By Lindsey Schibelhut, Senior Reporter.
How would you survive the end of the world? This is the challenge facing 16-year-old Cassie (Chloe Grace Moretz) when an unexplained alien ship appears in the skies above earth.
“The Fifth Wave,” directed by J. Blakeson and released in 2016, is based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Rick Yancey. The lives of Cassie and her family are turned upside down when the residency of aliens, known only as “The Others,” appear over Ohio. The Others then start to release a series of “waves” on the world in order to eradicate the human race.
An exceptional part of the film, for me, was the dystopian plot. It was interesting to see an alien theme blended with an electromagnetic pulse bomb, plague and other destructive elements. The many dark themes of the movie also kept me on the edge of my seat. One such scene involves the character Cassie investigating a run-down convenience store. As she is looking around, she stumbles upon an injured man in a backroom, which leads to a devastating gun standoff.
I also like how Cassie kept a journal throughout the film. She continues to document the invasion and how it affects the world, and how it changes who she is as a person – she even starts questioning her own humanity.
One downside for me in this movie is the acting by Chloe Grace Moretz. One of my favorite roles Moretz plays is Hit Girl in the “Kick-Ass” films. She seems to excel as an action star in those, so I had high hopes for her in this one – but she let me down. When it came to certain emotionally driven scenes that really require some tears – she doesn’t produce any. I did feel though that the remainder of the supporting cast gave strong performances, such as Liev Schreiber and newcomer, Alex Roe.
There were also some plot holes I noticed in the film as well. But to avoid giving away spoilers, I won’t give any examples here. After viewing the movie, it only has ignited my interest in reading the books to see whether those plot points are further explained.
Overall, despite the negatives, I did enjoy this film – but I just don’t think it’s necessary to see it on the big screen. It’s probably better to go and read the source material or wait until the movie comes out on DVD.
