Chloe Grace Moretz tries to survive all the way to “The 5th Wave” of an alien takeover, in this Young-Adult adaptation based on the Rick Yancey novel of the same name. Directed by J Blakeson, “The 5th Wave” centers around four waves of increasingly deadly attacks that have left most of Earth in ruin. Those who survive wait nervously for the next round of attacks helplessly with little knowledge of their captors. Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, Cassie (Moretz) is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother Sam (Zackary Arthur). As Cassie prepares for the inevitable and lethal fifth wave that will eliminate what little is left, Cassie meets and teams up with a young man named Evan (Alex Roe) who may become her final hope, even if her lack of trust has her doubting Evan’s intentions. But what begins as a fight for trust and survival soon turns into a blossoming romance that happens at the worst possible time for both of them. Toegether, the two learn the truths and plans of the invading terrors while saving what little of humanity they have left.

Initially, “The 5th Wave” had enough of an intriguing plot to grab my attention. The opening half hour is really gritty for a YA adaptation, including lots of really gorgeous destruction CGI shots of the world being crumbled by this unstoppable force. It makes it obvious that some great production value went into such a film, but it’s unfortunate that the film couldn’t hold my attention for the 107 minute run time. The film is pretty well paced, so I was never really bored with the movie. Instead, the problems lie in a screenplay and direction that is very flawed and full of nausea-inducing cliches for its respective genre. The film featured two major plot twists that were supposed to turn everything upside down for the audience, but the problem is that I predicted both of these correctly within the first hour of the movie. When I say the screenplay is flawed I mean it because it’s kind of held at a handicap with inability to show too much without giving too much away. MINOR SPOILER – We don’t see the aliens or even hear about them after the initial attacks. In fact, the first four waves of the attack happen within the opening twenty minutes of the movie. This left the second and third acts on slow motion, as the audience waits and waits for a final wave that feels like it is conveniently held in air for our protagonists to figure out all of the answers. Anyone with even half interest in this film should be able to figure their motivations out pretty easily.

That brings me to the second plot twist and my overall biggest problem with the film; the disgustingly unhealthy relationship between Moretz and Roe. To say this is on the level of Christian and Anastasia in “Fifty Shades of Grey” would be a little exaggerated, but it is effortlessly easy to see the comparisons to Edward and Bella in “The Twilight Saga”. My biggest problem with these YA big screen adaptations is they are all built pretty similar in structure, so when I see something like Cassie and Evan it makes me want to puke. The two have zero romantic chemistry, and rely quite often on scenes of suspense around them to get them through their bumbling dialogue. Along the way, we learn that Evan not only has been following her, but he read her diary in its entirety, learning everything about Cassie along the way. Cassie of course falls for this because he’s a dreamy hunk with chiseled abs. To add on top of predictable cliches, the film has the scene where Cassie realizes her feelings for him with him swimming in a lake naked. She of course has to stand behind a tree and soak up her naughty feelings and behavior. There’s also a perfectly lit fire scene with a coincidental rusted out car right there so the two can have their intimacy in peace. My opinion stands that this film doesn’t need that romantic interest. The film is about kids being forced to grow up quick in order to save the last shred of humanity they have left. If the movie focused more on Cassie’s maturity and less on her super-quick mental healing process so she can get a piece, the movie could establish more continuity on the powerful opening that it created for itself.

That’s not to say that “The 5th Wave” doesn’t offer something for its audience. One thing that opened my eyes creatively was the social commentary on brainwashing and word-of-mouth propaganda. There’s a real sense of self-realization in Yancey’s script that speaks directly to the youth of our world and tells them to wake up. They are the future of our existence, so they hold the key to many choices in their respective paths. This is the creative presence in the film that made it a little easier to tread through the third act which was not only predictable, but left many questions heading into the second film of this series.

Blakeson himself takes a big chance on the future of this saga, as the film ends not in the most coherrent of directions. If a sequel is made off of this, I would hope for more character driven backstory. Outside of Cassie, there really isn’t a big push creatively for the kinds of lives these kids were living before this all happened. One character in particualr, Ringer (Maika Monroe) I really wanted to learn more about. The film stumbles through the closing minutes, and I felt more of a disappointment on an initial investment that at least had me curious on the depths of such a story. In the end, “The 5th Wave” falls flat on a tired genre that is overstaying its welcome because of too many similarities. These movies all feel like tweaks to the film prior to it, and this movie doesn’t do anything to silence that theory.

4/10