Since the day I heard about the Norwegian disaster movie The Wave I have been eagerly awaiting to see it. Last night, I got my chance. Here are my thoughts on The Wave. Don’t worry, there are no major spoilers.
The Wave is set in a small village with an amazing view of mountains and bay. Tourists who visit the community may not be aware that a danger is lurking, a landslide triggered a tsunami almost a century ago. Scientist have been watching, they know that at any time it could happen again. When their monitors start registering changes in the mountain they brush it off as a fluke. But one scientist, Kristian (Kristoffer Joner) can’t shake the feeling that a disaster is coming. On the day he and his family are set to leave, the unthinkable happens, and the town’s residents only have 10 minutes to flee.
The Wave, written by John Kare Raake and Harald Rosenlow-Eeg, was directed by Roar Uthaug and stars Ane Dahl Torp, Jonas Hoff Oftebro, Edith Haagenrud-Sande, Laila Goodym Arthur Berning, Herman Bernhoft, Eli Harboe, and Silje Breivik.
There are so many great things about this film. Joner did an amazing job in his role as a scientist trying to protect his town, a concerned husband and father battling to get his family to safety and to find his missing loved ones.
The film’s special effects were very impressive, especially during the scenes involving the wave and its aftermath. Everything looked absolutely amazing. Major props to the special effects team.
Unfortunately, the English dubbing was absolutely dreadful. And the voice-over was horrid. The timing was off, and the character’s voices were emotionless. It sounded like the lines were being read off of a script by a robot, with no concern of how the characters came across. The film is much better in its native tongue, but the English version was left lacking.
My other issue with The Wave is that it reinforces a theme we see too often in films these days, no good deed goes unpunished, and it repeats it over and over. I’ve grown tired of the same old things being repeated in movies. We are in desperate need of new ideas. Thank God for independent films.
So, now I must answer that dreaded question, do I recommend The Wave? Here’s the thing, when it comes to watching the English dubbed version, no, I do not. It will just ruin the movie for you. Now, if you are willing to watch it in Norwegian with English subtitles, then by all means please see it. It truly was a good a movie, other than a few issues. It’s amazing just how easily bad dubbing can ruin a great film.
You can pick up your copy of The Wave where ever movies are sold. You can find it on digital platforms and watch it Netflix DVD.
