The Burning Sea

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2:11

The Burning Sea

PG-13

2022

1h 45m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

34 Reviews

46%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

In 1969, the Norwegian government announces their discovery of one of the world's largest oil fields in the neighboring North Sea, launching a prosperous period of offshore drilling. 50 years later, the environmental consequences begin to manifest -- a crack has opened on the ocean floor, causing a rig to collapse. A team of researchers, including submarine operator Sofia, rushes in to search for the missing and assess the cause of the damage, but what they discover is that this is just the start of a possible apocalyptic catastrophe. As rigs are evacuated, Sofia's loving companion Stian becomes trapped in the depths of the sea, and Sofia must dive in to rescue him. THE BURNING SEA is the latest disaster epic from the team behind THE QUAKE and THE WAVE.

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Critics Consensus

The Burning Sea falls back on disaster movie formula, but the end results are gripping enough to satisfy.

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Robert Daniels

IndieWire

Jan 1, 2025

C+

The characters in “The Burning Sea” are the standard stock and trade of disaster movies.

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Leslie Felperin

Guardian

May 24, 2022

2/5

A regular beat of tension and release plays out as people get saved only to face new dangers, following the template of disaster films since the beginning of cinema, but it’s done well here.

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

Mar 12, 2022

It's really well done... All those special effects are used in the correct way.

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Guillermo Courau

La Nación (Argentina)

Jun 8, 2023

2.5/5

Both the prologue and epilogue give the movie a mockumentary patina as if to raise environmental awareness, but strictly speaking, what's in between is standard lackluster and predictable entertainment. [Full review in Spanish]

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Jorge Montiel

Clarín

Jun 8, 2023

3/4

Although the plot owes a lot to the great Hollywood catastrophe genre spectacle, there is no cool ensemble in The Burning Sea, nor do the heroes have the muscles of Dwayne Johnson, the successful ex-wrestler known as The Rock. [Full review in Spanish]

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Dev Shea

Nightmarish Conjurings

Sep 13, 2022

If you can watch The Burning Sea, I highly recommend it. The pacing is steady. The story is eye-opening. The acting is incredible and it may become your favorite disaster film. This is definitely a movie to beat in 2022.

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Justin T

@Banditdakat Jan 7, 2026

Amazing movie, great acting, feels like it had a good amount of effort put into it, and the English dub was actually solid. Pros: Good English dub, good acting, interesting technology showcased in the movie. Cons: A little slow at times, not exactly the most realistic, but I'll give it a pass. Overall recommendation: definitely not something you'd watch at family movie night, more per say if you were bored and wanted to watch something new, or if you are on a long flight.

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علاء EL TARF 36 ح

@Aala36 Mar 24, 2025

It's great watching it was fun It's great watching it was fun

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Ana G

@RT76272466 Mar 18, 2025

Another exciting Norwegian disaster film, this time more focused on the emotional part, and I liked it

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Nicole S

@RT00053928 Nov 25, 2024

One star for the effects and half a star for the somewhat decent acting. The main character really flew out to the middle of the ocean with a half-baked plan and expected corporate to pull them out

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Tom S

@RT47100268 Nov 24, 2023

Pretty good until the ending. Spoiler alert ....................................... a thick oil slick doesn't burn off in 10 minutes plus the wells would have kept spewing oil. I was hoping Hollywood wouldn't have infected this movie but, oh well.....

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Jyl B

@RT06277201 Apr 17, 2023

It had many opportunities for a more intriguing story and acting. A little suspenseful but I wouldn't go as far as to call it gripping. I watched the English dubbed version.

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Synopsis

In 1969, the Norwegian government announces their discovery of one of the world's largest oil fields in the neighboring North Sea, launching a prosperous period of offshore drilling. 50 years later, the environmental consequences begin to manifest -- a crack has opened on the ocean floor, causing a rig to collapse. A team of researchers, including submarine operator Sofia, rushes in to search for the missing and assess the cause of the damage, but what they discover is that this is just the start of a possible apocalyptic catastrophe. As rigs are evacuated, Sofia's loving companion Stian becomes trapped in the depths of the sea, and Sofia must dive in to rescue him. THE BURNING SEA is the latest disaster epic from the team behind THE QUAKE and THE WAVE.

Director: John Andreas Andersen
Producer: Therese Bøhn, Catrin Gundersen, Martin Sundland
Screenwriter: Lars Gudmestad, Harald Rosenløw-Eeg
Distributor: Magnet Releasing
Production Co: Chezville, Fantefilm, Zefyr Media Fund, Nordisk Film- & TV-Fond, Piggy Bænk, Film i Väst, Norsk Filminstitutt, Creative Europe Media
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Brief Partial Nudity|Peril|Some Disturbing Images)
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Norwegian
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 25, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 25, 2022
Box Office (Gross USA): $371
Runtime: 1h 45m

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