I'm not sure why so many people dislike this movie. Maybe it's because it seems far-fetched, or because of the low production budget, or because some people didn't want to have to sit still and watch a thought-provoking movie in high school. I really don't know.
Anyway, I was one of those kids who had the weird experience of watching The Wave back in high school. It had left a big impression on me, and I'm not easily impressed or intrigued by anything. This is a made-for-TV film that does a very good examination on group dynamics and how people function when they are told to believe they are superior based on arbitrary standards.
At this time, it's been about 14 years since I probably saw this movie in high school. I remembered the core message and some key moments, but it had been so long that my memory of the film wasn't fresh. Now that I'm much older, does this film still fascinate me and hold up to my standards? Does it stand the test of time? I tried to figure this out by watching The Wave after high school, but back in 2006 I couldn't find a single copy of it anywhere on the internet. Hardly a mention aside from the IMDb page for it. I'm glad to see that it's now available for viewing.
I just watched The Wave today and I can say that it still holds up to the test of time. The wardrobe, cinematography, and directing styles are very 80's, but there really isn't anything that dates this film except that which is external. They do a great job at convincing you that the teacher is out of his mind until it's revealed that he still was doing all of this to prove a point. I wouldn't call The Wave a masterpiece, but it's pretty good in my opinion.
Now for the bad; this movie lacked in a few minor areas. First off, much of what happened was a bit exaggerated and rushed, which may be one of the reasons why some people don't buy this story. To be fair, the production budget was very low and with only about 46 minutes available for the TV movie, they had to cram a lot in. Also, they really should have kept Lauree's boyfriend under the control out of The Wave. He was so far into it that it was hard to swallow the complete 180 in his attitude and beliefs. The only protagonist really needed to be Lauree.
Overall, I really like this movie and enjoyed it as much now as I did when I was a teen. I have not seen the recent German portrayal of The Wave(known as Die Welle), and now that I've re-watched the original, it will be interesting to see if this theatrical version is any better.
Anyway, I was one of those kids who had the weird experience of watching The Wave back in high school. It had left a big impression on me, and I'm not easily impressed or intrigued by anything. This is a made-for-TV film that does a very good examination on group dynamics and how people function when they are told to believe they are superior based on arbitrary standards.
At this time, it's been about 14 years since I probably saw this movie in high school. I remembered the core message and some key moments, but it had been so long that my memory of the film wasn't fresh. Now that I'm much older, does this film still fascinate me and hold up to my standards? Does it stand the test of time? I tried to figure this out by watching The Wave after high school, but back in 2006 I couldn't find a single copy of it anywhere on the internet. Hardly a mention aside from the IMDb page for it. I'm glad to see that it's now available for viewing.
I just watched The Wave today and I can say that it still holds up to the test of time. The wardrobe, cinematography, and directing styles are very 80's, but there really isn't anything that dates this film except that which is external. They do a great job at convincing you that the teacher is out of his mind until it's revealed that he still was doing all of this to prove a point. I wouldn't call The Wave a masterpiece, but it's pretty good in my opinion.
Now for the bad; this movie lacked in a few minor areas. First off, much of what happened was a bit exaggerated and rushed, which may be one of the reasons why some people don't buy this story. To be fair, the production budget was very low and with only about 46 minutes available for the TV movie, they had to cram a lot in. Also, they really should have kept Lauree's boyfriend under the control out of The Wave. He was so far into it that it was hard to swallow the complete 180 in his attitude and beliefs. The only protagonist really needed to be Lauree.
Overall, I really like this movie and enjoyed it as much now as I did when I was a teen. I have not seen the recent German portrayal of The Wave(known as Die Welle), and now that I've re-watched the original, it will be interesting to see if this theatrical version is any better.