The Last Wave

I have no idea what the story is supposed to convey. It's disjointed, overly complicated, the personal dramas of the characters are confusing (there's not enough time in each episode to explore the characters in depth so what's the point of cramming in all the extra distractions?) ... And what wave??? "The Cloud" would be a much better title. I was expecting a serialised reboot of the Peter Weir film. I didn't mind it being in French, I'm just really ticked off that I stuck with it and it gave me no joy for my effort.

Not being French and relying subtitles, I was hooked from the word go and there has to be something in it for me to continue watching. If the acting was that bad then I wouldn't watch it, but there were moments when you forgave a few things and I blame the director for that. The director of any movie/series, is the most important person and if he lets bad acting fly in, then it's his rep that's on the line. The story has good premise, there is a little over acting in some parts, but you let that go, with a roll of the eyes. There are moments where the 'pause is too long' and times you want to strangle the script writer with some of the dialogue, (subtitle translation) but you are drawn in to the story and you forgive these things. The acting was fine, the story good, and leaves you with a sense that there would be another season, or happy with the ending as is. I watch a lot of movies and series, and I can tell you that the ratings of many of these are incredible, and as for this show, I think a 7 is fair. I found it good, and it kept me watching... isn't that what is all about.

This French drama is set in the seaside town of Brizan; as its inhabitants prepare for a local surfing event a strange cloud appears offshore. While many people watch from the shore others take to the water and start surfing. Then the cloud descends; when it rises there is no sign of the surfers. A search begins but they can't be found; then several hours later they return, unharmed. They have no recollection of what happened to them but it soon becomes apparent they have changed; one's eyes have changed colour and he can see things he shouldn't be able to; another can heal people and a third can breathe underwater! The cloud still lingers offshore and the population wonders what to do next.

This is a decent enough six part series. There is a good sense of mystery concerning the cause of the strange cloud and the viewer is kept wondering what will happen next. The characters are solid enough although they all seemed somewhat dysfunctional as they constantly argue and fight. One must be able to suspend one's disbelief somewhat as no outsiders, including the authorities, appear to take any interest in the strange occurrences. The effects might not be of the standard one would get in a big budget movie but they are certainly good enough for a TV series.

Overall I wouldn't say this is a must see, we've certainly been treated to better French series in recent years, but it is enjoyable enough and at only six episodes it doesn't outstay its welcome so I'd still recommend checking it out.

These comments are based on watching the series in French with English subtitles.

This is by no measure essential viewing. However, it is an easy and quite compelling watch. There's a bit of an different scenario going on but the easy for themselves by not explaining anything and definitely not giving any answers so the narrative just goes along at it's own pace and without the obstacle of having to have any final revelation or resolution.

But, if you are looking for an Eco-warning drama that is not to taxing yet keeps you interested in it's little intricacies then this is for you. The characters are a little wooden and their portrayal not always the most natural but in a series that is not meant to be realistic I don't suppose that matters.

Six episodes, well produced, that will just about keep your interest... dive in

I am now waiting for the last two instalments, but straight from the first episode, it looked to have a very familiar to feel to it, and I rapidly developed a feeling that this was French TV's answer to the US series, "LOST", with both series being riddled with the inexplicable. Both series even have their own mysterious clouds, though in Lost, it was more like black smoke.

Of course, unlike Lost, this is not set on a desert island, but what looks like the South of France. That tends to make me raise questions, such as why are there no old or fat people to be seen.?

And then there is a plot line that if true, would have the whole town besieged with the world's media. yet there is no media presence at all. The unlikely events that take place, include a lighthouse being moved from offshore to a mile inland. If that can't get a few TV cameras interested, then nothing can, and yet there is no media. Where are the Politicians from Central Government, who you might normally expect to be giving unhelpful interviews?

The whole story lacks the infrastructure that one might expect if such an event ever were to happen.

Reverting back to my comparison with Lost, that was a series that I enjoyed for about the first five seasons, and I looked forward to all the mysterious events being explained. But as it continued, I got to the stage where I lost interest, and can't even be bothered to find out what happened. With that in mind, if the series ends and I have to wait for season two (3? 4? 5? 6? etc), I won't bother. The comparison is that both series are highly implausible and so you want to see the final episode to make sense of it. But I am not that interested that I am going to wait years for an explanation.