Source Material
Title: The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave #1)
Author: Rick Yancey
Published: 2013
Series: The 5th Wave
The film adaptation of Rick Yancey’s The 5th Wave is finally here, and while Zombie and Cassie arm themselves with guns, we’re gonna arm you with an equally powerful weapon: a drinking game.
If you haven’t read the book, be aware that this game contains spoilers. And if you’ve seen the movie, let’s discuss in the comments, because I have a LOT of thoughts.
The Official FYA The 5th Wave Drinking Game
Take a drink when:
- You spot Bear in a scene
- A Wave begins
- One of Cassie’s parents dies
- Anyone says the title of the movie
- Cassie’s hair looks far too clean and styled
- Ringer’s eyeliner is RIDICULOUS
- Radar says, “Please, shut up”
- There’s a close-up of lipstick on glass
Take a shot when:
- Evan Walker first appears because MEOW
- Evan takes a bath in the lake
- Evan and Ben Parish meet because AWKWARD
And now, for those of you who have seen the movie, a few thoughts to get the convo started:
Overall, I left the film feeling disappointed. It’s always tough to pack everything from a book into a movie, and the screenwriters certainly had their work cut out for them with the exposition on this one, but the plot was so rushed, and because of that, there was no time to really build up the characters or the stakes. The only reason I cared about anyone on screen was because I’d read the book, and even then, nothing was compelling, not even Cassie’s dad’s death or Cassie’s mission to find Sam or Zombie’s realization of the conspiracy.
For the most part, the casting is excellent, but the script didn’t give the actors much to work with, so Liev Schreiber’s Colonel Vosch feels totally phoned in while Nick Robinson’s Zombie has to look tough and hardened after only a brief montage that makes boot camp look like a walk in the park compared with the horrible scenarios in the book. Chloë Grace Moretz makes a fine Cassie, though I don’t think she has the chops to truly carry a film, and her relationship with Alex Roe’s Evan Walker lacks the layers that made it so swoon-worthy in novel form. Speaking of Roe, I can’t tell if his flat acting is purposeful (to convey Evan’s alien nature) or just… because he’s a bad actor? And does it matter? Because the dude is hot. I wish we’d seen more of Dumbo (Tony Revolori) and less of Ringer (Maika Monroe), which is painful to say, because I love Ringer. Nothing against Monroe, she was just terribly miscast, and that eyeliner?! You know Ringer would not put up with that shizz.
It’s a shame, because the film (and the book) ends on such an open-ended note, and I would have loved to see the sequel brought to life. But now that I’ve experienced this movie, I’d rather not watch The Infinite Sea suffer a similar fate.
And now I’ll step off the soapbox and make room for your opinions in the comments!
