WATCH NOW
Mechanicals always undergo much scrutiny on how they undertake their marketing and promotions. Take for example, The Day After Tomorrow or San Andreas. These franchises have been heavily critiqued by the American audience, and rightfully so, because their portrayal of disasters is almost Hollywood in its essence. And Norwegian earthquake film, The Wave, echoes the same sentiment. Like other American films, “The Wave” contains a long set up in which there is massive room for melodrama and allows everybody to burst into tears. In addition, these kinds of films also contain an ‘event’ where the audience is literally left at the edge of their seats. The last segment where the filmmakers portray hope and a ‘hearts around the world’ change is also seen at the end of the movie. Indeed, the movie has an action finale. In addition, it is absolutely plausible for a movie to only appeal for a set audience, which is where, “The Wave” easily triumphs even if it has gaps. Rather than, brilliantly crafting every single detail and element of the film, The Wave places its attention on something relatively minute that goes unnoticed while aptly describing the equation as ‘correctable’. The description does not mean he sets the bar low, it means he pushes for achieving level without pause on steep cliffs.
In all of Norway, Geiringer has one of the largest flows of tourists. It is not hard to comprehend so. It has brought numerous new travelers year after year due to the breathtaking views of the mountains and its crystal clear lakes. However, as the news footage reports, there are some threats. Any village at the base of a mountain, especially as large as Åkerneset, is a ticking time bomb. Since most small towns are constantly under fire from landslides, it is no surprise they maintain an ominous attitude repeating the phrase “It’s only a matter of time before the next big disaster.” Mother Nature is true to cinema. She will show us no kindness and cause deliberate destruction. Living in shelters instead of homes seems like the ideal solution doesn’t it?
This attentive employee of the Geiranger warning center is, by way of explaining, the proverbial canary of the coalmine Kristian (Kristoffer Joner). What is a warning center? I hear you ask. Well, a stationary rockslide, and the wave that would follow it if sufficient water were to be displaced, is quite feasible in the valley and will require monitoring. There are people who take care of these things. First, there are just some odd readings about groundwater on the mountain disappearing. Then he realizes that the substratum is shifting in a way so that an avalanche is inevitable. There is nobody else in the office who shares his concern and he knows that it wouldn’t matter if there was. As I said, there is no film if they aren’t apprehensive. Somewhere in the world, they would probably jump at the chance to push the large red button that would set off the Geiranger alert siren warning them that they have around ten minutes before they are submerged.
“The Wave” is a well rounded movie that fits nicely in its category. It has the appropriate music in the background as the camera captures the slow zoom in of Kristian sitting in the car and spending time in a traffic jam, and realizing what the newest readings mean at the same time. There are instances of birds flying in the opposite site of the mountain. There are also sequences in which the movie analyst gets to watch the slasher movie in a blink red behind him. In “The Wave”, Mother Nature is the slasher.
If there’s a criticism to make about the structuring here is that the ‘build-up’ act of ‘The Wave’ is a bit too drawn out. After Kristian knows something is amiss, and we all know he is correct, there seems to be too much wheel spinning prior to reaching the event. Albeit, the event itself does not disappoint. A wave hits while Kristian and his daughter are on the way towards higher ground while his wife and son are at the hotel that she works at, trying to save some residents before locking themselves into an underground bunker. Its impact is biblical. Outhaul excels at keeping the tension visceral, and the danger as tangible as possible. The underwater rush into a room and crashing inside a vehicle is not typical American movie CGI so to speak, which makes it feel authentic. He is supposed to bring ‘Tomb Raider’ back from the brink, and I pray he provides the attention to detail that was given here. Lara Croft has nothing on Mother Nature.
To watch more movies like (The Wave (2015)) visit 123Movies.
Also Watch for more movies like:
