The 5th Wave could be described as the first big budget blockbuster to be released in 2016. It’s based on a young adult novel that came out in 2013. The book was well received, but will audiences like the movie too?
The 5th Wave is out in some countries right now and won’t be released until this weekend in North America. The main star is Chloe Grace Moretz who plays the young heroine named Cassie Sullivan.
I will only talk briefly about the plot, but it’s about an alien invasion. However it’s more of a subtle alien invasion as it’s not all-out action like movies such as Independence Day. The aliens here are called “The Others” and they ruin humanity in a different way.
They ruin humanity in different waves. Each wave is worse than the next one. To not spoil too much. I’ll just say lots of people die and the world is left with only some survivors. Cassie Sullivan has to find her brother as they get separated along the way.
There’s more to the story other than my description, but I will talk about that in my spoiler talk coming later this week. I will say I was impressed that there are many plot twists in the film. Some of the twists are predictable, but it’s cool that this movie tried to do something different. It’s not the usual generic alien invasion type of movie.
I also admired the acting performances in The 5th Wave as well. Chloe Grace Moretz has matured in the movie and may have put on the best performance of her young career. She showed toughness and vulnerability not too dissimilar to the character of Ellie in The Last of Us.
The other actor I liked in this movie was Nick Robinson who played Ben Parish. Some people may know him as the older brother in Jurassic World. He and the group of other kids he hangs around with are very likeable.
The only weak main star of this movie in my opinion is Alex Roe who plays Evan Walker. To me Roe lacked any charisma and was too generic for my liking. He wasn’t particularly entertaining whenever he was onscreen.
The 5th Wave is a mix of drama and action. The special effects are great and the action is decent to watch. Some people may feel the movie focuses too much on the dramatic elements though. It is a serious movie too as the only humor that is present is the group of kids that Nick Robinson has to hang around with.
The movie also fails to explain some of the things about “The Others”. I won’t say too much, but it feels the moviemakers are hoping to explain more if this becomes a trilogy. This depends if The 5th Wave makes enough money for two more movies that is.
Overall, I liked The 5th Wave. Chloe Grace Moretz is great and the movie isn’t too boring or generic. However, it may not please everyone as it focuses more on drama over action. I’d give this movie a 3/5. It’s not horrible, but nothing too special either.
