with themes of gender dynamics and the dangers of unchecked masculinity dominating the narrative. While wrapped in sci-fi adventure, the messaging feels intentional and prominent, shaping characters and plot to highlight social commentary on masculinity versus femininity rather than pure escapism. Reviews note the not-too-subtle commentary on constructed gender roles, with the all-male society's flaws central to the conflict. The film balances some action but prioritizes ideological exploration of these issues, leading many to view it as message-driven despite execution flaws.
Plot
In 2257 on the colonized planet New World, young Todd Hewitt lives in Prentisstown, an all-male settlement where the Noise makes everyone's thoughts visible and audible. After a war with native Spackle supposedly killed all women, Todd discovers crash survivor Viola, the first woman he has seen. He helps her escape the town's leaders who seek to silence her and intercept her colony ship. As they journey to safety, revelations emerge about the men's crimes against the women, leading to confrontations that challenge the hyper-masculine order. The film adapts the first book in Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy.