Wave, The

The Wave depicts events that every Norwegian fears may one day happen: the country’s largest unstable mountainside plummets tons of rock and earth into the fjord below. Its path of destruction causes a nearly 300-foot-high wave that gives the people of the small town of Geiranger mere minutes to leave their homes and reach higher ground. Nestled in Norway’s Summore region, Geiranger is one of the most spectacular tourist draws on the planet. With the mountain Akerneset overlooking the village—and constantly threatening to collapse into the fjord—it is also a place where cataclysm could strike at any moment. After putting in several years at Geiranger’s warning center, geologist Kristian Eikfjord (Joner) is moving on to a prestigious gig with an oil company. Kristian senses something isn’t right. The substrata are shifting. No one wants to believe that this could be the big one, especially with tourist season at its peak, but when that mountain begins to crumble, everyone in Geiranger has 10 minutes to get to high ground before a tsunami hits, consuming everything in its path. (Gary Reber)

Special features include a making-of featurette (HD 05:29), visual effects breakdown in three parts (HD 09:29), an interview with Director Roar Uthaug (HD 04:29), the theatrical trailer, upfront previews, and BD-Live functionality

The 2.40:1 1080p AVC picture is terrific, with a perfectly natural appearance, even during the midnight sun hours of the Norwegian summer nights, which maintains revealing shadow delineation. Contrast is excellent, with deep blacks. Even in the darkest scenes, such as in the underground shelter, shadows are discernible, though, detail is less clear. Still, the underwater photography is very graphic, as is the hotel wreckage and the incidence of fire. Resolution in most segments and scenes exhibits nicely defined facial features, hair, clothing, and object texture, including various geological instruments and gauges. The color palette is naturally hued with vivid hues that are rich and warm. Fleshtones are naturally hued as well. This is a visually engaging picture that dramatically portrays a realistic depicting of a tsunami. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack delivers an expansive holosonic® immersive experience, with a wonderful orchestral score that occupies the soundfield wide and deep and extends aggressively to the surrounds, all four channels, and height. The music builds to an effective intensity, providing added weight to the sound effects of the powerful tsunami, which is enhanced with deep, powerful .1 LFE energy. Atmospherics are nicely supportive throughout, which enhances the sense of realism. Dialogue is well integrated spatially with clear, white subtitles positioned within the frame. This is a very well-executed enveloping soundtrack that is both nuanced and powerfully dynamic sounding. (Gary Reber)