[projekktor id=’22779′]
An obviously hurried attempt by Sony Pictures to get in the young adult adaptation game, The 5th Wave film lacks originality and development. The story is told mostly through the exposition heavy narration of Chloe Grace Moretz’s Cassie as she navigates a post alien invasion world. And despite the big stakes (the end of the world) the film still lacks excitement or intrigue. This is probably due to the predictable story lines, the terrible narrative structure and the laughable performances.
Based on a relatively popular YA novel trilogy by Rick Yancey, The 5th Wave takes place in Ohio following an alien invasion that decimates the human population. The story chronicles the lives of a group of survivors, children who are determined to fight the Others (the conquering aliens) and reclaim the earth. The Others attack is believed to be five fold. The first wave destroys electronics, the second wave brings tectonic shifts that result in earth quakes and tidal waves, followed by the third wave of disease. These three waves lead to the fourth wave, the aliens adopting human host bodies and descending on earth from their looming starship. Unable to differentiate between humans and aliens anymore survivors turn on one another in the fourth wave priming the Others to take control of the world with their final attack, the fifth wave.
Cassie Sullivan is a rare breed of teenager; one that is responsible, self-less and abides by her curfew. When the world plunges into chaos she and her family hold out in their suburban home until tragedy strikes and they are forced to retreat to a survivor’s settlement in a nearby campground. When the United States Army arrives promising refuge and safety for the children at a nearby base Cassie’s father (Ron Livingston) agrees to send his kids, tasking Cassie to take care of her 5 year old brother Sam. Sam and Cassie are quickly separated when Cassie is accidentally left behind at the camp. Determined to find Sam she follows the Army vehicles through alien infested forests and deserted highways. As she walks across one abandoned highway she is assaulted by alien snipers and sustains a shot in the leg. Luckily, she is rescued by the mysterious Evan Walker (Alex Roe) who treats her and agrees to help her get to the army base her brother was sent to. Meanwhile over at the base, Sam has been drafted and is put in a squad of child soldiers, coincidentally led by Cassie’s high school crush Ben Parish (Nick Robinson). Apparently, children are the only soldiers the army is willing to employ since its easier to detect aliens inhabiting adolescent hosts. The film plays out like a seventh grader’s alien conspiracy theory. Adults aren’t to be trusted, good looking teenagers will save the day, and make-up is still readily available despite the lack of running water and other essential provisions.
We’re told that Cassie’s changed after she kills a man while on her mission. Undoubtedly, traumas like an alien invasion or murder are bound to change someone, but we never see the transformation from Moretz. Instead we get pouting and running. The 5th Wave should’ve have been titled ’50 minutes of Chloe Grace Moretz running’ because despite being the lead, that’s basically her only utility. In her defence, all of Cassie’s motivations, fears and theories are expressed in detail via the narration, leaving little for the actress to actually convey in her performance. The story borrows tropes from other popular YA series, essentially becoming a mash up of Twilight, The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner and The Host. From a forced love triangle between the three leads (despite an utter lack of chemistry) to militarized children at war with all-powerful enemies, it all feels like it’s been done before.
The best part of my viewing experience was the closing of the second act, when Evan declares his love for Cassie, and the audience (predominantly teenage girls) burst out laughing. This unwarranted declaration was too much to bare, even for the target demographic. It filled me with relief that the youth of today weren’t as easily manipulated as those in the film.
The 5th Wave is exactly what you think it is, an attempt to cash in on the YA film adaptation gravy train. It’s hard to hold it against the studio, they are after all in the business of making money. But, that doesn’t mean you have to buy into it.
