User reviews

Wow, I must say that Norway has indeed been on a roll in the recent years in regards of disaster movies. First there was the 2015 movie "Bølgen" (aka "The Wave"), which was followed by the 2018 movie "Skjelvet" (aka "The Quake"), and now in 2021 there was "Nordsjøen" (aka "The Burning Sea").

I must admit that I have been thoroughly entertained by these movies, and "Nordsjøen" proved to be equally enjoyable. So writers Harald Rosenløw-Eeg and Lars Gudmestad definitely managed to put together a good storyline for "Nordsjøen". Sure, there wasn't a whole lot of destruction and mayhem in this movie, which was a shame, but "Nordsjøen" was a very well-written story-driven movie. And the story was spiced up with a natural disaster. So it was actually still quite enjoyable.

For me, then I felt it was a shame that there wasn't more focus on the destructive forces of the disaster, because I was sort of expecting that. But luckily then director John Andreas Andersen managed to put writers Harald Rosenløw-Eeg and Lars Gudmestad's script to life on the screen in a very enjoyable and entertaining manner.

The acting performances were good in "Nordsjøen". And I wasn't familiar with the cast here, but they definitely put on good performances to bring the movie to life. I was sort of expecting to see actor Kristoffer Joner here, as he was in both "Bølgen" and "Skjelvet", but he wasn't here.

Visually then "Nordsjøen" was pretty good, I liked the special effects and it definitely came off as being realistic and added a lot of flavor to the movie.

If you enjoy disaster movies, then "Nordsjøen" is well-worth watching.

My rating of "Nordsjøen" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Yes, for American viewers it will remind "Deepwater Horizon" (2016) and others could probably compare it with movies about Chernobyl Disaster 1986 or 2021 Suez Canal obstruction. Anyway, yes this movies is about disaster that was caused nor by nature but by humans.

This movies has it strong sides like a good acting from the whole cast, interesting plot, and driven action without unreal things (like Dwayne Johnson failing out of the skyscraper, mundane routine in a movie "Skyscraper" (2018)). Unfortunately, this movie also has negative sides like copying American style of movies (examples above can be considered), obviously somewhere & somehow scenario is predictable, and "fancy" cultural contrast (It is not about Norway, it is about representation how scenes and certain actions showed).

Overall, it is a good movie and good story. The plot is interesting and has interesting twists. It is showing action from on side and beauty of culture from another side. Definitely, not a waste of time but sadly contain some vivid cliché. If it would had editing in regards of the scenario and cut in chronométrage, it could be 10 out of 10.

P. S: If you are in Greenpeace or in WWF, or fan of Greta Thunberg, you might have a serious "burnout" / "butthurt" particularly close to the end of the movie ;)

I enjoyed the film. The acting was good, the effects believable and the underlying message important.

I want to urge people who visit this site in order to decide whether or not to watch a particular film to concentrate on the subject, the director, the actors and the writers. If some or all of those intrigue you, go for it. Pay as little attention as possible to the reviewers' remarks and opinions as they are often misleading and/or wrong. Do not let them sway you. Respect the time and effort people have put into creating the films and form your own opinions.

I think this movie is a great example of good, Norwegian quality. It includes great actors, respectable CGI, and a deep, cinematic experience. In my opinion, this one is better than both the Norwegian The Wave (2015) and The Quake (2018), and can easily beat several of Hollywood's disaster movies. Recommending!

North Sea is a little-known Norwegian disaster film. Norwegian cinema is not the most famous in Europe, not to mention the whole world. But North Sea is a great movie, something similar to Deepwater Horizon, but without Hollywood pathos and star cast. If you liked Deepwater Horizon, I advise you to watch North Sea. Yes, there is no star cast in North Sea, there is almost no action. Here is mostly a drama of several people, their suffering and sacrifices. But the film doesn't seem more passable. It's just about something else. I advise everyone to watch it, I understand that few people will know about the film. I was accidentally offered by a media service after watching Deepwater Horizon.

It felt a little long and dragged out for the 104 min runtime, but it was still a solid and entertaining production, with excellent cinematography and S/VFX. Casting and performances were spot on. It's a good one-time watch, and a well deserved 7/10 from me.

We enjoyed it a lot. Norway continues to pump out good flicks and series. It's great we can see other countries movies.. it, more than the internet, makes the world a smaller, safer place. Assuming we get rid of Putin, Xi and other nefarious evil characters on world stage. I think someday in next couple decades we will find world peace. Think I'm naisve? I remember when Norway was thought to be in that same category along with many others who now are great countries (some better than USA). If I had foresight I'd moved my family to Norway 30 yrs ago.

Worth a watch for sure.

