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Feb 10, 2020 Web Exclusive By Austin Trunick

Frank (Justin Long) is a dedicated insurance lawyer and a rising rung on a tall, corporate ladder. After finding a loophole in a policy that allows his company to decline a massive payout to a family in need, Frank is coerced into celebrating with a night on the town with his co-worker pal, Jeff (Scrubs’ Donald Faison). They meet two girls at a bar, who convince them to come along to party. There, Frank decides to cut loose and try a mysterious drug offered to him by a strange man in the back room. It sets him off on the trip of his lifetime.

Directed by first-time feature filmmaker Gille Klabin, The Wave is a wild, psychedelic ride. Over its never-stopping, sub-90 minutes, we accompany Frank through terrifying hallucinations, a frantic quest for a vanished girl, violent run-ins with drug dealers, the implosion of his marriage, and a substantial amount of time travel. And, you know what? Despite all of the onscreen insanity it all sort of makes sense, at least within its own terms. The Wave is thoroughly unpredictable, and frequently funny. It stumbles some at the end, when the movie commits to trying to say something deep about life and the universe; The Wave functions better when it’s a thrillingly fast-paced “drug movie” than when it tries too hard for the last ten minutes or so to be a “message movie.”

The Blu-ray release looks great, and really shows off Klabin’s colorful visual prowess. Extra features include an audio commentary, gag reel, and several technical featurettes.