Review of The 5th Wave (2016) by Tornadocreator — 10 Apr 2016

With the "young adult" genre swelling I've started giving these films far more consideration; particularly following Divergent. The fact that Chloë Grace Moretz was playing the lead was a major factor as I know she's a pretty decent young actress. This is another case where I was pleasantly surprised and I'm starting to disassociate films with the "young adult" moniker. Yes they're all given from a young adult or teen perspective and usually have shared themes of, "coming of age" but so do many films. 5th Wave may have these things but it feels like a sci-fi survival film first and foremost.

The alien invasion in this film is played very well and the pacing is particularly well designed, with no single scene dragging on or feeling rushed through. The story felt well balanced and was easy to follow while also feeling like it had multiple threads going simultaneously. The little action it has is thrilling, there's a real sense of desolation and desperation at times, and the sense of tragedy is heightened by the fact that the largely teenage survivor base we follow are too naive to realise just how screwed they are. A fun film with aspects that should appeal to anyone, I can recommend this easily to most without reservation. Unless you're so detached from your youth that you can't remember what it was like to think like a teenager, the characters remain fairly easy to relate to and the story is consistent and without any major plot holes.