I did really appreciate this film. The film was great, and had good effects. I got to remember this is a Norwegian movie, but they are at the level with the great ones in America, I think. I love that the catastrophic movies of 2021, has a message. Not only this movie of course. The message is real and important!

I found this to be a pretty good disaster movie made in Norway. While the oilrig disaster have been done before, the way it executed here is pretty good on the disaster that was shown here. The movie itself does a pretty good job building up the disaster and the characters that you make you feel for them. One interesting idea is that one of the characters use this robotic snake thing to go underwater and look for survivor. The characters themselves are average enough and pretty generic. The movie is also suspenseful with the disaster scene and the characters trying to survive in it.

Overall it's a pretty good disaster movie.

This movie is of two halves. First 2/3 is ok, slow build up, somewhat believable, but from "setting the sea on fire" and out its AWFUL!! Should have spent some more time and money on a better ending, seems like they ran out of money, or idead, probably both.

Another Norwegian disaster movie which was a success in the Norwegian theatres. I wasn't expecting much from this, as the trailer seemed lame, telling the movie was overacted. I'm happy to say it was not. Before showing it abroad, they should make a new trailer, or it will be more lightly to bomb.

It started off with The Wave (Bølgen) in 2015 (Director: Roar Uthaug, Writers: John Kåre Raake and Harald Rosenløw-Eeg) which was 9/10.

Followed by The Quake (Skjelvet) (The Quake) in 2018 (Director: John Andreas Andersen, same writers as The Wave) which was 7/10.

Followed by The Tunnel (Tunnelen) in 2019 (Director: Pål Øie, Writer Kjersti Helen Rasmussen) which also was 7/10.

And now The Burning Sea (Nordsjøen) in 2021. (John Andreas Andersen, Writers: Harald Rosenløw-Eeg and Lars Gudmestad) which I think is 8/10.

Before this Norwegian disaster movies did hardly exist, maybe with the exception of People in the sun (Mennesker i Solen) from 2011 which has a funny approach and which I think is under-appreciated and I also loved to an 8/10.

The team behind The Wave was also behind The Quake, which is some kind of follow-up, and now this The Burning Sea, while The Tunnel was an exception.

Well, this is a step up, both when it comes to the catastrophe as well as in effects. The CGI is, like in them all superb. No wonder Hollywood searches Norway for CGI-talents, as all these movies are made on what would be a shoestring budget in Hollywood. The story is also good, and quite believable, though of course there are plot holes, and things that are not drawn out too much, hence the length of the movie.

I was on the egde of my theater seat along the way. Even if I didn't like very much the kid-story took too much place. Bu well done! I hope for more Norwegian disasters!

Good movie, a bit more promising in the trailer.

However, someone forgot to turn image stabilization on. Awful capturing... If you are into movies you'll realize it from the first second.

Long time not watching non Hollywood movies. Suddenly had this one come along. The plot is normal while the scenes are good, and no know before that the oil drills are emptying the sea, and we should better save the world. The actor is finally saved by his girlfriend, and I would take time to watch the previous 2.

I would agree with a 6.5 for this film but the arbitrary IMDB system won't allow that. It was a random find and a decent film. I struggle with foreign films with subtitles and suspect I miss out on many good films but I was in the right mood and stuck with it on this occasion. The Platform is another film that was brilliant. Back to this one, great CGI and although there was less grit and action than Deepwater Horizon, the horror of what humans can cause in so far as damage to the planet was more intense here. The apathy of the humans involved aggravated me even more only as that is exactly what I assume it is like in real life.

Norwegian disaster movies don't get a lot of attention, but the Wave and the Quake were excellent movies, partly because the focus was on the scientist doing the research, and in the Wave, how the scenario was presented as possible, and how it was made real. We start out with a robotics team of Sofia and Arthur, using submarine robots and who are called by a company to use the robot to see if there are survivors of an oil drilling platform that suddenly collapsed, possibly trapped in air pockets. What they find is much more dire. When faced with the danger, the company shuts down the drilling platforms. Near the drilling, in the past, there was a massive landslide. What they are faced with is that after thousands of wells were drilled, the ocean bottom is like Swiss cheese, and landslides can spread to the drilling platforms. But Nature has other ideas, and that is a big part of the story. And they go Hollywood, in that Sofia and Stian, who works on a platform, have a romantic interest, and that makes up a big portion of the rest of the movie. The special effects are excellent, and one can believe one is on a drilling platform.

A pretty decent Norwegian film about a catastrophe at sea as the title suggests. Actually, it's a few catastrophes with the three primary characters in near constant peril almost to the point of it getting a bit melodramatic now and then. Nevertheless, some of it is is very tense, none of it is boring and it is very well shot. It's hard to judge the acting as I was only able to see a dubbed version. I've seen much worse dubbing, so it's not too distracting. One of the more interesting things seen here is a very sci-fi looking underwater robotic device that is real. We've become so used to CGI being able to create anything, it's an amazing thing to watch in action after learning that.

'The Burning Sea' is the third in a series of Norwegian disaster films. 'The Burning Sea' is not a sequel and serves as a stand-alone film with new characters.

When an oil rig suddenly sinks, Sofia (Kristine Kujath Thorp) and Arthur (Rolf Kristian Larsen) are sent to assist in looking for survivors. With the help of their sophisticated equipment, footage shows a huge crack in the seabed, with evaporating gasses. And this in an area where there are 350 oil rigs...

Work on the rigs are immediately halted and the crew evacuated. However, Sofia's boyfriend Stian (Rolf Kristian Larsen) gets trapped in a rig, and she and Arthur go on a rescue mission to save him. 'The Burning Sea' might not be the action-packed film I expected, but from a rescue drama perspective it was entertaining. The film is more character-driven than similar Hollywood films and not overdone with CGI. Also don't expect action in the form of 'Deepwater Horizon'. 'The Burning Sea' is much more toned down - and therefore more realistic.

The visual effects are fantastic and the film delivers suspense and excitement. The score was also very effective in enhancing the suspense. Kristine Kujath Thorp was very good as Sofia, who is the film's heroin and a strong and determined character.

This film really looks good on screen, and is a nice addition to the disaster genre. 'The Burning Sea' also ends on a thought-provoking note.

Here's The 4K Lowedown on "The Burning Sea" (PG-13 - 2021 - 4K) Country: Norway Genre: Thriller/Disaster

My Score=7.4 Cast=5 Acting=8 Plot=8 Ending=9 Story=8 Intense=7 Pace=5 F/X=9 Disaster=8 Epic=7

4K: 8.2 HDR=8 Audio=9 Bass=7 Bright=9 Speech=8

An oil platform dramatically goes down on the Norwegian coast, and researchers try to find out what happened when they realize this is just the start of something even more serious.

"The rig is leaking gas...we have to get out of here!" This starts out really slow and I didn't get a lot of character development...possibly due to the foreign language on my part. Once it got going, this turned out to be a good disaster movie with a good 4K transfer and Dolby Atmos. It was really cool to have the rear speakers playing the soundtrack while everything else was on the soundbar. I can't say it was worth a 4K buy, but it was a pertty good watch.

Poorly written story, dialogue and characters. Plot holes everywhere, bad (or not good at least) actors and not to mention predictable all wrapped up in what seems to be low budget. You get TOLD whats happening a lot, not shown (the low budget kicks in here)...

If you enjoy these qualities in film, you should watch it.

Looking at what the other reviewers wrote about it, its hard to imagine we watched the same film, or they are involved with the film / actors somehow, giving it 7-9 / 10.

I'm generous when I give it 3/10.

Rewatch deepwater horizon or something instead of watching this one.

Great acting, great cinematography, top rate special effects. Tight and thrilling. And with a message, too. The audience was on the edge of their seats the whole time. The Norwegian film industry has definitely come of age with this movie. Must see!

Over the past seven years, Norwegian cinema has given us the fourth disaster movie.

Skjelvet (The Quake), Bølgen (The Wave), Tunnelen... And now: Nordsjøen (The North Sea).

These are all boring, drawn-out films, with loose scripts that aren't entertaining.

The fact is that in Norway there are only 1.5 directors and 2.5 screenwriters.

They know how to make boring and drawn-out dramas, but when they take on disaster films at the same time, they get a wave that quakes the tunnel under the North Sea.

This is so fictional and full of flaws that it's not worth renting. Save until its free to watch and "maybe" watch it then.

Enough is enough from these Norwegian producers in this genre of movies. Move on to something else to use the money on.

No pun intended - as you may know by know (if this isn't my first review you read), I am not reading too much before I watch a movie. So a lot of times, I have no idea what I am about to watch exactly. So when the movie began and some real footage was shown, I thought I'd be seeing a documentary. Of course that switches quite quickly and we get into fictional storytelling after that.

And what a great human drama is being told. If you are into the human survival kind of thing - if you like the stakes being as high as possible ... well you have quite the movie here. If you are thinking of the enviroment you may have quite a lot of issues with how things are being resolved of course. But it is a movie and the things we see are digital effects - which is a good thing, because I'd hate for all that mayhem to be real. There is enough real disasters in the world - we don't need more just to film a movie - even if it is good one - with a lot of drama and great acting.