Tag Archives: Kristoffer Joner

With PTSD and survivors guilt, hero Kristian is back in the town of Geiranger (Norway) attempting to come to terms with the disaster that was The Wave. He knows Mother Nature has no plans to be kind and that it is only a matter of time before all hell breaks loose again. The signs are all there, you cannot ignore history or hard data. Now he must do everything in his power to save his family and the people of Oslo from the biggest earthquake in its history.

The Wave had some of the most impressive effects I’ve seen outside of a Hollywood produced blockbuster. Far better than many. The Quake surpasses its predecessor. The slow burn of geology science and an emotional stronghold created for the characters sets up the craziness that will inevitably ensue. The tension of knowing the proverbial shit is going to hit the fan at any moment makes the real-time panic all the more intense. Of course, a character is stuck on the 34th floor of a glass covered hotel. Of course, family members are scattered across Oslo. The sprawling shots, blackouts, silence, alarms that arrive too late, combined with a foreboding score make for one perfectly monstrous natural disaster film. The stunts are incredibly timed and impeccably executed. What makes this film and The Wave so scary is that they are based on facts and completely plausible and unpredictable scenarios. The visuals are disturbing, again, for the reasons previously stated. As we watch the news and the growing frequency or power of storms and fires and quakes, we see the death toll rise and we are mostly helpless. That is our biggest fear. The idea that there is zero we can do about it. The Quake plays upon that reality and gives us one hell of a dress rehearsal.

In 1904 an earthquake of magnitude 5.4 on the Richter scale shook Oslo. The earthquake had its epicenter in the “Oslo Graben” which runs under the Norwegian capital. There are still smaller earthquakes happening in this area today. Geologists cannot be sure, but there are signs that indicate that we can expect a major future earthquake in Oslo. When it comes – nobody can say with certainty. Maybe in 100 years, maybe in 10 years, maybe tomorrow.