User reviews

What does it take to make a good disaster movie? Good F/X?, Complex storyline?, intricate scenes?, massive destruction?... nothing of the sort.

Good buildup and nice character development, that's it.

That's what this movie is all about. A simple story, yet, very powerful in the way it was made.

From the first 10 minutes you'll get the point, this is gonna be a movie focused on our characters, this are people living a simple life, yet, full of good intentions and surrounded by good company in a small town with an incredible scenery and this is gonna be a movie about them, having to deal with a disaster none expects. The disaster it's there as a test to their resolve, not as the main attraction of the movie, be aware of that before watching it.

The story unfolds at slow pace but with impeccable character development and directing, to match this we have a superb soundtrack that it's not excessive nor subtle and always, to the point.

Our main hero is very lovable and yet, honest and simple. If you're expecting a super-hero like San Andreas, you'll be sorely disappointed, yet, if you think what would you do if a massive wave hits your town, you will feel identified with our main lead here.

I love disaster movies and this is one of them, It never lost my interest. The movie ends as it starts, simple and yet, highly enjoyable due to being superbly directed through and through.

If you're fond of disaster movies which puts their characters in the first place, without super excessive heroic scenes and a believable script, you must see this one, you'll be surprised.

This IS the anti-Hollywood of disaster movies, thanks good for that!

Just caught this film in Austin during Fantastic Fest and had a blast. I've never seen a Norwegian movie before and I went in blind to this one.

The moderator introduced it as a "movie that would make Roland Emmerich cum his pants", and while it's not exactly on the same level as, say, Independence Day or 2012, the film is an absolute destructive experience that packs a punch. The premise, which is honestly quite simple, revolves around a geologist that begins to sense that something is awry when a mountain over a small town begins to give off strange activity in its movement. By the time he warns everybody, it's too late.

The film borrows from plenty of Hollywood clichés, but what it does well is build its suspense. Normally there would be a few action set pieces preceding the real climax, but this film takes its time to build the tension and it does so masterfully. There's an emotional connection to the lead and his family, and from the moment he senses that something is wrong, you want him and those that he loves to get out of town safely.

There's nothing new about the story or with the characters, but it's an impressive feat with dazzling cinematography and a pulsating score. I'd highly recommend checking it out if you're looking to be entertained.

This movie came as a surprise to me. When it was first released it was praised by most of the Norwegian film critics as a very good film, some even went as far as calling it a masterpiece.

But this happens quite often with Norwegian films, our critics tend to give domestic films a higher score than usual. One critic in this case even admitted to have done so in her own review. She gave the movie 10/10 and called it a masterpiece "Seen with Norwegian eyes", but not that impressive seen with international eyes.

Now i hate this kind of criticism, i think that the nationality of the product. if it be music, film, games, painting or any other form of art, the criticism should be based on the end product as it stands. Though i also can understand that some get more emotional when they see their own language spoken in a film like this.

And by that i mean this. Norway does not make that many movies that has millions of dollars of special effects in them, that is rare. And here they spent over half the film budget on making the wave, which has like 2 minutes of screen time in total. And yes it does look quite impressive, i have to say.

I know a few people that has worked on making this wave and i remember i told them, that this is the one thing they cannot fail. If the wave does not look impressive, they can just give up and go home. Now i don't think my words had any impact on the production of the wave, just to clear that up :).

Anyways i did not know much about the story, only the obvious things. So i went into seeing this film with an open mind.

And here comes what is the best thing about this film. The buildup. Oh boy is this film impressively built up to the climax, oh yes it is. Actually there has been years since i have seen such a perfectly orchestrated start of a film. It spends just enough time with the lead actors and actresses to spark an interest in them, and then avoids it becoming boring and unnecessary, and also to finally show what this film is all about.

Then the climax itself is done very well. Actually i was very impressed indeed when the mountain burst and went into the water. Up till this point i almost could not believe what i saw, i was actually looking at something extraordinary. And that, felt really good. But, then comes the aftermath.

