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| Kristoffer Joner (r) stars in The Wave |
Sound the Alarm!
Rotten Tomatoes Plot: Nestled in Norway's Sunnmøre region, Geiranger is one of the most spectacular tourist draws on the planet. With the mountain Åkerneset overlooking the village - and constantly threatening to collapse into the fjord - it is also a place where cataclysm could strike at any moment. After putting in several years at Geiranger's warning center, geologist 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. The substrata are 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, every soul in Geiranger has ten minutes to get to high ground before a tsunami hits, consuming everything in its path. Directed by Roar Uthaug.
Uthaug's The Wave opens with an ominous, "It's only a matter of time before the next big rockslide." Low budget ($6 million) disaster films are a rarity, but Uthaug spends his money (and time) wisely, developing strong ties to his lead characters, before eventually spilling into San Andreas territory towards the end. In fact, the tsunami doesn't take place until the second half of the film... but we're left on the edge of our seats, thanks to yet another premonitory, "After 10 minutes, Geiranger is gone." Imagine what you'd do with just 10 minutes to get to higher ground. Thrilling.
Grade: B
