The 5th Wave (2016)

Genre

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Director

J Blakeson

Country

USA

Cast

Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Ron Livingston, Maggie Siff, Alex Roe, Maria Bello, Maika Monroe, Liev Schreiber, Zackary Arthur, Tony Revolori, Talitha Bateman, Gabriela Lopez, Bailey Anne Borders

Storyline

Four waves of increasingly deadly attacks have left most of Earth in ruin. Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, Cassie (Chloë Grace Moretz) is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother (Zackary Arthur). As she prepares for the inevitable and lethal fifth wave, Cassie teams up with a young man (Alex Roe) who may become her final hope - if she can only trust him.

Opinion

In "Clouds of Sils Maria" there's a scene in which the characters played by Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart are watching a ridiculous science fiction blockbuster starring the character played by Chloë Grace Moretz. Well, "The 5th Wave" unwittingly resembles that awful film within the film, and is nothing more than just another young adult post-apocalyptic film. Because these days we don't have enough of those *cough* The Hunger Games *cough* The Divergent Series *cough* The Maze Runner *cough*

The story is very flat and predictable, and I was like "Hello? Is any plot twist home?" most of the time. The beginning isn't even that terrible - ordinary people living their lives until something attacks the Earth and everyone panics - but the original aliens-invasion idea and its inevitable dystopian future does not work on any level.

The film also gets very non interesting when the story decides to focus on a soppy teen romance that slightly looks like "Twilight", and that turns the film more into an action/romance/fantasy thing rather than a Sci-Fi flick.

And since I'm talking about Sci-Fi, the film fails on the entire technological line, completely lacking in special effects. In some cases you can spot a few, but they are so bad you can't really call them special effects. I know that most blockbusters suck, but at least they usually have amusing special effects.

Still there's something so impossible than may help the film fall in the science fiction genre: Cassie's hair always looks so clean and perfectly curled, even after living in the woods for days, and her nail polish mysteriously disappears. I doubt aliens removed it in her sleep.

After all it looks like this was just another teen dystopian flick with no purpose other than to give Chloë Grace Moretz - which is decent, though looks like she doesn't want to be there - a lead role as the badass girl.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)

Genre

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

Francis Lawrence

Country

USA

Cast

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Donald Sutherland, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, Natalie Dormer, Willow Shields, Mahershala Ali, Patina Miller, Stef Dawson, Paula Malcomson, Stanley Tucci, Meta Golding, Wes Chatham, Elden Henson, Evan Ross, Gwendoline Christie, Michelle Forbes, Omid Abtahi, Misty Ormiston, Kim Ormiston

Storyline

As the war of Panem escalates to the destruction of other districts by the Capitol, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), the reluctant leader of the rebellion, must bring together an army against President Snow (Donald Sutherland), while all she holds dear hangs in the balance.

Opinion

Four films later the adventures of Katniss Everdeen are finally over. I say finally because I wouldn't be able to handle another poor film like this one and its predecessor.

Slightly entertaining, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 is a disappointing conclusion that does not manage to be emotional.

In the first chapter, Gary Ross did a wonderful job capturing the audience and the media's attention, and Francis Lawrence managed to maintain the level high with the second chapter. Then, unfortunately Hollywood struck again with its trend of splitting single books into two or more films only to make more money, and it's no surprise neither Part I nor II work.

After watching the disappointing first half of the third chapter, I thought that they saved the best for the Part II, but unfortunately, after a promising start, the film falls swoop. For some unknown reasons, the director decided not to draw up a thrilling finale. When the film has reached the moment of higher tension, he jumped directly to the end. And let me say this, I was not the only one astonished, in a bad way, in the theater.

Then there is the love story that is supposed to be in the background but instead has a central role in the story. Also annoying is the very hasty way the "competition" between Gale and Peeta ends.

The film basically gives too much room to unnecessary and tedious scenes, and too little to the most important moments. It also lacks balance between action - that is not at the top of its game - and drama that had characterized the first two films.

Unlike its predecessor the acting here is pretty good. Jennifer Lawrence does a good job as Katniss, and tries to make up for the screenwriters' mistakes. There are also some fine performances from Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson and Donald Sutherland.

Lastly I'd like to congratulate with Hollywood for ruining what could have been one of the best sagas ever made.

Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Drama

Director

Stuart Beattie

Country

Australia

Cast

Caitlin Stasey, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Lincoln Lewis, Deniz Akdeniz, Phoebe Tonkin, Chris Pang, Ashleigh Cummings, Andrew Ryan, Colin Friels, Don Harbert, Olivia Pigeot, Stephen Bourke, Kelly Butler, Julia Yon, Dane Carson, Matthew Dale, Gary Quay, Michael Camilleri

Storyline

Seven Australian teenage friends, Ellie (Caitlin Stasey), Corrie (Rachel Hurd-Wood), Kevin (Lincoln Lewis), Homer (Deniz Akdeniz), Fi (Phoebe Tonkin), Lee (Chris Pang), and Robyn (Ashleigh Cummings), decide to go camping to an isolate, deep in the woods camp site named "Hell". Returning home after a few days, they discover that their country has been overrun by a mysterious, invading army. When the hostile armed forces become alerted to the presence of them, the seven friends, along with a new recruit (Andrew Ryan), band together to fight the enemy.

Opinion

Based on the "Tomorrow" book series by John Marsden, Tomorrow, When the War Began might be a bit clichéd at times but the right balance of action, and suspense makes it a quite entertaining ride.

Leaving out the fact that none of the characters look like real high school students, the character development is admirable. They spent a lot of time setting up the characters with voice overs, and even though films are supposed to show not tell, you'll get to know them, you'll care about them, and you'll root for them. While some of the characters doesn't grow much, Ellie and Homer's growth is impressive, and they could carry the film alone. 

