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We've Ridden This Wave Before

"The 5th Wave" isn't as much a terrible film as a completely recycled one. The movie contains a dash of "The Hunger Games", a dollop of the "Divergent" series and a pinch of "The Maze Runner". It does not offer an original thought or idea to any of the proceedings, which really begs the question of why it exists.

YA adaptations are coming to our multiplexes more fast and furious than "Fast & Furious" movies, with each one trying to piggyback on the success of "The Hunger Games". Many have tried but none can touch that level of fandom and box office revenue. "The 5th Wave" - the first of two books by Rick Yancey - will get lost in the YA shuffle. It's too generic to stand out and fails to transcend.

Chloë Grace Moretz stars as Cassie. She is the heroine of this tale, who dares to rise above what's expected and try and save the world. She doesn't dare to conform and follow rules. She is a normal high school girl - hangs out with friends, goes to parties, has a crush on a popular boy from afar - but her world is soon upended. A mysterious aircraft arrives and hovers in the sky. Everyone is confused and strange things start happening. Each event comes in waves.

Earthquakes and tsunamis occur and Cassie is separated from her family (her parents are played by Ron Livingston and Maggie Siff). Once she is separated from her younger brother (Zackary Arthur), Cassie's only goal is to find him and bring him back to safety. Along the way she meets Evan (Alex Roe), who always happens to be at the right place at the right time.

The first set of waves come quick but then the film slows down considerably. The film's first portions are its strongest, featuring some impressive set pieces and a considerable mystery around what is actually happening. It becomes clear the world is running from an alien invasion, who are referred to as "The Others".

Moretz - and the rest of the young cast, including Nick Robinson and Maika Monroe - all do their best with the well-worn material. Thrown into the mix are Liev Schreiber and Maria Bello, as the authoritarian figures because these teenagers need someone to rebel against.

Director J Blakeson allows things to stall too quickly, creating an entirely uneven film. Adapting Yancey's novel are writers Susannah Grant, Akiva Goldsman and Jeff Pinker. They are working with what Yancey had originally written but everything comes out of the YA playbook coupled with alien invasion tropes. "The 5th Wave" often feels like a parody rather than its own distinct film.

There is one more book in Yancey's series and the film leaves the lingering feeling of a sequel. I guess it's now up to the YA audience if they want more of this.