The 5^th Wave, Review: Earthnic cleansing

Aliens want the earth, without the baggage of humans. Obviously, 6.5 bn humans are not going to commit mass suicide, to oblige the extra-terrestrials, so the aliens decide to exterminate them. But, for reasons unclear, they are unable to do so in one attempts; several ‘waves’ are launched, some of them literal and tidal, to carry out operation decimation. Nothing new, except plot structure. And the not entirely credible premise that children and young adults hold the key to saving the last survivors. It’s post-apocalyptic, it’s dystopian.

Four waves of increasingly deadly alien attacks have left most of Earth devastated. And now, the undefined aliens, called the ‘others’, have infested human bodies, making it impossible to identify them. Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, Cassie Sullivan (Chloë Grace Moretz) is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother, Sammy (Zackary Arthur), who has been recruited by the alien army, which has also brainwashed her school crush Ben Parish (Nick Robinson). She has already lost her mother (Maggie Siff) to an alien generated virus spread by birds, and her father (Ron Livingston), to an alien army. As she learns of the impending unleashing of the decisive fifth wave, Cassie teams up with a young man named Evan (Alex Roe), who may become her final hope, against the alien forces, led by Colonel Vosch (Liev Schreiber) and Sergeant Reznik (Mario Bello). They find an unlikely ally in Ringer (Maika Monroe), a hard-boiled fighter trained by the ‘others’.

Based on The 5th Wave (published May 2013), by Rick Yancey, a popular young adult author, whose other work includes The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, The Monstrumologist, The Curse of the Wendigo, and a trilogy, of which The 5^th Wave is the first part. The sequel, The Infinite Sea, has already been published and the final part will be published this year. Perhaps the pre-planned sequels dictate the omission of some vital details, with loopholes galore. One cannot escape the déjà vu feeling when a key element of the narrative turns out to be aliens entering and controlling human brains. Several films have had this peg. Nevertheless, two major revelations, not entirely unexpected,  have due impact on the viewer.

Screenplay by   Susannah Grant (28 Days, In Her Shoes, Ever After, Pocahontas, The Soloist, Erin Brockovich), Akiva Goldsman (Batman & Robin, Lost in Space, A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code, Hancock) and Jeff Pinkner (The Amazing Spiderman 2, co-writer on Transformers 5--with Goldsman) fails to explain why human resistance, including atomic bombs, are not deployed, and if they are, why do they fail to make any impact. Conversely, why the aliens are unable to kill all humans in one stroke is not clarified. Except for a couple of shots in quick montage, there is no sense of the global destruction caused by the waves. Towards the end, Cassie’s predicament, vis-à-vis Ben and Evan, is well delineated.

Directed by J(onathan) Blakeson, London based screen-writer and director (The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Wool, Bad Blood and Trouble) the film uses VFX rather well and judiciously, in the first half. Cassie’s rescue by Evan and their subsequent journey to the base peters out into tame, mushy romance. Also, the Sergeant Reznik, and Ringer, bits are overdone. Casting is good.

Drop-dead gorgeous Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick Ass, Hugo, Let Me In, Carrie--2013, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, If I Stay), who will be 19 on February 2016, dated Brookly Beckam, and we can see one reason for the attraction. Talent-wise, she is easy and natural, with the guns she carries and the gumption she exhibits appearing in contrast with her looks. Her crush Nick Robinson (Jurassic World) is nick-named zombie in the film, and that’s another great irony, because he is all smiles and good guy.

As Cassie’s parents, (Ronald Joseph) Ron Livingston (Supreme Ruler, The Shangri-La Suite, The Conjuring) and Maggie Siff  (Leaves of Grass, Funny People, Concussion) do a pretty good job. It’s a good role to bag for Zackary Arthur, all of nine. Ms. Evil Brainwasher, Mario Bello (Max Steel, McFarland-USA, Bravetown) is a bit over the top. As “Don’t you dare stare at my ass” Ringer, Maika Monroe (It Follows, At Any Price, Labor Day) is fun to watch. Now 22,she was born Dillon Monroe Buckley and is a former professional kite-boarder.

Alex Roe(-Brown), London as Evan Walker (Hot Summer Nights) is physically fit. Emotionally, he struggles to convince in a poorly written part. Liev Schreiber (Scream series, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Pawn Sacrifice) son of a painter who drove a cab, part-time, to support her son, was cleverly understated as the Russian chess champion in Pawn Sacrifice. Here, his big frame and plain face are put to good use, albeit in an incomplete character graph.

The 5^th Wave has been given certification restricting viewership to above 13 and in other countries, above 15. In India, it gets a U/A rating, meaning unrestricted public exhibition with parental guidance for children below age 12. It is deceptively romantic to create a situation wherein children as young as nine, and young adults, turn into fully trained killing machines, and also hold the key to saving the last vestiges of human population. It is also highly anarchic and dangerous. If you distance yourself  briefly, while watching the supreme tragedy of mankind’s annihilation, this question might trouble you time and again: What on earth is going on? On the other hand, having been desensitised by 300 films in the genre, over the last 30 years, nothing should surprise us.

Earthlings are known to practice the abhorrent crime of ethnic cleansing. In the 5th Wave, they get a dose of their own medicine in the shape of ‘earthnic’ cleansing.

Rating: **1/2

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