The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave

Starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Alex Roe, Liev Scbreiber

Directed by J. Blakeson

The Story:
Cassie Sullivan (Chloe Grace Moretz) is your typical teenage girl living in suburban Ohio, going to parties with her friends and crushing on football star Ben Parish (Nick Robinson).  All is right with the world, and all she worries about are pop quizzes and soccer practice.

Then one day a huge spaceship appears overhead, and Cassie learns it was the last normal day of her life.  At first the spaceship just sits there, but then it begins different waves on the planet.
Wave #1: An electromagnetic pulse that takes out all electronics in the world
Wave #2: A massive worldwide earthquake that causes huge tsunamis that decimate coastal regions
Wave #3: A synthesized avian bird flu virus that kills millions
Wave #4: Integration of the aliens on earth by inhabiting human hosts and controlling them

Cassie, her father, and young brother Sam (Zackary Arthur) manage to make it to a refugee camp, where the army, led by Colonel Vosch (Liev Schreiber), come to collect the kids and take them to Wright Patterson.  During the evacuation the family gets split up, and Cassie finds herself alone in the woods in a desperate race against time to get to her brother, with the help of mysterious Evan Walker (Alex Roe).

Meanwhile, Ben finds himself at Wright Patterson and enlisted in a child army to battle the incoming alien threat - known as the fifth wave.  As they go out to battle, they discover a dangerous truth that can threaten not only their lives - but humanity as a whole.

The Synopsis:
--Disclaimer: I have never read any of these books, so I have nothing to compare it to.  It might've been different if I had read the book first, but since I didn't, I can't review the film comparing the two.

The Young Adult novel-to-movie craze has been alive and well for years.  "Harry Potter," "Twilight," "The Hunger Games," "The Maze Runner" and "Divergent" have managed to produce more than one film, and in most cases, be big success stories.

However, with the recent fails of the final two "Hunger Games" films, "Divergent: Allegiant" and "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials" seem to show the YA craze is indeed dwindling, which makes a lot of sense.  As many people seem to insult these book series, they all follow the same formula:
1. The world in a dystopian future where nothing is normal
2. The main character is someone who begins as a normal girl but rises to prominence (Katness, Tris, Bella, etc.)
3. Love triangles are all the rage.  "Divergent" is pretty much the only outsider in this cliche, but all others are heavily involved in a love triangle
4. There's a montage of youths practicing fighting for a future battle

With "The 5th Wave," we continue the adventure of the typical YA novel-to-film transition.  It readily adheres to all the cliches found in previous films:
1. The world has been turned upside down with the arrival of aliens, turning the planet into a dystopian wasteland
2. Cassie was your average normal girl who is now a skilled warrior somehow
3. Cassie had a thing for Ben, but then fell for Evan, but now all three are together, so it's super awkward
4. Ben fights for the military, and there's an extended montage of him fighting hand-to-hand and shooting


I could say this is just another weak YA outing, but there's something intrinsically different to this movie, and I can't point my finger on it.  Maybe it's my admiration for Chloe Grace Moretz, ever since her roles in "Kick Ass" and "Let Me In," she's easily becoming one of my favorite young actresses.  She gives a great performance here as she eagerly searches for her younger brother, and shows a determination and persistence beyond her years.

(The only downside to this is when she's rescued by Evan Walker, who's a super attractive young man with bulging muscles, and she instantly falls for him.  I couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if someone like John Goodman rescued her instead.  She might've had the same reaction as the girl he rescued in "10 Cloverfield Lane").

The film doesn't have a lot of downtime, and I think has the best opening of any Young Adult film adaptation to date.  The action is virtually non-stop, and the effects and cinematography are top notch.  

Personally, I loved the scenery in this film.  It reminded me heavily of "The Walking Dead," as they traversed through woods, around train tracks, and even stumbled upon a highway with deserted cars everywhere, which reminded me of the Season Two opening.  I was expecting Rick and the group to emerge at any time.  Ironically, after I saw the film, I learned it was filmed in Georgia near where "The Walking Dead" is filmed.  Maybe those WERE the same woods after all!

One problem I have with this film - and many other alien films - is how the aliens act toward humanity.  It's clear they wish to wipe them out of existence, but they do so in a painfully slow way.  For such a highly intellectual race, they could've just shown up, said "bye," hit one button and BOOM, everyone would be evaporated.  Instead, they seem to delight in the slow extinction of the human race.  It's like a child who prefers holding a magnifying glass over an ant as the sun slowly cooks it instead of just stepping on it.

Ultimately, I was wary on seeing the film because of its poor performance at the box office (although, in its defense, it was released in January and during a huge snowstorm on the east coast), and I didn't want to experience another "Golden Compass" moment (it was a movie based off a series of books with the hopes of making several films, but since it flopped they scrapped the idea and left the ending with a huge cliffhanger).  Fortunately, most of the conflict is resolved in the end of "The 5th Wave," and a sequel could never be made and I'd be alright with the ending.

The Summary:
With a powerful lead in Chloe Grace Moretz, "The 5th Wave" continues the Young Adult novel-to-movie craze with typical cliches, but in the end you don't really mind it as much.

The Score: A-