A young adult sci-fi thriller from director J Blakeson, The 5th Wave gets off to a promising start, only to be bogged down by below-average effects and one of the more predictable twists in recent memory.
An alien race is systematically ridding the world of its human population. After launching three waves of attacks from orbit, the invaders up the ante, taking human form to hide in broad daylight and finish the job.
With her parents out of the picture, Cassie (Chloe Grace Moretz) is trying to make her way to her kid brother Sam (Zackary Arthur), who has been recruited by the army to help fight the aliens (now called “The Others”). But will she reach him in time?
The incredibly talented Moretz delivers a compelling performance as the desperate young woman hoping to save her brother, and the opening scenes, - i.e. the aliens’ arrival and their subsequent “attacks” (electronic pulses to shut off the power, tsunamis, etc) - are strong.
Alas, just when the movie should be hitting its stride, it falls off the rails, introducing a subplot about an army of children that’s not nearly as interesting as what came before it. And without going into too much detail, I figured out the movie’s “big surprise” a good 45 minutes before it was revealed.
Rating: 4.5 out of 10