The Wave – Die Todeswelle

The Norwegians and the director Roar Uthaug in particular have a gift for megalomaniac movies. This one is no different from his signature style. The Wave actually pretty successfully copies the best American apocalyptic movies. Be it the characters, the logical and the illogical, the story or the special effects. And that’s actually pretty impressive when you realize the movie is actually from Norway. But with the label of an apocalyptic movie comes a whole plethora of afflictions that are simply a part of every similar movie. It definitely isn’t a bad thing, but it just will not get more than three stars from me. Nevertheless, I appreciate the idea, which was completely novel to me, and especially the shots of the fjords. These things made the film score some points with me. (18.12.2016)

Die erste Hälfte ist gut, mit einem typischen nordischen Touch, wie bei einem obsessiv arrangierten und beleuchteten Vorzimmer, jedoch insbesondere mit einer solch langsamen Tension, dass man auch die notwendigen Genreklischees genießt. Leider ist die nach der Katastrophe folgende Hälfte vollkommen lau, der Film verliert sowohl an Spannung als auch die hinreißende Landschaft, und der Versuch, ein klaustrophobisches und schwach beleuchtetes Survivaldrama zu drehen, kommt wegen dem in der Tat dahingewurschtelten Drehbuch (zweckgerichtete zufällige Nebenfiguren) und sentimentaler Watte, die aus US-Katastrophen bekannt sind, zum Erliegen. The Wave – Die Todeswelle wirkt ein wenig paradox, wobei sich der Film als nationaler Blockbuster behauptet, jedoch außerhalb Norwegens konkurriert jener Film der Hollywood-Produktion mit der gleichen Ansammlung von Klischees, jedoch als um vieles kostengünstigere Version. Und das ist nicht gerade der beste Weg. Eher eine Art angenehmer Plantscher. [60%] (10.01.2016)

Catastrophic movie made of two halves that are completely different in terms of quality. The first halve follows perhaps all possible genre rules and clichés, but in spite of that (or maybe because of that) it works absolutely perfectly. Largely it is due to the fact that it relies on the beauties of Geiranger, the movie is not afraid to show it. However, as soon as the tsunami hits, not only the picturesque tourist village is swept away into the ocean but also the so far quality and tension. Instead of bird's-eye view of fjords, an atmosphere of disturbing tension or some story lines with interesting characters, everything starts revolving around one flooded room and one "after apocalypse" that makes you stop believe it and it starts look like a playing on a disaster with a movie studio with some props. All characters except the central family are thrown overboard and the movie seems tense, forced and mediocre. Even so, there are a few scenes (literally; bus and panic) that wake you up, but otherwise you may way to often find yourself thinking about logical lapses (and there are plenty of those) and dealing with things that wouldn't even come to your mind if the movie had been catching. (06.12.2015)

Eine minimalistischere Version von Emmerichs norwegischen Katastrophen-Blockbustern, die, abgesehen von der relativ schmucklosen Fjordkulisse, nichts besonders Neues innerhalb des Genres bietet und größtenteils zeigt, was man schon gesehen hat. Ich persönlich hatte zeitweise ein ziemliches Problem mit einigen der Figuren, die ich äußerst unsympathisch fand, so dass es schwer war, ihnen in diesem erbitterten Kampf mit der Natur die Daumen zu halten. Andererseits muss ich einige solide, spannende Szenen erwähnen und loben, die beeindruckten - vor allem die mit der Evakuierung und dem Eintreffen der zerstörerischen Welle. (18.03.2020)

The hope that the Nordic contribution to the, by now exhausted, disaster movie genre would bring some innovation begins and ends with Ane Dahl Trop fooling around, whose character of the intelligent, active, and loving mother is unparalleled in films of this type. The rest, while technically mature, is not particularly interesting. The last twenty minutes are pure Emmerichian facepalm. If you can't afford to take a plane for the holidays, you'll be pleased to see a young Stropnický lookalike in the male lead. (11.05.2016)

A very pleasant surprise that shows that good disaster movies are not dead yet. I like that the Norwegians have focused more on people, their relationships, their fates. It is overall more intimate and stronger in this regard. But when it comes to a flood, it doesn't lose anything either, and it's stunning, to the point where you feel like running away too. (29.12.2015)

Based on true events, The Wave tells the story of a family trying to escape from the grip of a massive tsunami created by the landslide of a large mountain range into the Geirangerfjord. Firstly, I enjoyed the breathtaking Norwegian nature, to which I have an emotional connection. I spent some time in Geiranger a few years ago, so I literally devoured the screenplay about a catastrophe set in this environment. The film's slower pace perfectly supported the carefully constructed oppressive atmosphere, which escalated perfectly as the population fled the raging elements. The ensuing fight for survival was so tense that at times I wasn't even breathing. It's just a pity the ending was overly happy because if it had ended five minutes earlier, I would have thought about giving it five stars. (80%) (26.09.2020)