THE QUAKE (SKJEVET)

(director: John Andreas Andersen; screenwriters: John Kåre Raake, Harald Rosenløw-Eeg; cinematographer: John Christian Rosenlund; editor: Christian Siebenherz; music: Johannes Ringen, Johan Soderqvist; cast: Kristoffer Joner (Kristian Eikjord), Ane Dahl Torp (Idun Karlsen), Jonas Hoff Oftebro (Sondre Eikjord), Edith Haagenrud-Sands (Julia Eikjord), Kathrine Thorburg Johansen (Marit Lindblom); Runtime: 106; MPAA Rating: PG-13; producers: Are Heidenstrum, Martin Sundland; Magnet Releasing; 2018-Norway-in Norwegian with English subtitles)

“A safe sequel to the acclaimed The Wave.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

This big-budget, for Norway, natural disaster film, is a safe sequel to the acclaimed The Wave, the Norwegian thriller that became the country’s highest-grossing film in 2015. The longtime cinematographer John Andreas Andersen(“Self”/”Captain Sabertooth and the Treasure of Lama Rama“) directs while the writers from The Wave, John Kåre Raake and Harald Rosenløw-Eeg, also pen this screenplay, using a humanist approach.The film starts where The Wave left off. The traumatized geologist Kristian Elkjord (Kristoffer Joner), who predicted the Åkerneset crevasse would collapse and create a giant tsunami wave, is still haunted by thinking about all the people who died because he wasn’t able to warn them in time. As a result, Kristian is now estranged from his family – his wife Idun (Ane Dahl Torp), daughter Julia (Edith Haagenrud-Sande), and son Sondre (Jonas Hoff Oftebro) – and lives alone far from his former home in Oslo.When Kristian learns an old colleague is killed in a freak accident while investigating a tunnel under Oslo, he looks into it and suspects a catastrophic earthquake is headed for Oslo. While his fellow geologist, Johannes Løberg (Stig R. Amdam), believes his fears are unfounded, the latter will come up with the proof for his theory, but not before “The Quake” manifests itself. In the emergency it’s up to Kristian and his deceased colleague’s daughter, Marit (Kathrine Thorborg Johansen), to rescue his family in time. In the third act we experience the earthquake (the visuals making good use of its CGI effects) and in a formulaic style The Quake delivers the genre thrill goods through its set pieces. This should satisfy the viewer who is transfixed by natural disaster thrillers told in the simplest ways. But it probably won’t be a positive experience for the viewer who demands more serious drama or twists, unless like this viewer they can overlook its negatives and ride it out that it’s a pretty film to watch.

REVIEWED ON 3/1/2019 GRADE: B-   https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/