Hollywood is awash with disaster films, but Norwegian thriller ‘The Wave’ (aka ‘Bølgen’) never lets the obligatory special-effects drown the need for strong characters as well… John Kreng reviews its US blu-ray release.
The Wave aka Bølgen (R)
Starring: Kristoffer Joner, Ane Dahl Torp, Thomas Bo Larsen, Fridtjov Såheim, Jonas Hoff Oftebro, Edith Haagenrud-Sande
Directed by: Roar Uthag
Written by: John Kåre Raake, Harald Rosenløw-Eeg
Stunt Co-ordinator: Ciprian Dumitrascu, Marius Florian
Run time: 105 min.
Language: Norwegian: Dolby Atmos & Dolby TrueHD 7.1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish)
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures (US)
Region: A – SRP: Blu-Ray $29.98/ DVD 26.98
Nestled in Norway’s Sunnmøre region, Geiranger is one of the most spectacular tourist attractions on the planet. But Åkerneset, the mountain overlooking the village, has always been a constant threat to collapse into the fjord. It has killed many in the past and can strike again at any given moment.
After putting in several years as a Geologist at Geiranger’s warning center, Kristian (Kristoffer Joner) is moving on to a prestigious gig with an oil company. But the very day he’s about to drive his family to their new life in the city, Kristian senses something isn’t right, realizing the substrata is shifting. No one wants to believe that this could be the big one, especially with tourist season at its peak, but when that mountain begins to crumble, everyone in Geiranger has 10 minutes to get to high ground before a tsunami hits, consuming everything in its path.
Simply put, The Wave easily hands down puts a majority of today’s Hollywood disaster films to shame. But that’s not to say that there are character and story conventions we have typically seen many times in the genre. We have the ‘Skeptical Boss’ who does not believe the situation is drastic. ‘The Hero’ who knows what is about to happen and no one believes him. ‘The Estranged Son’ who does not get along with his father. The sweet innocent ‘Little Girl’ who is too young to fend for herself. Then there’s the ‘Disaster’ that causes a chain of other catastrophes for our heroes to overcome. But these clichés are all very necessary character and story conventions that has to be put into place to create the natural disaster conflict. The major difference that makes this movie stand out are the filmmaker’s choices in finessing these elements. So here’s what they did…
#1- The Characters. They are not one-dimensional, buff, superhero types who deliver comedic one-liners while in the face of danger that we are used to seeing (like in San Andreas, Daylight, and 2012). Instead, we get fleshed out, flawed, every day characters who are forced to do heroic deeds. You really care about each and every one of them, even the supporting characters. Each character has depth and the actors do a great job in bringing their roles to life, while making it look so natural without calling unnecessary attention to their performances.
#2- The Story. You know what you’re getting into when you look at the box cover. However, you are easily invested in the characters from the start, while the story does not insult your intelligence with any laughable brushes with danger (something that we are so accustomed to seeing with US features). Since this is a European film, things don’t always end up sweet and nice for everyone involved.
#3- The Special Effects. The practical and computer generated special effects are not over used like spackle to cover gaping plot holes. It’s true that the centerpiece of the story is the giant tsunami that consumes the small village, but the special effects are an integral part of the story.
The filmmakers did a fine job in striking the delicate balance between story, characters, and spectacle. The result is a tense white knuckled suspense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat to the very end.
If you are looking for a film that is an extremely engaging white- knuckled disaster thriller without the one-dimensional comic book style of manly heroics, this could be the one for you. “The Wave” is a brilliantly well-crafted film that Hollywood should (in principle) imitate and apply to many of their action films. I highly suggest you wear thick gloves when watching this excellent film, because it’s a serious nail biter!
The Special Features include: Behind the Scenes of The Wave (1080p; 1.78:1; 4:29): This behind-the-scenes featurette includes footage from both location shooting and the elaborately constructed sets on soundstages in Bucharest. (In Norwegian with English subtitles).The Wave Visual Effects Breakdown: Part 1 (1080p; 1.78:1; 3:14): VFX supervisor Lars Erik Hansen describes the process of creating the initial rockslide, which was preceded by extensive location scouting and photography. In Norwegian with English subtitles. The Wave Visual Effects Breakdown: Part 2 (1080p; 1.78:1; 3:09): Here, Hansen discusses the creation of the wave itself and also of the scene where it washes over a mountain road filled with traffic. They also show scenes where the actors are performing their own harrowing stunts. The Wave Visual Effects Breakdown: Part 3 (1080p; 1.78:1; 3:06): The third and final segment focuses on the scenes of the wave hitting the town of Geiranger. There’s an interview with Director Roar Uthuag (1080i; 1.78:1; 4:29) – interviewed in Los Angeles (and in English), the director describes the inspiration for The Wave and the challenges of making a disaster film. We also have the trailer (1080p; 2.35:1; 2:09) for the movie. There’s also the obligatory marketing reel of other Magnolia Home Entertainment: titles with trailers for High Rise, Gridlocked, Synchronicity and A War, as well as promos for the Charity Network and AXS TV. (These also play at startup, where they can be skipped with the chapter forward button).
9/10