THE WAVE (***1/2)

(2015) This Norwegian disaster film set in the beautiful fjord of Gerainger is based on real-life facts that the mountains above the fjord are unstable - and one day may crumble and fall, creating a giant tsunami that will destroy everything in its path.  Centering on a geologist named Kristian and his family, the movie does a lot of  build up (as disaster films tend to do), both introducing you to the characters as well as setting up the conditions for the disaster to come - and indeed, when the you-know-what hits the fan the movie is riveting.  The aftermath, with Kristian searching for his wife and son, has its moments of tension that will also keep you glued to the screen - but once the wave hits (a scene that  plays out maybe 15-20 minutes, at most), everything afterward seems a bit anti-climactic by comparison, the film playing out like your standard, by-the-book disaster movie with a drawn-out rescue.  Very well-made and suspenseful, though drawn out a bit in the last third of the film.  (rated R)

THE WAVE trailer