Movie: The 5th Wave

★★★/★★★★★

Characters:

Chloe Grace Moretz as Cassie Sullivan

Nick Robinson as Ben Parish/Zombie

Zachary Arthur as Sammy Sullivan

Liev Schreiber as Colonel Vosch

Ron Livingston as Oliver Sullivan

Alex Roe as Evan Walker

Maika Monroa as Ringer

Summary from Wikipedia:

The 5th Wave follows 16-year-old Cassie Sullivan as she tries to survive in a world devastated by the waves of alien invasion that have already devastated the Earth's population and knocked humankind back to the Stone Age. As one of the planet's last survivors after her father was killed in a massacre by the army, Cassie has to learn the hard way to trust no one. The only thing that keeps Cassie going is the hope that she can save her 5-year-old brother, Sam, from a "training" camp established by the Others (the aliens). Cassie and Ben Parish, who was her crush in school, narrate a good majority of the story, along with several supporting characters who offer different perspectives. The Waves were planned attacks used by the Others in their attempt to take over planet Earth, but the reason for their desire to inhabit the planet is much deeper than that and has a lot to do with humanity itself.

I don't really like watching movies based on books but this one looked pretty good. I was all excited and curious about the story but watching it left me more curious and disappointed.
 

It started strong with Cassie narrating and telling us what happened and finding an abandoned store with a man calling for help. She was armed with a rifle gun so she braved and went to where the man was calling. They both pointed a gun to each other but Cassie had the upper hand since the man was weak and on the ground. They both shouted for the other to put the gun down and when the guy realized that he can't win, he put his gun down first. Still unconvinced that the guy wouldn't hurt/kill him, Cassie ordered him to lift his other hand which by then was inside his jacket. She insisted even though the man told her that his intestines or something else might fall out when he removes his hand. The man made his resolve by slowly revealing his hand and when something reflects, to which Cassie reacted quickly, bullets found their way to his body. It turned out that the man was holding a crucifix and it reflected when he moved his hand. 

It continued with Cassie running away and telling us what she was doing before everything happened and it was where the story began.

I loved how the story started, with all the waves and what happened until to the point where Cassie was separated with his brother, Sammy, when US Army appeared and told them they were going to help the survivors but they can only collect the kids by then because of the lack of transportation. From then I knew something was wrong and it proved me right when Cassie witnessed the murder of her father and other people in the camp. (I hate you, Vosch!) They also didn't show or tell us what the Others truly were and it confused me even more when Evan (oh, he's the guy who saved Cassie when she was shot --- but he was like a stalker too, if you ask me) can jump high around and he had super powers when he was fighting those people in the woods. I was like whoa, you didn't tell us you have another super human character in the story (but of course it only meant he was one of the Others and that maybe Others were like him too, or he was like them, whatever!) Anyway, on the other hand, while Cassie was resting and Evan was tending to her, Sammy and the other kids (including Ben Parish, Cassie's crush) that Vosch and his team collected, started their training so they can fight the Others too. Vosch brainwashed them and taught them how to fight and kill. And that was where the twist happened. (I hate you, Vosch!)

I give it three stars because it had a good plot but the idea of using the kids to exterminate the remaining people on earth was a bit scary and heartless at the same time. (Ooops!) I mean, they knew that kids can be manipulated and that they easily believe what the adults tell them but to teach them how to kill people in early age, oh my god. The Others are insane! Tsk. I would also love it if they added something to support why the Others wanted to invade Earth and another something for the viewers to get the idea what/who the Others really were. But I guess there's a reason why this movie is based on a Trilogy. And I love Ben Parish, btw. :)

Now I plan to read the book (because it's a trilogy!) and I hope to love it more than the movie. 

Based on a novel by Rick Yancey

Title: The 5th Wave

PubDate: May 7, 2013

Page count: 457