Plot Summary
The human race stands on the brink of extinction as a series of alien attacks decimate the planet, causing earthquakes, tsunamis, and disease. Separated from her family, Ohio teenager Cassie Sullivan (Chloë Grace Moretz) will do whatever it takes to reunite with her brother Sam. Fate leads her to form an alliance with Evan Walker (Alex Roe), a mysterious young man who may be her last hope. Forced to trust each other, Cassie and Evan fight for survival during the fifth assault from the invaders. (1)
Review
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Hello, Movie Buffs!
I can understand the reasoning behind the negative reviews for The 5th Wave (2016) but I do not believe that this is a completely awful film. Now keep in mind that I have not read the book so my perspective is solely based on the film itself. Despite being an avid book reader this book did not exactly peak my interest, however, it was entertaining to my brother, who is not much of a book reader. I consider this film to be an average if not above average Young Adult (YA) adaption. Now while it’s not perfect and there are a few cringe-worthy moments, this film has a few noteworthy moments that I feel more than makeup for the issues expressed by other critics.
The film bases its story on a devastated Earth after it’s been repeatedly attacked by aliens in four waves and now the world must prepare for a 5th. Cassie (Chloe Grace Moretz – If I Stay) is an ordinary girl who must travel through hostile lands in order to recover her lost little brother, and she serves as the narrator for the film. Despite encountering numerous challenges along the way Cassie intends to keep he promise to her brother against all odds. Although this story doesn’t sound like much in comparison to most YA film adaptations – Hunger Games has a story founded upon the sickening idea of kids killing each other and Divergent is monotonously dominated by fighting and training – the story manages to create a somewhat bleak and foreboding atmosphere for the characters. While the beginning is a bit impassively, the disaster and action scenes are effective and exciting to see. As the plot twists, the story starts to make sense in its own way, which makes it easier to follow. However, the final is very abrupt and leaves the audience hanging on a bit of a bad note. The romance scenes are a bit cliché, thankfully nowhere near Twilight level, but this is somewhat of an occurring case with the majority of YA film adaptations – most of the time the romance scenes in the books flow really well together but that doesn’t always translate the same way on film.
The characters are decent in their development; their downfall is mainly due to their lack of sympathy which would allow for the audience to feel sorry for each character’s situation and thus creating a dramatic atmosphere. Chloe Grace Moretz is great at doing both action and romance at the same time and she portrays her character with an air of believability by delivering true emotions in her search for her little brother. The chemistry she has with her co-stars Nick Robinson (Jurassic World & Everything, Everything) and Alex Roe (Hot Summer Nights) is great and their individual performances are also great. Liev Schreiber (Spotlight) is actually given a good role for a change as his apperance and aura suits his role good.
Overall, The 5th Wave (2016) is an average yet entertaining and enjoyable film, and should the studio do a sequel film I can hope that it’s done better. Although this is a YA film this is nothing like Hunger Games, Twilight or Divergent. Rather this film is more for someone who enjoys sci-fi films with good adventures and some twists thrown in without adding anything special. This was a good enough film to where it filled all its areas but it was not enough to where it would stand out from among the crowd. I can recommend this film as a worth watch at least once.
"The Others see our hope as a weakness; as a delusion. But they're wrong. It's our hope that lets us survive. That lets us bend, but remain unbroken. It's our hope that will let us win one day. It's our hope that makes us human."
- Cassie Sullivan [last lines, narrating]
Final Vote
Worth Seeing: 7.5
Worth Buying: 7.5
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