Now I'm not going to spoil anything here, but i will say this. The movie slowly gets weaker and weaker the closer to end we approach. The acting is above decent at all times, but the storytelling plummets in the last 30 minutes or so. They just have to add something to the film, and what they add is the most predictable of all things, family in danger.

And then on top of that they just borrow scenes from other movies, like the abyss, and portray them almost identical to the original scenes from those other movies. That is a shame. I wished they had spent some extra time coming up with something original. So the movie had something to deliver after the wave.

But sadly it does not. Had i stopped watching this film 25 minutes before the end, the movie would have felt like a 9/10. Impressive indeed. But the ending, as cliché as it is, does not par with the rest of the film, and thus brings the whole experience down.

To wrap it up i got to say, I'm going to watch the beginning of this film until the climax, many many times over the next few years, that is where they nailed it, and where they showed us it's still hope for action films made in my country.

And Ane Dahl Torp is looking better and better the older she gets, which is even more impressive. And she does one of her best performances.

Kristoffer Joner also delivers a steady and really good performance.

Verdict: 7/10 - Quite good

First 50 minutes: 9/10 - Very good. (I just had to add that).

I would prefer to give this 7.5! This gripping action movie uses real life events, future and past to create a dynamic movie with believable and fully fleshed characters. The set-up is simple, a beautiful village set on a Norwegian fjord will at some point become victim the mountain partially collapsing which will lead to a catastrophic tsunami. This film follows one of the scientists, and his family, who has been monitoring the mountain as this happens. The effects are excellent, the dialogue interesting (especially the science of the mountain) and the characterisation good as we see the varying groups of people react too and be consumed by 'The Wave'. I was aching for the resolution and found the film a satisfying if slightly salutary exploration of what is likely to occur. The actors conveyed the shock, awe, and fear of what occurs and I cared about all the characters. An very worthwhile production, it's just a shame that so few cinemas in UK showed this film as it must have been incredible on the big screen.

Norwegian movies occasionally bring sleeper hit like the Troll Hunter, the wintry location is just perfect for things unknown. The Wave, while it may be strange to have on a mountain, is a good mix of visual cinematography, nice use of attractive vistas and simple yet engaging characters. The first act might feel a tad slow but the entirety is finely tuned compartmentalized sequences that fit together as good disaster movie.

The focus is mainly on a family of four on their last day in normally quaint city of Geiranger. Kritian (Kristoffer Joner) as the father is a geologist who admittedly too fixated on his job. Before they leave he spots some anomalies of the impending catastrophe. It's a predictable but still decent premise and while it starts rather slow, the time invested is used to familiarize audience with the characters and also the tourist attraction.

The Wave uses its setting very nicely, it capitalizes on the actual hotel and mountain, partially and understandably for promotional purpose. It's visually pleasing and involving scenery, better than most Hollywood attempts on the genre. For example, San Andreas doesn't feel as though viewer is engaged aside from excessive CG. This movie cleverly captures the essence of the place well.

It doesn't mean that there's a lack of special effect here, it's just used more appropriately. For those wanting a cool spectacle of force of nature, you won't be disappointed. Better yet, there are few scenes which really push the theatrical effect of human drama and graphical thriller so precisely, it's impressively daunting. Furthermore, audience would mostly likely relate to the family's ordeal more than investing on random calamity displays.

The Wave is a disaster movie done right, nearly every aspect of it come crashing down just at the right spot and time.

The movie is about a geologist that discovers some weird activity in the mountains in Åkneset (Norway) They discover that unless they evacuate the whole city in time, a piece of the mountain will fall into the water and create a monster wave of 80m that will crush everything in its path. So now the geologist played by Kristoffer Joner is doing everything in his power to save his family and his beloved small town.

