Skip to main content

The Wave (2016), R, ★★★

Wow! What a disaster.
Remember Jaws? Well, everybody, maybe, does. But, this movie from Norway plays like a similar movie of the Steven Spielberg classic. I say that because of the main storyline which I will get to later. But, for a disaster movie with a low budget, this is profound. With some of the scientific analyses regarding the waves and the type of mayhem that'll cause for the mountain-town of Gerainger. But, as a movie, even though this is a formulaic disaster picture, there are characters that we, the audience, care about and identify with as they are in that terrible and perilous situation. It is a solid disaster movie of a sort.

A mountain-based town, Gerainger, with a problem regarding a potential rockslide as Norway has been threatened with many unstable rockslides. A geologist named Kristian (Kristoffer Joner) is living peacefully with his wife, Idun (Ane Dahl Torp) and his children which includes Sondre, their son. (Jonas Hoff Oftbero) The next day, he goes to work in one of his last days in a workplace and after his co-workers congratulate him, he hears a beeping sound which is an alarm from the control room. Kristian investigates as he sees his team looking at numbers spike drastically as Kristian foreshadows the worst-case scenarios.

Kristin does not want to leave as he understating the catastrophic danger that is looming in the distance. But when his conscience kicks in as he is about to leave, he turns the car around and heads back to the office. He urges the danger since a lot of places are right above sea level including the hotel in which Idun is working which 1.7 meters above sea level. But, again in that leadership role in which Roy Scheider plays in Jaws, he wants to stay and try to protect as many people as possible to get to safety.

What is this, Inception?
There is a sequence that plays in a real time that is spectacular and you guessed it, it's the wave sequence. It's a magnificent sequence that will get you to grip your arm-rest in the theatre because it is an experience to witness and behold. It's well-executed and we get to some faces in peril.

However, even though there are some exhilarating sequences, which one takes place underwater something reminiscent of James Cameron's underrated movie, The Abyss. But, we have some formulaic issues in its storylines as to how the characters will end up and how also reminiscent it is with other movies, especially Jaws, and that's what bothered me the most. But, again, the movie is more intelligent than stupid and more dramatic because we follow these intelligent characters and it is not cartoonish whatsoever. Director Roar Uthaug crafts a solid disaster picture that balances the intelligence, drama and visuals with such awe despite some disaster cliches.

***


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2015 Documentaries

I have only seen 6 documentaries this year which also includes Amy and I Am Chris Farley . But, I have to be honest, this has not been a particularly strong year for documentaries except for onethat got me emotionally and mentally as what I examine for when they uncover the truth or some facts from the people involved in these documentaries. But, here are the four I have seen this year: Listen To Me Marlon, Unrated, 4 stars This is the most insightful documentary of the year as we only hear Marlon Brando narrating his life and experiences what he has gone through regarding his family, his private life and his film experiences regarding The Godfather , Apocalypse Now , Last Tango in Paris , etc. It is like Marlon Brando came out of his grave to give us another profoundly moving movie only we hear his voice and scenery and nothing else. The Look of Silence, R, 3.5 stars Joshua Oppenheimer's follow-up documentary is a light-hearted but still-disturbing film regarding a ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Daddy's Home 2 (2017), PG-13, ★1/2

The first Daddy's Home was surprisingly a financial success as I thought it was not as bad as many people thought. I thought it was a solid cable watch because it had enough laughs for that sort of mixed recommendation. I was not craving for a sequel for this movie because again, comedy sequels have a very bad record, however, the only difference is that it is not too late since the first movie came out a few years ago. But, this sequel is a reminder as to why we do not need a sequel to a hit comedy because this is a pretty much forgettable comedy, especially a holiday comedy...which I hade a guilty pleasure for. This did not work for me. Brad and Dusty (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) have become friends after the events of the first film and they set up a co-dad system where their two children, Megan and Dylan, spending time at each father's home. Dusty has re-married to writer Karen (Victoria's Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio) and he is step-dad to Adrianna, Karen...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), R, 4 stars

The stockbrokers worshipping Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) like a god. Wall Street. The clients, the adrenaline, the stocks, the money, the power, and the decadence. The former three pertains to the man's job, but the latter three pertains what any stockbroker wants in order to have the freedom to do whatever they want with the client's money. As Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey) would say, "The name of the game is: move the money from your client's pocket into your pocket." We basically spend three hours seeing all of these Wall-Street scumbags steal the clients' money into their own pockets and spend it on booze, drugs, women, and other insane things in more insane activities. I have witnessed here is a great movie that I would not watch repetitively. The movie starts with Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) blowing cocaine onto a hooker's butt and he and his brokers throwing a little person onto a board with a dollar sign in the center. It'...
Post a Comment
Read more