The Wave

A gripping disaster movie that feels like a cautionary tale rooted in fact as much as fiction, The Wave is a Norwegian drama about a seismologist named Kristian (Kristoffer Joner), who is moving—along with his family—from the beautiful hamlet of Geiranger, on the banks of a gorgeous fjord, to a new job in a big city. On his last day of work, Kristian notes a series of strange readings suggesting the imminent collapse of cliffs overlooking the fjord's crystal-blue arm of the sea. With his co-workers in denial over what they're seeing and reluctant to raise an alarm, Kristian has no choice but to walk away in fear and frustration. Naturally, the mountain falls that night, creating an 85-foot tsunami that wipes out Geiranger. Separated from members of his family, Kristian goes out to search for them in this post-apocalyptic landscape. Director Roar Uthaug delivers an eye-popping, suspenseful adventure with some extraordinary special effects and scenes of devastation, as well as frightening sequences that challenge characters to make extreme choices. Strangely, The Wave is hauntingly reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, with its story of an obsessed father, and much of the action taking place in a resort hotel. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include visual effects breakdown segments (9 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (6 min.), an interview with director Roar Uthaug (5 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a nail-biting foreign disaster film.] (T. Keogh)