Directed by:
Roar UthaugCinematography:
John Christian RosenlundComposer:
Magnus BeiteCast:
Kristoffer Joner, Ane Dahl Torp, Jonas Hoff Oftebro, Edith Haagenrud-Sande, Fridtjov Såheim, Laila Goody, Arthur Berning, Herman Bernhoft, Eili Harboe (more)Plots(1)
The experienced geologist Kristian Eikfjord has accepted a job offer out of town. He is getting ready to move from the city of Geiranger with his family, when he and his colleagues measure small geological changes in the underground. Kristian gets worried and his worst nightmare is about to come true, when the alarm goes off and the disaster is inevitable. With less than 10 minutes to react, it becomes a race against time in order to save as many as possible including his own family. (StudioCanal UK)
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Reviews (8)
Norwegians in form!! The Wave is a very gripping disaster movie with some awesome sequences (I almost regret not waiting for the cinema in January). The opening is a bit slower, with the classic character bonding and impending threat, but once the avalanche arrives on the scene, bringing with it an 80m tidal wave in a small remote Norwegian town, the fun is taken care of. Evacuations, chaos, panic of the highest caliber!! Roar Uthaug has a knack for creating tension and atmosphere and I guarantee that 20 minutes into the middle of the film you won't be able to breathe, you'll utter 45 swear words, you'll sweat and maybe even shed a tear like I did. After an hour, The Wave turns sub-genres into post-apocalyptic, which slightly starts to remind you of the Spanish film The Impossible. It goes nicely, the emotions and empathy work. I'm surprised how decent it was. 80%.
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Based on true events, The Wave tells the story of a family trying to escape from the grip of a massive tsunami created by the landslide of a large mountain range into the Geirangerfjord. Firstly, I enjoyed the breathtaking Norwegian nature, to which I have an emotional connection. I spent some time in Geiranger a few years ago, so I literally devoured the screenplay about a catastrophe set in this environment. The film's slower pace perfectly supported the carefully constructed oppressive atmosphere, which escalated perfectly as the population fled the raging elements. The ensuing fight for survival was so tense that at times I wasn't even breathing. It's just a pity the ending was overly happy because if it had ended five minutes earlier, I would have thought about giving it five stars. (80%)
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A more minimalist version of Emmerich's disaster movies produced in Norway, which, except for the relatively unadorned fjord setting, offers nothing particularly new within the genre and mostly depicts what has already been seen. Personally, at times I had quite a problem with some of the characters, whom I found exceedingly unlikeable, making it hard to root for them in this fierce battle with nature. On the other hand, I have to mention and praise some solidly suspenseful scenes, especially the ones with the evacuation and the arrival of the destructive wave.
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A very pleasant surprise that shows that good disaster movies are not dead yet. I like that the Norwegians focused more on people, their relationships, and their destinies. It's more visceral overall and stronger in that regard. But then when it comes to the rush of water, it loses nothing and it's overwhelming until you want to run away too.
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The first half is good, filmed with a typical Nordic feel for an obsessively arranged and illuminated pre-camera space, but above all with such slow tension that one also enjoys the necessary genre clichés. Unfortunately, the half after the disaster is completely barren, the film loses both tension and the captivating landscape, and the attempt to make a claustrophobic and dimly lit survival drama has to deal with a truly lazy screenplay (purposeful random side characters) and sentimental filler known from US disaster films. The wave is a bit of a paradox, and as national blockbuster it will hold up, but outside of Norway it competes with Hollywood productions with the same collection of clichés in a much cheaper version. This is not exactly the optimal way forward. More like a nice splash. [60%]
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