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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This 2016 Chloë Grace Moretz Sci-Fi Flop Is A Streaming Hit On Netflix
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Netflix's Top 10 charts have a knack for pulling off surprises — and sometimes those surprises aren't necessarily winners. Case in point: "The 5th Wave," a 2016 sci-fi movie starring Chloë Grace Moretz that just popped into the streamer's Top 10 in the U.S. (as of this writing, it's currently sitting at #9). Based on the YA novel by Rick Yancey, the story features an alien invasion, humanity on the brink, and a teenager trying to survive. The thing is, this movie wasn't exactly a beloved hit in its day. Critics ripped it to shreds, audiences weren't much kinder, and it pretty much disappeared without a trace as soon as it left theaters. Yet here it is, almost a decade later, getting a fresh wave of attention. That's because Netflix, as we've seen time and time again, can turn long-forgotten titles into overnight streaming "hits," thanks to a mix of star power, curiosity, and the platform's high-profile Top 10 rankings — which, as I've pointed out across too many posts to count (like this one), essentially reward recency as much as actual quality. Read more: 14 Apple TV+ Shows That Are As Good As Or Better Than Anything On Netflix Netflix Resurrects Another Box Office Bomb For some perspective, "The 5th Wave" came out back in 2016, the same year that gave us blockbusters like "Rogue One" and "Deadpool." Meaning, it's understandable if a movie like "The 5th Wave" slipped under your radar the first time around. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie is currently sitting at a pretty brutal 17% critics score, with audiences rating it 38% based on more than 25,000 reviews, and that rare alignment between critics and viewers tells you just about everything you need to know. Not that it matters to Netflix's almighty algorithm. The streamer's Top 10 lists thrive on the here-and-now. A title gets added into the mix, viewers maybe spot a familiar actor's face in the thumbnail, and curiosity does the rest. Sometimes, that rediscovery turns into genuine enthusiasm. One thing that a title's re-entry into the Netflix Top 10 doesn't tell you is just how many people tried it out and ended up frustrated with their decision. In this case, it's probably a mix of both. Moretz still has name recognition, the alien invasion hook is an easy sell, and the movie hasn't been front-and-center in years. Whether viewers make it to the closing credits without regret is another story. But if nothing else, "The 5th Wave" proves Netflix will dust off just about anything — the good, the bad, and everything in between. Read the original article on BGR.
Tom's Guide
07-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Netflix just got this sci-fi action movie with 'The Hunger Games' vibes — and it's already crashed the top 10
Remember the 2010s, when it seemed like almost every week, a new dystopian movie based on a young-adult (or YA) novel hit theatres? The competition to be the next 'Hunger Games' was intense, and while there were a few winners like 'The Maze Runner,' there were also an awful lot of losers. 'The 5th Wave' falls into the latter category. Released in 2016, it was a modest box office success, but didn't reach the heights the distributor, Sony, had hoped, as a sequel never followed (despite there being two more books in the series). To be honest, it's a movie I haven't thought about in almost a decade. So, I was a little surprised to see it making serious waves now that it's arrived on Netflix. The movie arrived on the world's most popular streaming service in its first wave of new content for August, and just a few days later and it's already climbing the platform's top 10 most-watched list. It currently ranks in the No. 8 spot, but I could rise even higher in the days ahead. But underneath the hooky premise, there's an extremely generic quality to 'The 5th Wave' that saw it struggle to stand out in an overcrowded genre. So, if you're considering adding this sci-fi movie to your Netflix watchlist, here are all the details you need to help make your decision. Based on the best-selling novel by Rick Yancey, 'The 5th Wave' takes place on an Earth that has been left devastated by an alien invasion carried out in four waves. The first attack disabled all electricity and communication devices, the next created devastating natural disasters, the third spread a deadly strain of bird flu, and the fourth saw humans mind-controlled to kill each other. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. With fear spreading of a fifth (and final) wave on the way, Cassie Sullivan (Chloë Grace Moretz) is a teenager trying to survive in this new world, and most importantly, be reunited with her younger brother (Zackary Arthur), who is being housed on a military base. To find her brother, she's forced to ally with a mysterious young man, Evan Walker (Alex Roe). But in a world where hostile aliens hide in plain sight, Cassie may not be able to trust anybody she encounters, and the truth of the impending fifth wave might prove to be humanity's end. There's a lot on the surface that I like about 'The 5th Wave.' I think the core concept of an alien invasion hitting the planet in four, increasingly deadly, waves is a fantastic setup, and the paranoia that grips the movie's cast due to the mystery fifth wave adds a sense of mystery. The movie opens particularly strongly, after a quick introduction to Cassie, and the current state of the world (spoilers: things aren't looking good for humanity), the flick jumps to an extended flashback to the invasion being carried out and the first four waves. You'll have to forgive some truly awful CGI in parts, but otherwise, it's an excellent starting point. The problem is that after this compelling intro, the movie doesn't seem to have any further original ideas of its own. Instead, the following two acts play out like a greatest hits collection of YA genre beats. There are all the expected tropes, from our heroine slowly morphing from frightened survivor to capable action hero, and of course, there's a snappy romance as well. Naturally, there are two love interests for Cassie to consider, with Nick Robinson's Ben Thomas thrown into the mix alongside Alex Roe's Evan. I suppose you could give the third act some credit for attempting some big swings, but things get increasingly messy as the finale approaches. What starts as an enjoyable mystery (what is the fifth wave?) becomes more of an exercise in nonsensical storytelling. 'The 5th Wave' also feels frustratingly small-scale, considering it's about an alien force invading the planet. Most of the movie takes place in the woodlands of Ohio, and while I assume this was for budgetary reasons, it does mean that you never get the full scope of this dystopian future. We're constantly told that Earth has been devastated, but we don't see it. The movie also doesn't explore some of the deeper themes that helped to elevate 'The Hunger Games' above its YA trappings. 'The 5th Wave' doesn't have anything to say about society or humanity (which is a key component of dystopian fiction). It all leads to a movie-watching experience that is at best mildly entertaining, and at worst, generic. However, even calling it 'mildly entertaining' might be a little generous, because the critics were not so kind. The movie holds a terrible 17% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's 'Critics Consensus' criticizing the 'unimpressive effects' and 'plot points seemingly pieced together from previous dystopian YA sci-fi films,' a summary that I can't dispute. Viewers didn't care for it all that much either, while its audience score is a little higher at 38% it's still far from a ringing endorsement. Frankly, this isn't a movie I'll be recommending any Netflix subscribers add to their watchlist this month. Just go rewatch 'The Hunger Games' instead. If you are looking for some new Netflix additions worth your attention, here's my roundup of the best new to Netflix movies for August 2025. Or, if you're in a sci-fi mood, we have a guide covering the overlooked sci-fi movies currently on Netflix that you probably missed. Watch "The 5th Wave" on Netflix now Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
