While those other YA films showed a post-apocalyptic world, this showed a pre- and mid-apocalyptic world. The 5th Wave has one other thing that sets it apart. I heard another member of the press describe it as “Twilight with aliens.” That’s also an accurate description.

I’d describe this as The Hunger Games mixed with Invasion of the Body Snatchers. And luckily, for me, that was enough to keep things interesting. But this film has the added twist of featuring aliens. So how does The 5th Wave compare to The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, or the other YA novels hitting theaters? Well, they have many of the exact same elements – a reluctant heroine, tyrannical adults, a post-apocalyptic world, and a menacing love interest. What Worked:Īnother year, another young adult novel adapted for the big screen. “The 5th Wave” is rated PG-13 for violence and destruction, some sci-fi thematic elements, language and brief teen partying.

But nothing will prepare her for the 5th wave of attack that the aliens have planned. As she makes her way to the base to reunite with her family, she must face alien drones, alien snipers, and hostile human survivors. Cassie then found herself on the run in this apocalyptic world with her father and young brother Sam. When soldiers from a nearby air base arrive at their refugee camp, Cassie finds herself separated from them and on her own. The unseen aliens hit mankind with wave after wave of attacks, each different from the previous one and each decimating mankind. That is until the alien ship came, then everything changed. This film is based on the young adult novel by Rick Yancey.Ĭassie Sullivan was your average everyday teenage girl.

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