This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
History Marches On
Plot Overview
Circa
2200 a.d. a first wave
of colonists was sent to populate a New World. It took them three
generations to get there. They subdued the peaceful indigenous people, the
Spagels, by using modern weapons as did the conquistadors of
old riding on horseback. Then the batteries on their ray guns died,
but by then the native tribes were decimated.
Now the New World planet is stratified. At the lowest technological level are the hunter-gatherer Spagels subject to raids from the Earth “aliens.” The earthlings have taken up the technologically superior life of farming. They are further broken down into Prentisstown whose people till the ground, and Fog Ranch where they raise sheep. The former are more aggressive, like Cain who killed Abel. It's further broken down by sex. On this planet men's thoughts are psychically broadcast abroad affording them no privacy, though the women's thoughts are not so. Being unable to keep anything from the women or to get them to share their noisy beds, the men in the aggressive town killed all their women, while in the other settlement the women just took over.
The movie opens in medias res with the orbiting
mother ship having brought the second wave of settlers from Earth.
The scout ship they send down has trouble on reentry, and the only
survivor is Viola (Daisy Ridley) who crash lands near the
Prentisstown enclave. The men scavenge the ship's battery to
recharge their high-tech weapons. Viola being savvy & literate
scopes out her surroundings and figures it's best she lay
low. The youngest colonist there—they can't procreate any
more—Todd Hewitt (Tom Holland) wants to help her, but he's just
a rube having no reading ability, or books to read for that matter,
just the perverse imaginings he'd been fed all his life. Mayor Prentiss
(Mads Mikkelsen) wants to use Viola as a lure to get the mother ship
to land with its 4K pilgrims still vulnerable in hyper-sleep. 
Viola is looking for some means to contact
the ship before it departs assuming a failed colony.
Ideology
The Prentisstown environment is reminiscent
of, (Prov. 30:11-14) “a generation
that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. There
is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed
from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their
eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose
teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the
poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.” Todd
for his youth is more innocent than the rest, and he also has a pet
dog to mellow him out, but the rest of the town are sorry specimens.
Davy Prentiss Jr. (Nick Jonas) is outright rebellious against
his father the mayor.
Preacher Aaron (David Oyelowo) goes on and on about coming judgment, but nobody pays him any mind. Nobody goes to church either. They don't need it.
There's a complete lack of humility with everyone getting in the face of the newcomer or anyone who would help her. They've already decimated the Spagels and killed all their own women. Now they're pursuing the space girl & her friend, and threatening any new arrivals. A pretty sorry lot, that.
Production Values
“” (2021) was directed by Doug Liman. It was written by Patrick Ness, Christopher Ford, and Charlie Kaufman. It was based on the young adult novel, The Knife of Never Letting Go. It stars Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley. The leads performed well, and they had a good supporting cast with limited screen time.
MPAA rated it PG–13 for violence and language. It was filmed in the U.S. and in the environs of Montréal, Québec, Canada to capture a forested expanse. There were some derelict sci-fi sets as well as forested landscapes and a river.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
This adventure story could serve as
an inspiration to young people to do more reading. The hero for all
his good intentions was limited by his lack of book learning in geography
and history, not to mention nutrition. It wouldn't have been so bad
if he'd had more stamina than the girl, but he had a hard time keeping
up with her—and she'd lived in a spaceship all her life.
Some movies make one feel good about oneself, but this one is
more an agent of self-reflection. Other than that, it's a good adventure
tale. Does he finally get to kiss the girl? Dream on.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Well done action scenes. Suitability for Children: Suitable for children 13+ years with guidance. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Good for Youth Groups. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.
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