The Movie Like The 5th Wave Sci-Fi Fans Need To See
"The 5th Wave" was a 2016 sci-fi dystopian film starring Chloë Grace Moretz and based on the YA trilogy by Rick Yancey. When the movie came out, it was almost wholly critically reviled, with a 15% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The New Yorker review of the film said it "appears to have been designed by some crazed Oedipal wing of the N.R.A." Still, the movie does have its fans. USA Today liked the movie, praising how involved the film was invested in the science part of science fiction.
"The 5th Wave" primarily works as a thought experiment. What would a complete global takeover of Earth by aliens look like? Most sci-fi movies about alien invasions, being written by humans, have the humans win. Despite what at first seem like insurmountable odds, the aliens are defeated in films like "War of the Worlds," "Independence Day," and "The World's End." But, "The 5th Wave" asks, what if they weren't?
If that's the kind of unexpected premise you look for in a sci-fi movie, there's another alien invasion flick you need to see.
Save Yourselves! shows alien invasion on a personal level
Like "The 5th Wave," the 2020 sci-fi dramedy "Save Yourselves!" is an alien invasion movie where the humans don't win. Starring Sunita Mani from Netflix's "GLOW" and John Paul Reynolds from "Search Party," the film depicts an alien invasion from the POV of a millennial couple on vacation. After vowing to turn off their phones and reconnect as a couple, Su and Jack are oblivious to the furball-like aliens that have been taking over the world.
What "Save Yourselves!" does extremely well is convince you to care about the protagonists' survival — not necessarily as symbols of humanity as a whole, but more as two somewhat self-involved but ultimately sweet people. Another great quality of the movie is the design of the aliens, which are very interesting looking — and deeply, well, alien. Su compares them to poufs, oversized pillows that double as ottomans.
"Save Yourselves!" mostly focuses on Su and Jack, but it has cameos from John Early, Amy Sedaris, and Jo Firestone. Alt comedy fans will delight in seeing some of their faves in this less-than-comedic context. And fans of "The 5th Wave" will be psyched to have another unique alien invasion film in their rotation.