Review of The Impossible (2012) by Dana F — 06 Oct 2013

There are no surprises with this one, this movie is exactly what you expect it to be - it's the story of a family who was caught in the tsunami in 2004. What is surprising is how much I enjoyed it.

This movie could easily have been a schmaltzy tear-jerker with an inevitably predictable plot. But the way the story is told elevates the somewhat simple subject matter. No time is wasted in developing the characters at the beginning, the movie jumps right into it and the characters develop organically as the disaster and aftermath happens.

So as the movie progresses, you start to care about the characters more and more, and by the end you are with them all the way. This movie also did not pull any punches, it lays out the devastation of that event very clearly and doesn't flinch away from the grisly details, and as a result the true horror of that disaster really hits home.

My biggest criticism is the unforgiveable whitewashing of the cast. The family on which this film is based is Spanish, but their names and nationalities were changed to British, I guess to appeal more to the masses.

Such a disappointing choice, particularly since the writer and director are both Spanish. Shame on you, Hollywood! Regardless, this movie is emotionally engaging, expertly paced, and fueled by terrific performances (particularly the actor who plays the oldest son, that kid is incredible and was the most convincing of all of them).

It's definitely worth the watch.