The 5th Wave, Mini Movie Review

Rating: 3.25 out 5 stars

The 5th Wave, directed by J Blakeson and based on the books by Rick Yancey, is an interesting movie.  Interesting enough that I didn't read spoilers for the next book on wikipedia, which I did for Maze Runner (I've lost all interest reading those Maze books).  But I've already purchased Book 1 and 2 (The Infinite Sea) in The 5th Wave series.  Target had them at a very good price.  I have zero discipline when it comes to books.  (Though I won't be reading them until the end of May, when the third book The Last Star is released, the final book in the trilogy.  It's nice reading a book series all the way through without brakes and no lingering thoughts.)

Back to the movie!

The movie means well, it really does, and I know this movie had the best of intentions, which is why I'll give it a pat on the back for effort.  But this alien invasion movie mixed with good ol' YA romance is a mess.  First of all, as intense as the opening scene is, I didn't like jumping immediately to the middle of the story to find us then suddenly at the beginning, explaining each of the first four waves of alien attack in vivid detail.  The first part of the movie feels like a giant flashback, which caused me to feel disconnected, slowing down and extending the story's exposition, instead of it all feeling fresh.

It's not until we get to the early stages of the 5th wave that the movie begins to pick up, well, pick up at the military base before slowing down during the interjected YA scenes featuring our main heroine, Chloë Grace Moretz.

The pace is all over the place.

The acting had moments of strength and weakness.

And yet I had moments where I felt my spine crawl, my breath being held, the pit in my stomach expanding as I realized what the 5th wave of alien invasion meant.  I figured it out really quick, but the figuring out actually added to the horror.

The 5th Wave had so much potential.  The plot actually seems quite intriguing, despite the recycled alien/dystopian theme.  Intriguing enough that I must find out what happens.

Thanks to this movie being based on the first book in a trilogy, the movie ends on a cliff hanger with unresolved conflict.  There's an ending of sorts, but not enough to satisfy, and unfortunately it's at the end of the movie when the plot and action gets really interesting.  It's the second movie I want to see, not the first, but since the movie grossed unto 100 million I'd be surprised if there was a sequel.

Thankfully I can read how it all ends.

Rated PG-13 for violence and destruction, some sci-fi thematic elements, language and brief teen partying.