The 5th Wave (2016)

Director: J Blakeson

Writers: Susannah Grant, Akiva Goldman, Jeff Pinker
(based on the novel of Rick Yancey)

Production Co.: Columbia Pictures

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Ron Livingston


   Interestingly, this film reminds me of a Bradley Cooper movie, Burnt, which I reviewed a few months ago. Although they belong to totally different genre, both films are similar in terms of their strategy to target audience. While employing conventional and proved plot, they boast their main player (Cooper and Moretz, respectively) to intrigue moviegoers. Unfortunately, Burnt turned out to be a flop since it just kept showing Cooper yelling. On the other hand, it seems that The 5th Wave will not experience the same case.

   Figuratively, this film is a mediation between The Hunger Games and The Twilight. The film adjusts well to recent trend of independent juvenile heroes. Unlike other young hero movies such as The Maze Runner or Ender's Game, in which kids are coerced to be soldiers either covertly (the former) or indirectly (the latter) or symbolically (The Hunger Games), the young characters in this film are obliged to stand on the front line directly. Although all these films share the same sarcasm of exploitation of younger generation, the mood of The 5th Wave is less grievous. Instead, the filmmakers blended teenager romance in the story, like The Twilight. However, they do not stay too much on the romance, and stick to their original problem: survival.

   Due to such light atmosphere, lack of causal relation is palpable in some parts, especially in the sequence where Cassie (Chloë Moretz) rescues her younger brother. But, that's fairly tolerable because the film is balanced well between serious subject matter and exciting spectacle. Sometimes it is doubtful of what Cassie really wants. However, the filmmakers did not venture to explain it in two hours. They were clever enough to conclude this film at a proper point. Although somewhat too optimistic perspective seems naive, I expect this will be a fine beginning of a new sci-fi serial. Whether some scenes are silly or not, Chloë Grace Moretz compensates all flaw. And more importantly, this film gives us a hopeful message: if you are pretty enough as Moretz, you can easily survive a pandemic disaster!