The Wave

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.

Pretty fun and interesting movie. The right kind of weird, for the most part. Some really pretty visuals, and a story that keeps you invested. (1 viewing, 3/22/2021)

This is a great movie to watch with open minded friends, with people who have ever tripped or just alone. I saw that trailer at a local Indy theater and decided to order on Xbox when it dropped. So to start I would say it's honestly a solid 7.5. Justin Long turns in a role that suits his style of acting perfectly. The build up is great and the film is extremely hard to predict. As for Donald faison he personifies the words "loyal friend" and delivers a fun preformance. The movie does come on in waves and leaves certain things to interpretation. Definitely worth at least a try for the efforts turned in on the visuals alone. Thanks for the read!

The Wave turned out to be visually superior and far better in storytelling than most stoner thrillers out there. Justin Long's the perfect choice to play Frank, a white-collar employee who's out for a night of merry-making with his colleague Jeff (Donald Faison). They meet Natalie (Katia Winter) and Theresa (Sheila Vand) at a bar and decide to head to a rave party. A drug he consumes at the party sends him on an unending trip that bends the concept of time (and eventually, decisions). The storyline gets a little convoluted in the latter half with several twists, but the screenplay (by Carl W. Lucas) wraps it up quite neatly in the end.

The 'drug trip' for Frank begins with intermittent hallucinatory episodes, making you think this is yet another film that holds a warning sign for people to never do drugs. However, it focuses more on its psychedelic visuals, a missing-person storyline (I think I'm in love with Sheila Vand!), and some not-bad humor along the way. On the downside, the subplots involving Frank's promotion (the evil insurance company cliché) and his wife walking out on him don't carry the narrative weights they should. These incidents, while pivotal to the main plot (of Frank, Jeff, and Natalie searching for the missing Theresa), somehow feel less consequential.

When you look at the complete picture, I felt The Wave tries to incorporate too much into its 90-minute runtime and succeeds in parts. That said, the amusement factor was certainly on the higher side for me.

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.