It's not a big secret what is going to happen here (at least for the viewer, the characters involved do get surprised of course). The English title is telling too (don't know what the original title means). Our main character is one of those who does have the right idea or premonition. Problem is, he is actually leaving, so he won't be able to help if anything happens, right? That's something you can ask yourself while watching the movie, though you'll be able to predict most of the things that will happen.

That doesn't make this less engaging. On the contrary, it is suspense filled, the viewer waiting for what this has been advertised of. And the effects will not disappoint you. The human story as predictable as it is, is engaging too. European catastrophe drama at its best

Norwegian movies occasionally bring sleeper hit like the Troll Hunter, the wintry location is just perfect for things unknown. The Wave, while it may be strange to have on a mountain, is a good mix of visual cinematography, nice use of attractive vistas and simple yet engaging characters. The first act might feel a tad slow but the entirety is finely tuned compartmentalized sequences that fit together as good disaster movie.

The focus is mainly on a family of four on their last day in normally quaint city of Geiranger. Kritian (Kristoffer Joner) as the father is a geologist who admittedly too fixated on his job. Before they leave he spots some anomalies of the impending catastrophe. It's a predictable but still decent premise and while it starts rather slow, the time invested is used to familiarize audience with the characters and also the tourist attraction.

The Wave uses its setting very nicely, it capitalizes on the actual hotel and mountain, partially and understandably for promotional purpose. It's visually pleasing and involving scenery, better than most Hollywood attempts on the genre. For example, San Andreas doesn't feel as though viewer is engaged aside from excessive CG. This movie cleverly captures the essence of the place well.

It doesn't mean that there's a lack of special effect here, it's just used more appropriately. For those wanting a cool spectacle of force of nature, you won't be disappointed. Better yet, there are few scenes which really push the theatrical effect of human drama and graphical thriller so precisely, it's impressively daunting. Furthermore, audience would mostly likely relate to the family's ordeal more than investing on random calamity displays.

The Wave is a disaster movie done right, nearly every aspect of it come crashing down just at the right spot and time.

The film starts well. Nothing that hasn't been done before, but pretty well done for all that.

It then slips into the worst of disaster movie clichés (also applies to horror films) as the characters start behaving in increasingly idiotic ways.

A full two minutes after the sirens have gone off and the fire alarm is set off in the hotel, all of the guests are still holed up in their rooms. One of them sticks their head out of their room to ask, "Is this a drill?" Seriously? What sort of cretin would think a hotel has a fire alarm drill at 2 in the morning with all the town's sirens going off.

Then there's the clueless geologists. Only the protagonist seems to have a passing knowledge of what all the data means, despite red lights going off everywhere. Each time the readings suggest there might be something wrong the chief geologist dismisses it as probably an error with the sensors. I mean what's the point of having the equipment if you're not going to believe what it's telling you.

Even when the whole mountain collapses, the fantastically idiotic woman in the early warning centre doesn't think to raise the alarm. When she's finally told to sound the sirens, she stares at the red button for long seconds, get on with it you stupid cow.

Back in the town, the hotel's guests are now milling about in the lobby, the bus driver for some unfathomable reason doesn't want to drive them up the hill. Anyway, they all die, which is fine because they were too silly.

The hero's wife then needlessly kills a man who was needlessly freaking out at an extremely unhelpful time.

When the hero finally turns up to save his wife and son, the teenage doofus decides to stop swimming while underwater because he's short of breath, rather than kicking harder for the surface. So the hero gives him the kiss of life underwater and the son continues, while the hero now decides to give up, despite only having 10 feet further to go.

Simply abysmal, but I quite enjoyed the film.