Movie Review: **/***** (2 stars out of 5) **SPOILER ALERT*
Having just read the 5th Wave series by Rick Yancey I was eager to see the movie, feeling confident that it would be brutal, violent, exciting, and interesting. The novels contain all of these elements and more, as well as a truly brave and courageous female protagonist in Cassie. The novels are fast-paced, unique, and crippling in their use of empathy, compassion, and fear to propel the characters and the reader along.
That being said, the movie did not contain any of these features. Cassie was reduced to a Bella Swan, for lack of a better description. Her developing relationship with Evan Walker (alien? Human? Who knows?) takes focus and becomes too vampire-human for my taste. While the novels do have a minor relationship aspect, that component takes a very distant backseat to the prime focus -- saving Cassie's brother from Alien invaders who have infiltrated the American army.
While the action was entertaining and the explosions as ridiculous as possible, many of the key features of the story were removed. Rather than telling the tale of survival, love, loss, peril, violence, compassion, fear, and humanity (as was in the books) the, too corny, relationship between Evan and Cassie became the primary focus. It was disappointing.
For those who have read the books you know that the novels are morbid and sometimes difficult to read. There are violent child deaths, child soldiers forced to handle and rift-through dead bodies, and a blood-plague that was nicknamed "The Red Tsunami" because the victim inevitably drowned in their own blood. The movie contained none of these things and instead focus on matters of more trite and pedestrian importance.
If you are a fan of the novels and were expecting a movie along the lines of The Hunger Games or Harry Potter caliber you will be disappointed.
Having just read the 5th Wave series by Rick Yancey I was eager to see the movie, feeling confident that it would be brutal, violent, exciting, and interesting. The novels contain all of these elements and more, as well as a truly brave and courageous female protagonist in Cassie. The novels are fast-paced, unique, and crippling in their use of empathy, compassion, and fear to propel the characters and the reader along.
That being said, the movie did not contain any of these features. Cassie was reduced to a Bella Swan, for lack of a better description. Her developing relationship with Evan Walker (alien? Human? Who knows?) takes focus and becomes too vampire-human for my taste. While the novels do have a minor relationship aspect, that component takes a very distant backseat to the prime focus -- saving Cassie's brother from Alien invaders who have infiltrated the American army.
While the action was entertaining and the explosions as ridiculous as possible, many of the key features of the story were removed. Rather than telling the tale of survival, love, loss, peril, violence, compassion, fear, and humanity (as was in the books) the, too corny, relationship between Evan and Cassie became the primary focus. It was disappointing.
For those who have read the books you know that the novels are morbid and sometimes difficult to read. There are violent child deaths, child soldiers forced to handle and rift-through dead bodies, and a blood-plague that was nicknamed "The Red Tsunami" because the victim inevitably drowned in their own blood. The movie contained none of these things and instead focus on matters of more trite and pedestrian importance.
If you are a fan of the novels and were expecting a movie along the lines of The Hunger Games or Harry Potter caliber you will be disappointed.