The Impossible

The Impossible is a harrowing tale set around the tsunami that hit Thailand in 2004. This is one of those movies that just grabs you from the moment it starts and doesn't let up for a minute. It is a superbly made film that made me feel quite sick at points to imagine what the central characters were going through and how badly it affected the whole country. For some reason I had not thought much about the tsunami nor really understood the impact of one. It seemed to me that a wave isn't such a fierce creation of nature, but after watching this movie I have a whole new appreciation for what it means for a huge wave to hit a coastline and the damage one can cause!

The special effects in this film are brilliant. The quality of the shot when the wave hits takes your breath away, and then watching the subsequent battering Naomi Watts character receives as she is pummelled through the water with the full force of the wave throwing her around will make you cringe. The characters are very well constructed, due in part to Naomi and Ewan McGregor being formidable actors and playing their characters brilliantly. This movie might be more like a Roland Emmerich film had it not been for those two actors. They make you feel the sadness and incredible brutality of what the actual family went through (its based on a real life story) and it just hits home that something like this actually happened, deepening your connection to the story.

I sat down with my wife to finish our weekend on Sunday evening and enjoy this film, but I dont recommend it as a Sunday night affair. Its more a Friday evening movie that you can put Monsters Inc on or How I Met You're Mother afterwards to try and rid your mind of some of the images you have seen. Until you go to bed that is.

SCORE: 8/10

IMDB Info for The Impossible