Movie Review: The 5th Wave


The 5th Wave is the first in a trilogy of books written by Rick Yancey, that have now been adapted for the screen; the third book is actually not being published until May of this year. The movie adaptation of the first book was nothing new or ground-breaking, but will still manage to hold your attention for it's almost 2-hour runtime.

Cassie Sullivan (Chloe Grace Moretz) was a normal high school girl when the 1st wave hit: the Others, a group of aliens who want the Earth for themselves (but not its inhabitants), sent an electromagnetic pulse that took away all of the power and electricity on the planet. The 2nd wave was earthquakes and tsunamis; the 3rd, the avian bird flu; and in the 4th, some of the adult survivors were murdered by the Others who were already on the planet. The Others take the form of human beings, so it's impossible to know if someone is human or an Other, too. Cassie, her father, and her little brother leave their house and go to a survivor campsite, but soon, all of the children are taken away on buses, and Cassie and her brother get separated. Cassie must find him, and her journey to get to the army base where he was taken may be more dangerous than she originally thought.

Most of the actors here aren't that famous (at least not yet), but you'll recognize Moretz, Ron Livingston as her father, and Nick Robinson (The Kings of Summer, Jurassic World) as a high school crush of Cassie's. Part of the film was a bit predictable; there's a twist about 2/3 of the way into the movie that a friend predicted from the very beginning, but some of it was not, and it reminded me of Walking Dead lite meets The Host, since we were dealing with aliens rather than zombies.

Yes, see this movie. The film kept me entertained the whole time, even though some of the love scenes (yes, this is a teen movie, still ...) were a little cheesy. I'm curious to learn more about the Others in the next movie, The Infinite Sea, provided that it will be made; Bustle.com says "basically, The 5th Wave would have to majorly tank at the box office to destroy plans for a cinematic series," so hopefully that doesn't happen. I would think fans of Moretz would want to see this film, as well as other dystopian movie fans, so I hope it does well at the box office so that the second and third books in the trilogy will be brought to the big screen as well.

The 5th Wave is in theaters today, January 22nd, and is rated PG-13 with a runtime of 112 minutes. 3.5 stars out of 5.

Popular Posts

Review: Polar Pizza at Baskin-Robbins

Image
*Disclosure: I received a gift card to try the new Polar Pizza at Baskin-Robbins. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. Baskin-Robbins launched its Polar Pizza last month (July), as I talked about in my recent post about them, and because this past month was crazy busy for me, I didn't get to try the Polar Pizza until this past Sunday. My parents and I went to the combined Dunkin' Donuts / Baskin-Robbins near them, in Novi, MI, to split one of the ice cream pizzas.
Read more

Upcoming and GIVEAWAY: Mamma Mia! at the Fisher Theatre, Detroit, April 23-28 {ends Dec. 12}

Image
*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. MAMMA MIA! will be playing at the Fisher this April, from April 23-28, and I'm excited to see it—I'm a big fan of the movies but I've never seen the Broadway show. About the show: Since premiering in London in 1999 and on Broadway in 2001, the irresistible musical has captured the hearts of millions around the globe. The sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads on a Greek island paradise, all unfolding to the storytelling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs, has now been seen live on stage by 65 million people across the world and turned into two record-breaking movies – MAMMA MIA! The Movie and MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again. To date, MAMMA MIA! has been seen in 50 productions in 16 different languages grossing more than $4 billion at the box office. MAMMA MIA! opened on Broadway in 2001 where it played for a record-breaking 14 year
Keep reading

GIVEAWAY: Duel in the D, February 10 at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit {ends 1/10}

Image
*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with 313 Presents. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I had a great time at Duel in the D last year—I'm a UM alum, but I had only ever seen ONE hockey game in my life at that point, and this was the second one.  I'm looking forward to it again this year, and one of my lucky readers will win a 4-pack of tickets to experience it as well! About the game: The return of college hockey is headed to Little Caesars Arena with the annual “Duel in the D,” presented by Meijer, set for Saturday, February 10 at 8:30 p.m.  The fans of Hockeytown will be treated to one of the most intense and exciting rivalries in college hockey, as the Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans men’s ice hockey teams will add another chapter in their storied rivalry and clash for the “Iron D” Trophy.  The “Duel in the D” matchup features the most-played rivalry in college hockey. The game will mark the 346th all-time meeting between the h
Keep reading