jonathan-harris17 A teacher begins a group on the concept of Autocracy and goes about (innocently) getting his students to conform.Things get out of hand, in a very predictable fashion.Essentially belonging to a group can be delightful, yet castigating and ignoring outsiders has it's drawbacks. Well done indeed.The fact that this is German lends some credence but this feels like it relies far too much on the subjects (and possibly the audience too) being teenagers, as it really feels like a lot of teenagers acting like teenagers -- one of the initial group drops out simply because the 'uniform' doesn't suit her -- and the many expected graffiti and partying scenes get annoying very quickly.The concept is still largely unbelievable in a modern world, and the script does little to convince otherwise.

h_bechara Few are the movies that take the viewer deep into the story line and the characters from the first minute. the wave is one of them. Simple plot like any teenagers movie, but focusing on the character performance and the reaction with the screen enriched the plot without tending for exploitation and erotic messages, nothing but simply innocent teenagers who have the ability of changing and improving like teenagers in every society, but the main issue is who and how to lead these teenagers through the changing process and what ideology must be adopted to unite them onto same objective. The motto is very clear, proving that fascism could be raised in every society however they claim immune. Recommended as for viewers who are looking for quality movies.

TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews In order to make a week-long school project more interesting, Rainer(Vogel, a former anarchist) teaches autocracy via full immersion. He makes everyone part of it – one designs their symbol, another their website, etc. It starts out small. Standing when you speak in class, no chit-chat, etc. Over time, however, the movement of The Wave picks up speed, and things go further than anticipated.The characterizations(and only a few lack a fully realized arc) are strong, and through this, we can see the effects of the fascism on different people. Some are troublemakers, some a little too good in class, not everyone wants to go along, and the various interpersonal relationships and students' status will be either strained or strengthened. History does indeed repeat itself, if we are not aware of the signs – put on display here. Even a small liberal community, today, with all the awareness and knowledge. Something is lacking, perhaps common values.This gives compelling exploration of conformity, uniformity, rules, following leader and groups(in- and out-), among others. Everyone is a human being, there is no black and white. The alternate rock soundtrack, cutting and hand-held cinematography highlights and renders contagious the youthful energy of Die Welle itself. We are swept up as well, and the tension rises to its inevitable crescendo. Without credits this is 97 minutes long, with them it's 103.The 2-Disc DVD comes with 83 minutes of interesting extras: 23 and a half minutes of good deleted/extended scenes(clearly removed purely for pacing), a well-made 22 minute making of, 17 and a half minutes of cast/crew interviews, a 6 and a half minute alternate ending, 6 minutes of funny, at times hilarious, outtakes, a 4 minute music video Empty Trash, 3 and a half minute class visit, 2 minute concert video Digitalism, 1 and a half minutes with Ron Jones(who did the original experiment that this is based upon), and half a minute of storyboard-to-film comparison.There is a lot of disturbing and some violent content in this. I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone interested in psychology, philosophy and/or history. 8/10

sergepesic There is such a fine, fragile line that separates us, self-proclaimed western, civilized people from a horde. This powerful, albeit a bit contrived movie, makes a clear and strong point about it. Simple high school experiment about autocracy turns into a hypnotic introduction to mass madness. Popular, unconventional history teacher tries to drum into his students heads the danger of fascism and it all goes pear-shaped. The basic human need for belonging and acceptance can turn into a primitive, tribal hatred of anything different and out of the so-called normal in society around us. You don't have to be a raging liberal to find countless examples of this through history and sadly today. Passionate, well directed and acted movie with perhaps a bit rushed and untidy point, but nevertheless important reminder of fragility of the order of the world we live in.