Movies like the 5th wave
The first two-thirds of the film takes its time, alternating training scenes at the military base with Cassie’s journey to find it (a journey that is delayed when she meets another boy - Evan, played by Alex Roe - along the way).
#Movies like the 5th wave movie#
Apparently, the young-adult rulebook was written by the same person who decided back in the 1960s that you can’t trust anyone over 30.Ī good movie can make the familiar feel fresh, but “5th Wave” falls apart right about the same time it builds some momentum. You’ve got the spunky female lead, the postapocalyptic dystopia and a fight for the future led by teenagers. The bad news is that the program - led by Liev Schreiber as Colonel Vosch - becomes more dubious as it goes along.Īll the common elements from other young-adult franchises such as "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent" are here. The good news is that Sam is placed in a squad with Ben (Nick Robinson), a boy Cassie was just about to start dating when the world ended. Unfortunately, Sam has been drafted by what’s left of the American military into a special program that trains kids to fight The Others (the 5th Wave will reportedly be a ground invasion). When she gets separated from her young brother Sam (Zackary Arthur) in a refugee camp, the film’s primary plot becomes centered on her quest to find him. Chloë Grace Moretz plays Cassie Sullivan, a tough teen who finds herself a key player in the movie's version of a postapocalyptic dystopia.
Sadly, the lack of creativity applied to the invaders’ names extends elsewhere. The 3rd Wave is a modified version of the avian flu that kills the majority of the survivors, and the story settles in around the 4th Wave, as The Others have begun to infiltrate survivor camps in human form. The 2nd Wave is literal, as massive earthquakes flood coastal cities with tidal waves. The film’s title refers to a step-by-step invasion of Earth by an alien race called “The Others.” In the 1st Wave, an electromagnetic pulse knocks out the power. It mines a number of familiar tropes, but combined with poor execution, the result is a recipe for disaster and not the cool postapocalyptic kind. “5th Wave” is the latest in an increasingly long line of young adult novel adaptations.
If “The 5th Wave” is any indication, the well of young adult creativity is running dry. "THE 5th WAVE" - 1½ stars - Chloë Grace Moretz, Zackary Arthur, Nick Robinson, Liev Schreiber, Alex Roe, Ron Livingston, Maggie Siff PG-13 (violence and destruction, some sci-fi thematic elements, language and brief teen partying) in general release Nick Robinson as Ben Parish and Liev Schrieber as Col. Reznik and Nick Robinson as Ben Parish in "The 5th Wave." Nick Robinson, left, as Ben Parish and ChloË Grace Moretz as Cassie Sullivan in "The 5th Wave." Maika Monroe as Ringer in "The 5th Wave."ĬhloË Grace Moretz, left, as Cassie Sullivan, Zackary Arthur as Sammy Sullivan and Nick Robinson as Ben Parish in "The 5th Wave."
Ron Livingston, center left, as Oliver Sullivan and ChloË Grace Moretz, center right, as Cassie Sullivan, and Zackary Arthur as Sammy Sullivan, below center, in "The 5th Wave." Nick Robinson as Ben Parish in "The 5th Wave."ĬhloË Grace Moretz stars as Cassie Sullivan in "The 5th Wave."ĬhloË Grace Moretz as Cassie Sullivan and Alex Roe as Evan Walker in "The 5th Wave." Nick Robinson as Ben Parish and ChloË Grace Moretz as Cassie Sullivan in "The 5th Wave."Ĭhloe Grace Moretz as Cassie Sullivan in "The 5th Wave."Īlex Roe, left, as Evan Walker and ChloË Grace Moretz as Cassie Sullivan in "The 5th Wave." Maika Monroe as Ringer and Nick Robinson as Ben Parish in "The 5th Wave."Ĭhloe Grace Moretz as Cassie Sullivan and Zackary Arthur as Sam Sullivan in "The 5th Wave."ĬhloË Grace Moretz, left, director J Blakeson and Alex Roe on the set of "The 5th Wave."