The 5th Wave

Based on the young adult novel of the same name, The 5th Wave feels like a mashup of Zombieland (minus the humor) and I Am Number Four. Set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, the movie centers around high school student Cassie Sullivan (Chloë Grace Moretz) whose world is turned upside down when aliens show up to attack the planet with a series of waves, each more devastating than the last. Through an extended flashback, we learn of the previous four waves (including environmental and biological warfare).

A little too much young adult drama and too little science fiction, the script is mainly an excuse for Moretz to look frightened. With a set-up more appropriate to a television movie, the script includes an extended B-story concerning the remaining human children (including Cassie's baby brother) being turned into a child army by the United States Army. There's also the age-appropriate fashion model (Alex Roe) who saves Cassie's life, while harboring a big secret, and a late twist that's fairly easy to see coming.

Eventually all these pieces will fit together, just not in a very interesting way. With half of the story narrated from Cassie, and presented from her point of view, the scenes of the child army seem out of place - particularly because they center not on Cassie or her brother but on an entirely different set of characters. Transitions between the two parts of the movie aren't handled well, and although the two stories eventually merge we're still left wondering why a large segment of this film wasn't left on the cutting room floor.

Released on Blu-ray and DVD, The 5th Wave includes deleted scenes, a digital UV copy of the film, a gag reel, audio commentary from Moretz and director J Blakeson, and a set of featurettes on the making of the film, the squad, visuals, a survival guide, and an interview with youngest member of the cast.

[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Blu-ray $19.96 / DVD $26.99]