Sandy Kenyon reviews humans vs. aliens dud 'The 5th Wave'

NEW YORK (WABC) -- It's humans versus aliens in the new thriller "The 5th Wave," but is it worth your time and money?

In short: No.

This weekend is perfect for watching movies at home, because in addition to the snow, the new movies dumped into theaters in January are among the worst of the year. And "The 5th Wave" is no exception.

The premise -- an alien invasion from the perspective of a 16-year-old girl -- could have been great, showing her thoughts and fears fighting waves of attacks from aliens who are called "the others" but look just like us.

Chloe Grace Moritz, who just turned 18, sure looks the part with skills honed as a child star, but she can't quite carry an entire movie. Also, the two guys she meets are no match for her charisma, though they may qualify as "hotties."

Movies like this exist primarily to give actors and crew employment and to allow gifted actors like Liev Schrieber to work in more worthwhile films like "Spotlight" for a fraction of the hefty salary they demand for dreck like this.

The dialogue might leave much to be desired, but "The 5th Wave" will take care of a lot of bills for a lot of people.

It isn't worth debating why young kids are enlisted in the fight against the aliens or how Schrieber's military guy is not who he seems, as teen and pre-teen girls who want to hang out this weekend probably won't care anyway, especially because "The 5th Wave" is based on a popular novel for young adults.

But be warned that the best parts of the book didn't even make it into the movie.