The 5th Wave

Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Ron Livingston, Nick Robinson, Alex Roe, Liev Schreiber, Zackary Arthur, Maria Bello
Directed by: J. Blakeson
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Aliens invade the Earth and fight humanity through a series of different attacks. As the fifth and final wave of attacks begin, a girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) searches for her brother (Zackary Arthur).

Review:

Tim: I really was rooting for The 5th Wave to succeed. We need a new young adult blockbuster series. The Hunger Games has ended, Divergent has totally fallen apart, The Maze Runner is delayed. I was hoping this story about aliens invading the Earth would offer a new path forward in this genre. Plus, I've always liked Chloe Grace Moretz and expected her to have a brilliant Hollywood career. Unfortunately, none of my hopes amounted to anything. This is yet another forgettable, lowest common denominator young adult sci-fi film. There's nothing original or exciting about anything we see on screen.

The different waves of attacks are kind of cool. I immediately want to know more about them, especially the mysterious 5th wave. I legitimately enjoyed that aspect of the story. Unfortunately, there's not much else to like. The story itself is full of cliches and borrowed aspects of dozens of other films. There's the obligatory love triangle, pulling themes from Twilight and Hunger Games. There's nothing especially exciting, shocking, awe-inspiring, or even all that cool in the story. It's not a complete trainwreck, but there's dozens of moments where you'll roll your eyes at the lazy writing. Other people outside of impressionable, inexperienced teens will view this movie and it offers very little for any other demographic.

Chloe Grace Moretz was fine, but I feel like she's lost her way a little bit. Maybe it's working with the wrong directors or maybe it's just working through an awkward phase, but her performance here didn't begin to live up to her potential. It's not the career-making turn like Katniss Everdeen was for Jennifer Lawrence. This is a forgettable role and she gives only a decent performance. Alex Roe was slightly better than the average teen love interest, although I wasn't overly impressed with him. I liked Nick Robinson a bit better. Maria Bello was fine in a role that she played a bit too over-the-top, but she did bring much-needed energy to the part. Liev Schreiber just felt out of place- he's too good of an actor to waste time on a film like this. He did help elevate the film, but only to a minor extent. I loved seeing Rob Livingston, but just like every time he's in a film, I wish he had more screen time. The cast as a whole was decent, but they weren't given a whole lot to work with.

It was hard to take The 5th Wave seriously. I don't know anything about the source material, but the movie featured far too many plot holes. The script felt like it was slapped together without the necessary care needed. This should have been a franchise starter, but I'd be surprised if we ever got a sequel. While there might have been the faintest flickers of hope, this movie now joins a long, long list of failed young adult franchise starters. I'd name some for you, but I've honestly already forgotten most of their names. Ask me if I remember this movie in 6 months, and I bet I'll struggle. Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Hunger Games, Divergent, Twilight, The Maze Runner, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones