Chaos Walking

Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley know a thing or two about starring in blockbuster franchises. But if Chaos Walking is their mutual attempt to help launch another, it comes without the same safety nets and requires much heavier lifting.

Indeed, the young stars elevate this muddled dystopian thriller from director Doug Liman (The Edge of Tomorrow) — which ambitiously combines Western and science-fiction elements — above some of its familiar genre trappings.

The film takes place on a distant planet in the near future, after humans have fled a war-torn Earth. In the colony of Prentisstown, lifestyles are primitive, it never gets dark, and all of the women apparently were wiped out years ago by some sort of evil monsters.

During this deliberate unspooling of the ground rules for its daunting futuristic landscape, we learn that the surviving men are afflicted with a telepathic condition known as “The Noise,” in which their inner thoughts are communicated involuntarily as though they’re speaking.

Holland plays Todd, a neurotic farmhand who was born as an orphan into this life. His routine is shaken when he finds the remnants of a spacecraft, and eventually meets the lone survivor, young astronaut Viola (Ridley).

As word spreads, Todd learns secrets about the oppressive misogyny of his homeland. Realizing Viola won’t be safe, he agrees to accompany her on a perilous journey to a remote outpost. But getting there means outrunning the ruthless Mayor (Mads Mikkelsen) and others.

Liman stages some taut and stylish action sequences, although the film struggles to generate a deeper connection in its quieter, character-driven moments. The first-rate supporting cast includes David Oyelowo, Cynthia Erivo, and Demian Bechir.

For Holland and Ridley, Chaos Walking offers another opportunity to showcase their versatility as they transition to more adult roles. Their odd-couple chemistry is appealing, and Holland manages a few laughs from his inability to suppress Todd’s thoughts about Viola’s attractiveness. After all, he’s never interacted with a female.

The screenplay is based on the first book in a young-adult trilogy by British writer Patrick Ness. As it bogs down in conceptual plot mechanics and gimmicky misdirection, it maintains a frustrating emotional distance.

The translation from page to screen is mired in contrivances and cloudy character motives, perhaps in a misguided effort to streamline the offbeat premise for mainstream consumption. Caught between two worlds, the result becomes lost in space.

Rated PG-13, 109 minutes.