68
Metascore
26 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe movie isn’t afraid to go to some dark places.
- 75St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonSt. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonIf you think foreign films can’t compete with Hollywood when it comes to delivering popcorn entertainment, prepare to be carried away by The Wave.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungThe Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungThough they have little to add to familiar genre themes, Uthaug and the screenwriters make the most of the unique location, which lends itself to jaw-dropping vistas from every camera angle.
- 70Screen DailyDavid D'ArcyScreen DailyDavid D'ArcyIt’s a jolting race against time when the wave gathers steam far away, as implacable as the tsunami in Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter, minus the pop metaphysics .
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreYou’ll want to catch The Wave because it’s fun to see Hollywood disaster movie cliches rendered in Norwegian.
- 63New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithThe Wave, competent as it is, lacks the heart-rending power of the similar 2012 tsunami movie “The Impossible.”
- 63Washington PostStephanie MerryWashington PostStephanie MerryThe human scale of this story about a very real threat to one Norwegian village makes the movie more tragic and also more chilling.
- 60VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeThe Wave sticks mostly to the big-studio formula (albeit on a much smaller budget), introducing a handful of bland soon-to-be-victims before bombarding them with spectacular digital effects.
- 50Boston GlobePeter KeoughBoston GlobePeter KeoughIt follows the lead of more recent Hollywood disaster movies like “2012” and “The Impossible.” It features just one family; everyone else is part of the scenery.
- 38Slant MagazineSlant MagazineIt sketches an imperiled family worth caring about, but any goodwill is soon weathered by wave after wave of contrivance following the initial town-leveling event.