The Wave

This could obviously be made into a Hollywood big "blockbuster" with millions into CGI, big name, expensive actors, etc. But nope, this movie came with an 8 mil dollar budget. It's got great acting, good cgi, and more importantly, heart and humanity. Everything a good film needs to succeed. Hollywood wonders why it struggles, well take notes.

A very good watch.

* * * My only wish is that they spent about 10-15 more minutes developing on screen an even MORE "loving" relationship between the family involved so the emotion hits even harder. But that's just me being picky.

The Wave is an interesting film starring Justin Long as a relatively square insurance broker who takes a powerful unknown hallucinogenic and as a result of this, experiences some pretty frightful hallucinations which are deftly portrayed and are intensely believable. However, even though the hallucinations are portrayed as well as you could expect from a B movie, it isn't without its sticking points.

What lets this film down is the execution of the storyline. While the overarching plot of the film is a relatively coherent one, the film muddily flits from one aspect of the story to the other, never making the film quite as believable as it could or should have been. The Wave allows too many loose ends, and the ending instead of completing the plot asks more questions than answers. Overall this is a decent film with some intense and intriguing scenes, however the execution of these themes lets the film down.

A young corporate attorney who specializes in cutting people out of insurance payouts finds a case that will save his company a lot of money. He has to present his idea the next morning, so his friend talks him into going out on a bender to celebrate the night before.

What begins to unwind is a nonlinear time jump adventure from what seems to be reality to full blown "Bardo" style hallucinations.

Well done in that it's not predictable, and doesn't explain everything: you get to figure it out for yourself.

Some super intense scenes, so not a movie for the faint of heart.

Also, a fantastic performance by Justin!

The film is about letting the universe steer your consciencenss like a wave through your own perception of 'reality'.

It explores several ideas, not so well in my opinion, though it deserves credit for trying.

It's worth a watch if you seek ideas that are out of the box and because there is a modicum of wisdom, wrapped in a candy coating.

This story is not linear, and it keeps you wondering what will happen next. The viewers are in the dark just like all the characters are, until the final reveal which is very satisfactory. I think this is a fresh story.