The Quake

A weak sequel to filmmaker Roar Uthaug’s 2015 Norwegian disaster film The Wave, in which cliffs collapsing into a beautiful fjord caused a tsunami that wiped out a village, director John Andreas Andersen’s The Quake follows the destruction of Oslo during a seismic catastrophe. Kristoffer Joner returns as Kristian, a rumpled, tell-it-like-it-is seismologist who challenges the government’s willfully blind eye to evidence of coming destruction. Now suffering from PTSD, Kristian is separated from his family (who he fought so hard to save the last time around) and is uncertain as to whether he might be delusional about more troubles ahead. Given the riveting layers of human drama and tragedy in The Wave, it’s surprising that The Quake is so narratively predictable and emotionally flat during its first half (before the disaster), and so narrowly focused (on one collapsing building) in the second. But there are still plenty of moments of tension—a scene in which a vulnerable character is separated from doom by a pane of glass popping with spidery cracks is certainly effective—even if overall the film comes across as a payday sequel. A strong optional purchase. (T. Keogh)