Review: THE 5TH WAVE (Another Brick in the Teenage Dystopian Wall)

The new film THE 5TH WAVE is based on Rick Yancey's bestselling YA novel of the same name, the first in a planned trilogy. So the question we'll be answering today is, after seeing THE 5TH WAVE, would I head back to the theater to catch The Infinite Sea or The Last Star on the big screen?

Before we start, I will say those titles aren't doing the series any favors, but let's focus now on THE 5TH WAVE and Cassie Sullivan.

Cassie (Chloë Grace Moretz) is our protagonist, a self-described "totally normal high school girl." She enjoys soccer, comes from a two-parent home, has friends and a crush on a football player named Ben (Nick Robinson). But the life of a "totally normal high school girl" ends abruptly the day the "others" arrive. The "others" are aliens, from outer space, slowly ridding the Earth of humanity through waves of destruction. The first three waves leave the planet dark, diseased, and waterlogged, and leave Cassie alone and on the run, desperate to find her little brother Sam (Zackary Arthur).

Unbeknownst to Cassie, Sam has been taken to a military base run by a Colonel Vosch (Liev Schreiber) and Sergeant Reznik (Maria Bello), government officials intent on turning Sam, Ben, and kids like them into child soldiers in the fight against the "others." With the help of a mysterious stranger named Evan (Alex Roe), Cassie begins the difficult journey to find her brother. It soon becomes clear, however, that not everything is as it appear to be ...

Despite an interesting enough jumping off point - an alien invasion in waves - THE 5TH WAVE is ultimately little more than the latest in an increasingly derivative series of teen dystopian films (like THE HUNGER GAMES, THE MAZE RUNNER, or DIVERGENT).

Visually, the film is hardly innovative. The design of the "others'" spaceship is certainly interesting - metallic and pointy - but reminiscent of other alien invasion films of the last decade. Not to mention, the waves give director J Blakeson a lot of room to recycle some of the most recognizable imagery from recent history - giant waves toppling over coastlines, water flooding city streets, the surgical mask, the Katrina "X", etc. It's shorthand, unimaginative shorthand at that. The film's most effective sight is of a plane falling out of the sky but (a) it happens very early in the film, (b) you can see it in the trailer, and (c) it is also quite familiar.

The designs and special effects are ... adequate until they're not. Unfortunately, where they're not is where it matters the most. And where it matters the most looks like something out of a goofy video game. I could make a case for that design being intentional, but not without spoiling the film. It's also not good enough to excuse what's on screen.

Moretz is a strong actress, but THE 5TH WAVE is one place where it seems to make no difference. She has a great, but inappropriate chemistry with Roe. Maika Monroe (Ringer) is another strong point in the film, with a compelling, and seemingly endless, attitude. The performances from the adults are also solid, if a little phoned in.

So, to answer my own question - an expected no. I do not think I would head back to the theater to see a sequel. But, if I did, it would be because of Moretz, Roe, Robinson, Monroe, and the other child soldiers - all very likable (especially Robinson compared to his role in JURASSIC WORLD) and root-for-worthy. If only they had a better script to work with. Something a little more fun, and a little less predictable.

THE 5TH WAVE, starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Liev Schreiber, Maria Bello, and Alex Roe, is rated PG-13 for violence and destruction, some sci-fi thematic elements, language and brief teen partying.

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