Short review. Great special effect, good score, good acting. Predictable script and lacks depth, but is still good enough entertainment for the whole family :) There is nothing revolutionary or new about this, but hey! Isn't it always pleasurable when things are done right?

Ps, it's also interesting that this is actually something that has happened before and might happen again!

Final thoughts...GO CHECK IT OUT!

First of all i must say Noway is good at making movies. I have seen lot of there stuff and its always top notch and The wave is no exception. Although there is lot of disaster movies around but not quite often you such and engaging movie which keeps your interest from start to finish. Story is simple but the way director execute it man just awesome. All the lead character was good in movie but Kristen steal the show completely. such a powerful performance by him. Story revolves around a small Norwegian town, which got hit by tsunami and aftermath of it. Gfx was also good although a bit more destruction would add more plus to the movie bottom line is if you are fan of disasters movies or not it should be on your watch list.

This Norwegian film is an entertaining film, that will attract a wide audience.

The setting is scary : The alarm goes off by landslides center in Geirangerfjord. What the landslide geologists have feared is a fact and a gigantic tidal wave is heading for Geiranger.

Director Roar Uthaug manages to build up the story along the way. We get to know a family of four; mum, dad, a teenage son and a young daughter. They live their lives in Geiranger. The father takes matters in his own hands, when he suspects something is horrible wrong. They are all going in for heavy weather, with the waves devastating way.

The film is both exciting and entertaining. It is so much better than other films in the same genre like f.example Armageddon and Volcano.

This kind of films are very unusual in Norway, but this is an example, that also Norwegians filmmakers can make these kinds of films, that we are so familiar with from the Hollywood. What makes this extra chilling, it's the fact that this will happen one day. Ïn the meantime you can enjoy this film from Roar Uthaug, and watch good performances from the most experienced Norwegians actors.

The science leading up to the mountain landslide and resulting tsunami, is far more interesting than the questionable survival techniques that follow. The beginning has breathtaking scenery and is almost all in daylight. Once the impressive c.g.i. tsunami is over, things shift into closeup images in almost total darkness, and the believability scale descends dramatically. I would say that the chances of an ending like we witness is many millions to one. Nowhere is the hypothermia factor even mentioned. Being submerged in what must be frigid fjord water for even a few minutes would most likely be fatal. "The Wave" is not a bad movie, it is just a film that stretches things a bit far. If you can look beyond that, then it is a movie worth watching. - MERK

This is absolutely one of the best movies I've seen this year, and one of the all time most thrilling movies I've ever seen. I literally found myself gasping for air during curtain parts - feeling my gut contracting from sheer anxiety when the wave hits. The acting was solid, the story arch a bit slow but solid, visually stunning and completely emotionally devastating. I was more scared watching this movie, than I have ever been watching something that is intentionally scary.

I have a bit of a weak spot for catastrophe movies, but I can't recall ever seeing anything within the genre that was half as good as this.

Beyond the slightly cheesy ending, I think this is a masterpiece.

Granted that I hadn't actually heard about "Bølgen" (aka "The Wave") prior to finding it by sheer random luck. I was initially intrigued by the movie's cover and since I do like disaster movies, naturally I picked up the movie. And I must say that the fact that this was a Norwegian made movie only further fueled my interest. So I needed little convincing to sit down to watch it.

Writers John Kåre Raake and Harald Rosenløw-Eeg sure know how to build up a story. I was more than impressed with the way that the story was constructed and put together. And director Roar Uthaug did a really good job at bringing the story to life on the screen.

The movie starts out with some solid character defining introductions, while it slowly starts to add layers to the movie, introducing the storyline and plot in a very interesting way. And the build up of the movie did result in a very satisfying climax to say the least, because when the landslide happens and the massive wave is triggered it just becomes that much more intense.

Speaking of the wave, then I will say that the special effects team really pulled this off quite nicely in a very convincing and realistic way. The CGI effects were very impressive and served the movie quite nicely.

