By Jada Lister

The 5th Wave, based on the novel by Rick Yancey, combines alien invasions with apocalyptic survivalism to create an entertaining, action-packed experience.

The film follows 16-year-old Cassie Sullivan, played by Chloe Grace Mortez, on her mission to save her younger brother Sam after the earth is decimated by four waves of increasingly devastating alien attacks.

From the opening scene, the viewer is met with an equal balance of action and character development. It opens with Cassie recounting her life as a normal teenager before rapidly transitioning into shots of  destruction being waged around the world. The teenagers in the story react to these situations in a way realistic way rather that makes them appear to be more than  just actors playing a part. Another strength of the script adaption is that it tries to stay as close to the book as possible unlike so many recent adaptions that have fallen flat.  This isn’t to say that there aren’t some changes that arose when adapting the book.

The biggest change was the order in which Cassie tells the story. In the book, the  background behind the invasion is introduced bit by bit intertwined with the present. However, in the movie everything leading up to the 5th Wave is laid out upfront. Though these changes can be jarring for those who know the story, they make sense given the movie’s pacing. There are some other elements that were cut, but they weren’t essential to the plot of the movie.

Overall, fans of Rick Yancey or even those who just enjoy a good alien apocalypse  won’t be disappointed.