With a very similar story to Red Dawn, the film manages to maintain suspense even outside the action scenes - generally exciting -, but, unfortunately, it focuses way too much on the teen-romance aspects instead of the survival aspect. 

There are some stupid and unrealistic things going on in here, like sneaking in quietly and then use a brick to smash a window, or switching off the radio in the most dangerous moment to talk about boys, or a group of teens actually able to steal a fuel track, and blow up the most important bridge - I mean, they could have sent an helicopter to kill them -, or the kind of explosion caused by the truck.

Anyway, the scenery is amazing, and the camera does a good job. I won't deny that better acting could have improved the quality of the film. While Caitlin Stasey is quite believable, delivering some fear, and emotion, the rest of the cast isn't brilliant, and Chris Pang, who plays Lee, is definitely the weakest here: he is a bit wooden.  

Quotes

Ellie Linton: I have blood on my hands. I can't tell if what I did was right or wrong. I'd like to think it was to save my friends, or as part of some noble crusade to save my country. Really it just comes down to the fact that I valued my life over theirs. How many people is it okay to kill in order to keep me alive? At what point do we lose our souls, if we haven't already?

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)

Genre

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

Francis Lawrence

Country

USA

Cast

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Claflin, Natalie Dormer, Mahershala Ali, Willow Shields, Paula Malcomson, Jena Malone, Stef Dawson, Patina Miller, Evan Ross, Wes Chatham, Elden Henson, Robert Knepper, Sarita Choudhury

Storyline

With the Games destroyed, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), along with Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Finnick (Sam Claflin) and Beetee (Jeffrey Wright), end up living with the rebels in district 13 after President Snow (Donald Sutherland) destroyed the other districts except for district two. Under the leadership of President Coin (Julianne Moore), Katniss because the 'Mockingjay', the symbol of rebellion for the districts of Panem.

Opinion

We are near the end, the Hunger Games are almost over. And to be honest, this should have been the end. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 is a slow, dull, average, and disappointing half third chapter, that leaves more room for feelings, leaving action, thrills, and excitement behind, and it just doesn't have enough content to fill a 2 hours film.

Being both Part 1 and Part 2 shot at the same time, they should have taken their time to edit the film, so to save us both time and money. But since the editing guys had to be paid, and the release of a film only would have definitely halved the incomes, they opted for a bad film instead. Hopefully just one.

In few words, the story is an extremely long preview of what to expect in the final film. But I'm not going to blame the screenwriters on this. Of course, it's not their fault. It is more than obvious that it is not that easy to extend a one book story in two long parts. But at least I enjoyed what they did with Josh Hutcherson and Philip Seymour Hoffman's characters.

Fortunately, the film has Jennifer Lawrence, whose charm and unbelievable acting skills prevent the audience from falling asleep, and save the film from being a complete fail. Also she sings James Howard's "The Hanging Tree" quite well. Donald Sutherland gives another great performance as President Snow, and Philip Seymour Hoffman just nails his character. But the same cannot be said for Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, and new entry Julianne Moore as President Coin, who although has a certain presence, fails in capturing the essence of the character. 

Quotes

President Snow: Miss Everdeen, it is the things we love most that destroy us.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

Genre

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

Francis Lawrence

Country

United States

Cast
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Toby Jones, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin, Lynn Cohen, Jena Malone, Amanda Plummer, Paula Malcomson

Storyline
After winning the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) return home. President Snow (Donald Sutherland) visits Katniss and explains that her actions in the Games have inspired rebellions across the districts. He orders her to use the upcoming victory tour to convince everyone her actions were out of genuine love for Peeta, not defiance against the Capitol.

As the tour begins, Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) warns them that the show of their relationship must continue for the rest of their lives, so Katniss suggests a public engagement, which is carried out and congratulated by Snow at his mansion in the Capitol.

Due to rebellions in several districts, inspired by Katniss and Peeta, President Snow announces a special Hunger Games, the Third Quarter Quell, where all tributes will be selected from the previous victors: only one is supposed to survive.

Opinion
Sometimes sequels are not up to the previous film, but this is not the case. I've surprisingly enjoyed it very much. Hunger Games: Catching Fire flows smooth like water; its 146 minutes are more like 146 seconds. In this second film of the saga, feelings have more space, but fighting scenes and suspense remain unchanged. Jennifer Lawrence shows off, once again, her incredible skills, and the director, Francis Lawrence (they are not related) dwells on the eyes of the young woman, on the tears coming down her eyes, and on the anger shown through her actions and her words. 

Quotes
Fear does not work as long as there is hope.

Rating
8.0/10

The Hunger Games (2012)

Genre

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

Gary Ross

Country

United States

Cast
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman, Amandla Stenberg,  Willow Shields

Storyline
The nation of Panem consists of a wealthy Capital, ruled by President Snow (Donald Sutherland), ruling twelve poorer districts. As punishment for a past rebellion and to demoralize future uprisings, each district must provide two "tributes" - one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 selected by lottery - every year to complete in the televised Hunger Games: they must fight to the death in a vast arena, with the sole survivor rewarded with fame and wealth.
In District 12, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to be the female tribute when her younger sister Primrose (Willow Shields) is drawn.

Opinion
If you read the book, though the book is better, you won't be disappointed. The story is smooth and adheres to the paper version, without big differences. The increasing drama in the story gives  to a 21-years-old Jennifer Lawrence the opportunity to show off her amazing acting skills. Also the supporting cast deserves a mention, in particular a mawkish and hypnotic Donald Sutherland.
Big credits to the cinematography and the music choice is spot on.

Quotes
Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor.

Hope. It is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective. A lot of hope is dangerous. A spark is fine, as long as it's contained.

Rating
8.0/10