The 5th Wave
2016 · Directed by J Blakeson
Original language: English
- science fiction
- adventure
- action
The story
16-year-old Cassie Sullivan tries to survive in a world devastated by the waves of an alien invasion that has already decimated the population and knocked mankind back to the Stone Age.
What it’s like
Washed-out, bleached daylight and grey overcast skies dominate, with the landscapes of an abandoned American countryside rendered in dusty browns and pale, drained greens, and the interiors lit by flat fluorescents or dim firelight. Camera work leans on wide establishing shots of empty roads and forest, with handheld movement during chases and tense close-ups in the quieter scenes. The score is orchestral and insistent, swelling with dread and pounding percussion during action beats, while the stretches between set pieces run on a thin, anxious hush. The vibe is bleak but restless, a post-apocalyptic survival thriller with a teen-romance undertow and a stubborn streak of hope. It moves in bursts: long periods of wandering and waiting broken by sharp, loud sequences of gunfire, explosions, and close-quarters fighting. Violence is moderate and fairly frequent, including shootings and hand-to-hand combat, with some peril and sustained tension but little gore. Its emotional core follows a young woman who learns to trust again after loss, and the mood can feel grim at times. It suits a teen or young-adult audience, or anyone wanting a propulsive dystopian action film for a weekend night rather than something gentle.
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