Personally I do, however, think that some of the air started to deflate once the wave had struck and the people were dealing with the immediate aftermath of the destruction and the disaster. Then the movie turned rather generic and predictable. Which was a real shame, because the movie had been really impressive up to that point. It was as if the movie lost momentum once the wave had ebbed out, sort of lost most of its impact - pardon the pun.

"Bølgen" had some really talented acting performers on the cast list. Kristoffer Joner really carried the movie quite well with his performance, and this guy is definitely an actor with some impressive talent, and since this was the first time I had seen him, I must say that I am intrigued to watch more that he stars in. It was also nice to see a couple of Danish performers to show up in this Norwegian movie, and they had managed to get Thomas Bo Larsen, whom is actually a largely known name in Denmark.

If you enjoy disaster movies, and if you have no problem with non-English movies, then you should definitely take the time to sit down and watch "Bølgen", because it is a very entertaining and enjoyable movie.

I won't give it a 1 star rating because it is actually pretty well executed,

The beginning and the middle of the movie are actually pretty good and reasonably believable.

The movie falls apart however when the tsunami actually starts. Basically people start behaving so cringe worthily stupid, that the movie loses most of the credibility it built up until then.

Pity, because it started out so well.

So , up until the wave it gets a 7.5 stars. The special effects also 7.5 stars. The plot after the wave: 1 star. Acting: 6 stars. Sound: 9 stars.

There is not much to say about Bolgen (The Wave). It is what it is. With a title like that you know immediately what's going to happen so it's just waiting for it to happen. I thought the movie was at his best in the first part, so before the tsunami. The acting was good, the scenery was superb, and then you just wait for the catastrophe to happen. And once it happened the movie gets a bit overdone. I mean by that that there are a lot of inaccuracies. And no I'm not a tsunami expert but I'm quite sure there would be no fires everywhere after the tsunami passed by. Neither could you close a door once a ton of water runs like a river through a corridor. It's little things like that that make it exaggerated. So all in all it's an okay movie to watch once, certainly for the beautiful Norwegian landscapes.

The geologist Kristian Eikjord (Kristoffer Joner) works controlling the movements of mountains and fjords in Geiranger. He says goodbye to his colleagues since he is moving with his family to Stavanger to work in the oil industry. When he is leaving the station, he notes that two sensors indicate a strange movement of the underground water, intriguing him. While waiting for the ferry with his teenage son Sondre (Jonas Hoff Oftebro) and his little daughter Julia (Edith Haagenrud-Sande) to go to Stavanger, Kristian decides to return to the station. He goes by helicopter with his colleague Jacob (Arthur Berning) to investigate the sensors and they find the wires broken. When Jacob and his boss Arvid (Fridtjov Såheim) head to the place later to a further investigation, they discover that an avalanche will happen soon. Arvid orders to sound the warning alarm in Geiranger. Kristian with Julia hear the alarm, he calls his wife Idun (Ane Dahl Torp) that works in the local hotel and warns that Sondre and she should go to a higher place since a tsunami will come in a few minutes in Geiranger. What will the population do?

"Bølgen" is a great disaster movie, with good performances, special effects, and landscapes in Norway. The plot is believable, tense and engaging and holds the attention of the viewer until the very last scene. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Onda" ("The Wave")

I'm a big fan of disaster movies so I was anxious to see how the Norwegian take on the genre would turn out.

It grabs hold of you very quickly with gorgeous shots around the fjord, accompanied by a lovely film score. Even though the plot is nothing new, the solid acting, cinematography and music keeps you interested. However I do agree with other reviews that says the best part is before the actual disaster takes place. Even though you know what will happen eventually, there is still a subtle tension there all the time. Maybe it felt more real to me since I'm a Norwegian and that this event actually will unfold one day. The scientists just doesn't know when...

Despite the tiny budget that was less than 10% of most Hollywood disaster movies it holds up very well. The special effects are great and the ruined landscape after the wave hits look very realistic.

