Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

The Quake Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 17, 2019

Norway's in for another beating with John Andreas Andersen's The Quake (2018), a direct sequel to the 2015 disaster film The Wave. Like its predecessor, this is a film that favors realism and three-dimensional characters over common disaster movie cliches, which amplifies its emotional impact without sacrificing a few popcorn thrills along the way. The story continues like this: still emotionally recovering from the massive tsunami that ravaged Norway's Geiranger village, geologist Kristian Eikjord (Kristoffer Joner) has separated from his wife Idun (Ane Dahl Torp) and their children Sondre (Jonas Hoff Oftebro) and Julia (Edith Haagenrud), who have moved to Oslo. He seems unable to cope with the lives lost in that horrific event three years ago -- despite saving hundreds -- and has developed paranoia from the thought of a repeat natural disaster. Still, he's not completely cut off from his family: young Julia, now 11, takes an eight-hour trip to visit him for the weekend, but discovers the depth of his emotional damage after finding a room full of newspaper clippings and reports about the tsunami's fallout. Julia doesn't want to abandon her dad, though...and despite his brusque dismissal that sends her home early, Kristian seems to hate who he's become.

This initial visit is one of many key moments that separate The Quake from the bulk of disaster films, but the real story begins when the threat of another disaster arises near his family's new home in Oslo. Continuing the private research of a colleague who, until recently, worked in the massive Oslofjord Tunnel, Kristian begins to notice patterns that suggest a massive earthquake might be on the horizon, similar to -- if not stronger than -- the real-life 1904 quake that rocked the area. His early warnings go unheeded but Kristian has a few kindred spirits, including his colleague's daughter Marit (Kathrine Thorborg Johansen) who helps him investigate the same tunnel where her dad worked. Eventually, the threat becomes reality and it's here that The Quake unveils its other secret weapon: disarmingly good special effects that defy the film's otherwise modest visual ambitions. The difference here is that great characters -- not just boring cut-outs -- are in danger, and when things happen to them it's hard not to get emotionally invested. Even more so if you've already seen The Wave, of course: though it's not a prerequisite to follow the film's basic plot, some of The Quake's key moments will pack a much bigger punch for returning viewers.

While its tone is surprisingly different in several ways, The Quake stands as a worthy follow-up that doesn't feel like a cheap rehash of the first film. (If nothing else, it also pulls double-duty as a call to action, pointing out Oslo's real-life lack of a dedicated emergency alert system.) The returning performances are as strong as ever, the cinematography strikes a balance between slice-of-life realism and absolute chaos, and the complementary score by Johannes Ringen and Johan Söderqvist provides a strong backdrop without overpowering. If you enjoyed (?) The Wave, there's no reason why you shouldn't bother continuing the journey here. Magnolia Home Entertainment's Blu-ray follows suit with another outstanding A/V presentation, although the bonus features leave a lot to be desired.

The Quake Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its approximate original aspect ratio of 2.40:1, The Quake features a pleasing 1080p transfer that seems true to the source material. This is, at times, a grim and not particularly attractive film: the color palette leans towards subdued or natural, with few vivid hues aside from artificial lighting, clothes, and graphics seen on computer monitors and TVs. This appears to have been shot digitally, as evidenced by the relatively flat black levels and lack of grain, while its mostly natural lighting doesn't reveal a high level of contrast during most scenes. Even so, these aren't necessarily complaints: The Quake aims for realism and succeeds in its mostly nondescript visuals, especially since the third-act CGI elements blend so seamlessly with the finished product. This transfer appears to be largely free from common digital imperfections -- edge enhancement, compression artifacts, etc. -- but mild banding could be easily spotted in harsh gradients, especially low-light scenes involving flashlights or other emergency equipment. One of the rescue sequences, largely shot under red auxiliary lights, also exhibited color bleeding. Overall, this is still a perfectly solid transfer whose visuals are much closer to understated than unimpressive.

The Quake Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

One would expect any disaster film worth its salt to bring it home in the audio department, and those who enjoyed The Wave will be happy to know that The Quake is every bit as good as its predecessor. Of course, the large majority of this film doesn't exhibit a great deal of sonic impact: aside from occasional crowd ambiance, echoes in the Oslofjord Tunnel, and the effective score by Johannes Ringen and Johan Söderqvist, it sounds a lot more like a documentary. Then, of course, the quake finally happens, and things pick up in a big way: the default Norwegian Dolby Atmos track (again, like its predecessor) unloads a great deal of channel separation and heavy LFE, both of which place viewers square in the middle of the action. There's also great use of height during the collapse of a major structure -- without venturing too far into spoiler territory, let's just say it's a tall building -- as well as a rescue scene in an elevator shaft. All the while, dialogue is cleanly recorded and sounds very good during action scenes and quiet moments alike, both of which contribute to the film's great use of contrast to make the inevitable disaster seem all the more threatening. As always, if your receiver or soundbar doesn't support Atmos, it automatically unfolds to a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix.

The optional English dub is much further down in quality and almost a total loss. Though technically it sounds fine in DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, the dialogue quality is very uneven and distracts more than anything else. Many scenes aren't closely matched to their proper settings -- be it a large room, inside a vehicle, etc. -- and volume levels seem mixed a bit too high as well. There are also several moments where dialogue is unnecessarily added: when newspaper headlines and other articles are read, for example, they're often sloppily narrated by whoever's looking at them. Unless you really have a hard time reading subtitles, stay away from this one. Perhaps the only plus here is that Magnolia has seen fit to add a second subtitle track to match the English dub, in addition to the standard English translation subtitles. Both are formatted in a nice, clean font that's perfectly legible and placed within the 2.40:1 frame.

The Quake Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Like its predecessor, The Quake features the bare minimum of bonus features.

• Behind the Scenes (10:56 total) - This collection of short EPK-style featurettes delves into various aspects of The Quake's production including Oslo's real-life disaster implications, history and research, central characters, and special effects but, as its brief running time implies, these barely scratch the surface and are over before they really get started. In particular, the film's outstanding effects could've been explored a lot more, but we only get a short breakdown of several third-act shots and a glimpse of the top-floor set being built and operated. Several cast and crew members offer a few fleeting remarks including actors Kristoffer Joner (Kristian) and Ane Dahl Torp (Idun), as well as director John Andreas Andersen. In short, these will leave you wanting more, and I've have definitely traded the lenticular slipcover for another 5 or 10 minutes of footage.

The Quake Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

John Andreas Andersen's The Quake is a solid follow-up to The Wave and, in many ways, doesn't fall in line with most sequels: there are fewer central characters, the disaster is teased a bit longer, and it doesn't continuously reference the first installment (although if you're going in blind, several moments will have much less emotional impact). There are still a lot more similarities than there are differences but, thanks to the obvious skill and attention of the cast and crew, it doesn't feel like a bland rehash. Both films are very much unlike typical Hollywood big-budget disaster epics, favoring realism and three-dimensional characters, but they still fall victim to a few genre cliches along the way. Magnolia's Blu-ray presentation is likewise similar to the previous installment: The Quake's A/V presentation is top-notch, led by an outstanding Norwegian Dolby Atmos track, but the bonus features leave a lot to be desired. Its relatively low price makes this Blu-ray an easy choice for fans of The Wave, but newcomers should start with that one first.