The 5th Wave
Directed by J BlakesonFour waves of increasingly-deadly attacks have left most of Earth in ruins. Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, Cassie is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother. As she prepares for the inevitable and lethal fifth wave, Cassie teams up with a young man who may become her final hope--if she can only trust him.
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The 5th Wave Ratings & Reviews
- flavo43December 11, 2025The 5th Wave had the potential to stand out in a crowded wave of YA sci-fi adaptations, but instead it feels like a collage of familiar tropes and déjà vu moments. From alien invasions to undercover threats to teen romance amid disaster, the film echoes countless titles that came before it—unfortunately without adding much originality. The cast is solid, with several talented young actors who clearly have bright futures, but they’re held back by a script that never fully commits to its ideas. During the mid-2010s, Hollywood churned out numerous teen-centered sci-fi and dystopian films, and The 5th Wave struggles to rise above them. Rather than focusing on one strong concept, it tries to combine every sci-fi angle at once—survival thriller, alien infiltration, military conspiracy, coming-of-age journey—and ends up delivering none of them particularly well. It reminded me more of a Syfy Channel low-budget mashup than a polished blockbuster. Despite some promising elements, it simply couldn’t deliver a memorable or cohesive experience.
- MeghannBNovember 17, 2025This movie was so corny, but that's why I watched it. If you're into unrealistic, silly alien takeover movies, then add this to your list. It's got a couple of familiar faces (Chloë Grace Moretz, Liev Schreiber), so it feels a little higher quality than flicks of similar substance. Think of it as a great choice for a rainy Saturday movie at home...or if you're hungover and might nap throughout.
- Dominic SelvaggioNovember 3, 20252 hours I'll never get back, Twilight but for aliens where the main threat tries to cosplay as the facehuggers from alien in a stupendously dumb way. Chloe Grace Moretz deserves better.
- ርልዪረFebruary 7, 2025Spoilers..... Alien invasion movie - so there have been many of them, what to do that's different? The aliens don't attack and destroy everything outright with killer bombs of doom, they want the planet when we're all dead, so they use different styles of attack, which are the waves referred to in the title. The film follows the journey of our young hero, from a normal high school teen existence through to a knarled survivalist resistance fighter. There is an occasional narrative voiceover to explain some aspects of what's happening, I always prefer this method to those awful exposition scenes that a lot of films have (where one character explains something to another character for the benefit of the watching audience). The idea of using child soldiers is not a new one, it's been done many times by us humans and in the film it is justified & explained by the dialogue between some of the characters - we are like cockroaches, the aliens know that they won't be able to kill us all with area weapons, better to get the younger ones to kill the older ones then use the implanted trackers to round up and destroy the children. The revelation that the children have can be seen coming, but it's enjoyable to watch the characters catch up as it dawns on them what is happening. And finally, what I really applaud is that this film hasn't fallen prey to the tired woke preaching agenda that so many have recently. This is what equality actually looks like - our hero just gets on with it, they are smart, tough, loyal, hard as nails, resourceful ...and female.
- jorge.slbSeptember 20, 2025Its OK, but...
- Eric WidderJune 28, 20252 hours you'll wish you got back, and I say that as a giant sci-fi alien fan. The story is terrible, the acting is terrible, it's your quintessential B sci-fi movie where it looks like they ran out of time or money and decided to call it a wash.
- jakob.la7March 1, 2025I've read the Books before the Film. They are way better (as always). The Film had a very weird pace, and not very good storytelling.
- Mister ArnOctober 12, 2024Nothing connects me to the story, there are many places I should feel emotion, but it never happens. Even the action scenes with their special effects are a boor. The ending is awkward and stilted, too much talent for such weak film.
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The 5th Wave Trivia
The 5th Wave was released on January 14, 2016.
The 5th Wave was directed by J Blakeson.
The 5th Wave has a runtime of 1 hr 52 min.
The 5th Wave was produced by Graham King, Tobey Maguire, Matthew Plouffe, Lynn Harris.
The key characters in The 5th Wave are Cassiopeia "Cassie" Sullivan (Chloë Grace Moretz), Ben "Zombie" Parish (Nick Robinson), Oliver Sullivan (Ron Livingston).
The 5th Wave is rated PG-13.
The 5th Wave is an Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi film.
The 5th Wave has an audience rating of 3.8 out of 10.