I still think that the Norwegian film critics got a little too patriotic when they gave this top scores. It's definitely right up there with the big boys in the disaster movie genre, but in my opinion it's neither better or worse than other films such as The day after Tomorrow, 2012 and San Andreas.

Overall I really enjoyed it and will probably watch it again.

Most tsunami disaster movies are entirely predictable and dependent on computer graphics. It is not a level playing field because big budget films can afford the latest digital effects wizardry and it is unusual to see a small budget film compete on bigger ground. The home-side advantage helps in The Wave (2015), a Norwegian film from one of the more landslide-prone parts of the world. Instead of relying on computer graphics, the film draws on natural scenery, environmental science, and a tightly scripted action thriller storyline to produce a movie that punches well above its weight.

Norway has a long history of massive rock-falls where large boulders fall into rivers, triggering tidal waves that can reach tsunami proportion and wipe out whole villages. In The Wave, Kristian is a detail-obsessed geologist who notices data indicating unusual subterranean movement and he calculates that if correct, a landslide could cause an 80 metre wave that would destroy the town in less than ten minutes. His concerns are dismissed by other geologists who do not want to panic the tourists who are filling the town's hotel and restaurants. When flocks of birds migrate and seismic warnings get louder, the red button is pushed to evacuate the town. Kristian's family are in different locations and he must struggle against the panicked exit from town to find them. For a modest scientist and family man, he rises heroically to the crisis and, with typical Scandinavian gender equality, his hotel-manager wife is a heroine to many survivors.

This is all familiar territory for disaster film fans. However, the directing, action pace, and camera-work keep the story moving with very limited reliance on computer graphics. Clever lighting and sound effects keep the terror just out of view, and several rescue scenes are case studies of how creativity can beat big budgets every time. The atmosphere of tension rises to terror in finely calibrated increments, and the few short scenes of the giant wave are terrifying and visually plausible. This is a highly engaging film that achieves much with little. It keep viewers riveted to the screen until the final credits say that Norway believes there is no question if such a disaster could happen, its more a matter of when.

Logical orillogical, i like this type of movies. This movie has been on my list for a long time. I wanted to watch Tsunami movie and this movie came to my mind first. It's an average movie, but the fact that it's Norwegian and made it interesting. I liked the acting. The effects were good too. It was also very realistic. Even though it's an average movie, overall i enjoyed it because I like these types of movies. If you like this kind of movies, I think you will like it.

It's not a big secret what is going to happen here (at least for the viewer, the characters involved do get surprised of course). The English title is telling too (don't know what the original title means). Our main character is one of those who does have the right idea or premonition. Problem is, he is actually leaving, so he won't be able to help if anything happens, right? That's something you can ask yourself while watching the movie, though you'll be able to predict most of the things that will happen.

That doesn't make this less engaging. On the contrary, it is suspense filled, the viewer waiting for what this has been advertised of. And the effects will not disappoint you. The human story as predictable as it is, is engaging too. European catastrophe drama at its best

To start with: IMDB, this is NOT a about a 'mountain pass' collapsing. The pass is the place people try to flee to.

It is about the Åkneset MOUNTAIN, which one can find to the northwest of Geiranger, about 30 kilometers away.

What appealed to me is the quite realistic setting. Such ruptures DO exist in mountains, and ARE monitored, and tsunami's CAN result, and HAVE been disastrous, and COULD be a real danger in this particular narrow fjord. I guess there is even a real rupture along the Geiranger-fjord, as stated in the end titling.

Even the mentioned Randa (Switzerland) is really a thing. There has been a very large landslide, though I wonder if that was comparable in cause.

Also the psychology of the people is convincing. The hesitating scientists and their interaction. The denial by tourists, or the desire to pack their luggage. The panicking in the water, even the 'murder' by the mother. Though she was too unimpressed.

The depiction of the wave is probably far too wild. The smashing of cars is imaginable. The honking of the fleeing people is to expect in such a situation.

