The 5th Wave Movie Review (Spoiler Free)

When humankind is systematically attacked to near extinction by an unknown alien race, a smart, witty teenage girl needs to fight her way through enemy lines to save her younger brother. 

Genre: Action / Drama / Sci-fi

Director: J Blakeson

Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Alex Roe, Zachary Arthur, Maika Monroe, Ron Livingston, Maggie Siff, Liev Schreiber, Gabriela Lopez and Maria Bello.

Run Time: 112 min.

US Release: 22 January 2016

UK Release:  22 January 2016

German Release: 14 January 2016

It’s the beginning of a new year, which means a new film adaptation of a young adult novel is to be released in theatres. The 5th Wave is a sci-fi drama based on the book by author Rick Yancey and transitioned to screenplay by writers Akiva Goldsman, Susannah Grant and Jeff Pinkner. The movie was not on my radar until very late in December, when a trailer advertised it on TV.

I did not read the novel, so I can’t say if it is any good, nor can I compare it to the flick. I did hear positive things about it, though, with many reviewers saying that the book blurred the lines between young adult fiction and adult fiction. This blockbuster did not offer any of those qualities and seems to be a dumbed-down version of its print counterpart. 

Cassie Sullivan (Moretz) is a normal teenage girl who has a good relationship with her parents and younger brother Sam (Arthur). Her high school crush is Ben Parish (Robinson), captain of the football team, while she and her best friend are members of the school’s girls' soccer team. Everything changes, though, when an alien race unleashes four lethal waves of attacks that leave humankind nearly decimated.

Cassie makes her way amidst the ruins of civilisation to find and save her brother, who was taken by Colonel Vosch (Schreiber), while preparing for the 5th and last wave. She teams up with a young man named Evan (Roe) -  who seems to have some valuable skills. But is she able to trust him?

The screenplay does have its positives (if not many), and I am going to start by counting them down. The 5th Wave starts strong, with Moretz being put in a tough position until it skips back in time before the invasion. Talking about the alien invasion, the way the “Others” attack humans on Earth was realised pretty well and has a sense of danger to it. The segments in which the army abuses the naivety of the children are also well elaborated plus made sense, since we see the depicted type of abuse now and then in the news.

I also appreciated how the narrative centred on Cassie’s desperate attempt to get to her brother as well as how stubborn she is, as she works her way through rows of adults - with some help by others. The character manages to kick some butt, even though it was not exactly the portrayal of a strong and independent girl. 

Unfortunately, the negatives outweigh the positives. Starting with the fact that the plot offers no new formula for this kind of flick, which includes easy and predictable twists. Instead, it gives audiences the same repetitive story we obtained since The Twilight Saga: “Teen girl meets boy she likes, then tragedy strikes. The girl encounters another boy who is interested in her and finally, the toxic love triangle.”

This gets me to the worst part of the film, which is the romance between Cassie and Evan. It is completely inorganic, even though it is a part of the novel, yet it does not fit into this cinematic adaptation, with its forced and awkward dialogue between both characters. 

My last two issues with The 5th Wave might be nitpicks, but they did bother me nonetheless! Number one: lack of insight as to why the aliens are in desperate need of Earth; they just simply are. Finally, the last story-related complaint is about how this movie portrays child soldiers; I wished for something more realistic and gritty, not scenes filled with clichés about the military.

Chloe Grace Moretz makes the best impression in this sci-fi drama, actually trying to give a good, committed performance. Sadly, due to the clumsy writing and zero chemistry with co-worker Alex Roe, her acting is simply “OK”. I did like her reaction in the woods when she finally came to realise that she lost her father and brother all in one day.

Nick Robinson, the boy you might recognise from Jurassic World or the sitcom Melissa & Joey, has a couple of good scenes, though he is generally bad compared to Roe, who, apart from the bodged romance with Moretz, at least seems to try and give a solid performance. Liev Schreiber has limited screen time, but is nonetheless disappointing due to his monotonous portrayal of Army Colonel Vosch.

The camera work for this film is fine, but nothing groundbreaking, with director of photography Enrique Chediak giving it a bright, strong and glossy look. The special effects are rather mediocre; the plane falling from the sky - seen in the trailers - as well as the alien drones look like computer-animated graphics, and the flood waves are not convincing. 

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Verdict: The 5th Wave is the first dull movie I walked into early this year, and to tell the truth, I did not expect anything else. According to what I read about the novel online, it is supposed to be gritty and, to some extent, insightful. The film displays none of those qualities and simply offers a worn-out plot with mediocre performances and poor romance between the two main characters. I am sure this will be a fun movie for young teenage girls, but older audiences won’t find any enjoyment in this film. I will give this sci-fi drama a 5.0 out of 10. 

If you are looking for an entertaining evening in the theatre, I recommend you see either Creed or The Big Short, which I have reviews on my site for. Better skip this one! 

So what did you think of The 5th Wave? Do you agree with my opinion? Leave a comment below if you want to discuss a specific aspect of the movie. Thank you very much for reading, & if you found this review helpful, click like and share it.