The Wave: Movie Review

"The Wave" begs the question about universal harmony and having a purpose in life. All is revealed in a sleek, psychedelic trip through mind and time. Was the trip worth it in the end? Mostly.

Frank just made the break of his career in expense of another family's sake. To celebrate, he spends a night of partying with his co-worker Jeff. During the party, he is dosed with a hallucinogen that alters his perception of time. Now, he just find a way not only to recover his mind and his physical belongings but also the girl he was with the previous night.

"The Wave" was a film experience that felt like it was made for audiences in the earlier part of this century. Not that it was a bad thing but the style and presentation felt a little too passe at times. The film's in your face attitude will either grab you or annoy you. Luckily we're with the former camp and loved how it was able to translate the massive jumps through time in a sleek and unexpected way - and the effect never got old. The film's script and narrative was okay but missed a lot of potential to be great. It had us hooked trying to understand the who, what, and why of the chaos that our main character Frank was experiencing. For the first half of the film, the narrative was able to sustain our interest but the eventual reveal was a letdown. It was as if it was trying to be smarter than the actual material was meant to be and it was being unconventional just for the sake of it. One of the stronger points of "The Wave" was on the acting front. Justin Long proved why he was a star a decade ago. He was able to do a pretty swell job as the cracked up and scummy Frank. Overall, "The Wave" is a genre-bender that will leave you just barely satisfied with its manic and unconventional presentation and narrative.

Rating: 3 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- strong and intense visual effects make this a memorable trip
- great acting performances from the cast

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the narrative and script fell short of its potential