But where it really derailed was in the aftermath of the disaster.

NO there will be NO scattered little FIRES after a TSUNAMI!! Incredible that this stupid Hollywood CLICHE was stamped onto this film. Very annoying to see that everywhere from that point on.

It is also nonsensical to have a shelter in the BASEMENT, when the imminent threat is a tsunami. It is not a bad idea to have a sturdy closed off shelter to ride out the wave. But then as high as possible, and large enough to accommodate like the entire hotel.

Though I understand there is nothing to film in pitch dark, I do sigh when light remains everywhere in the hotel, even under water.

And finally, NO, one cannot hope for swimming pool grade clear water after a tsunami. (Again, yes, handy when filming underwater scenes.) One has to expect murky water full of junk.

Probably 'Titanic' also adhered to the last 2 points.

Seeing this seemed based on the real situation, made me hope the Norwegians actually have a real good plan. They can watch the movie how NOT to act.

A team of scientists on a mountain have 1 job, and one job only, to press a button when the mountain will collapse. They are equipped beyond believe. Private helicopter, head mounted wireless camera's, multiple stations, 70 inch flat screen TV's everywhere and sensors all over the place. Somehow, despite a full day of pretty clear warnings of their sensors, they finally manage to press the button, after staring at it for a cringe inducing eternity, only when the mountain is visibly collapsing. The birds know before these dumb asses figure it out. Unfortunately from all people that need to die in this movie, only one scientist is among them. Even though it was the most annoying one of the bunch, by the time the mountain finally collapses I was ready to hand out darwin awards to all of them. Respect lost.

This movie proceeds to play out like a porn movie. You get to know the characters and then you know they will have to survive while a whole lot of people, who you have not been introduced to or who were so annoying you wanted them to die, get killed.

Realism is lost on this movie. After the tsunami has hit somehow the whole city seems to be on fire? Conveniently placed underwater lights help us see? Our hero wears an altitude meter and has a waterproof flashlight on hand so on...

Why did they even make this movie? It's pretty much every disaster movie you've ever seen, but then with lemmings from Norway.

What a rush! The Wave gives the audience everything they hope for when encountering a natural disaster! Thrill, suspense, fear, terror! Norwegian director Roar Uthaug did an excellent job setting the tone of the film, somewhat of a 'calm before the storm' feel which is exactly what this type of film needs! The film follows a Norwegian geologist, played by Kristoffer Joner, and his family as they fight for survival as their hometown encounters a massive landslide that causes a 250-foot tidal wave. Roar Uthuag did an incredible job creating emotions in the characters, the fear, the pain. The audience goes on a journey with the characters and feel as if they are in a dire situation also. The cinematography and the sound make you feel as if you are actually there, with the world crumbling around you. This film was incredibly done with the writing, directing and special effects. If you love films that take you along for the ride, this is the film to see!

Overall, well done, worth an evening spent to watch. Not the kind to watch over and over, drags a little bit holds your attention. Solid 7/10 for sure.

If you're a fan of this genre, this film won't waste your time. It's a well-done flick that tries to keep a realistic execution and curate the suspense of a catastrophic event. Like all films in this genre, there are moments where your personal disaster film pet peeves will be tickled and will have you shouting at the screen. But, no more than usual (and minimal compared to many films), much to my appreciation.

A few qualms with this film: it takes ~50 minutes to really gain traction on the disaster/ for it to finally start happening. We go into the film knowing a disaster will occur, we don't need this much time to find out what it is or wait for it to happen. The script does a good job of illustrating the contingencies of the event, but gives time to erroneous subplots that didn't really contribute to the story (ie, our main Character is changing jobs; we have scenes dedicated to his going-away, unneeded and simply extend the pickup of the plot, but not unbearable by any means). The slow start had the back end of the film feeling a bit rushed. I would've preferred to see more of the post-disaster world and how people interacted with it. But, you can't have it all.