Review 559: The Impossible

The Impossible is a harrowing

In December 2004, Maria (Naomi Watts) and Henry Bennett (Ewan McGregor) and their three sons Lucas (Tom Holland), Thomas (Samuel Joslin) and Simon (Oaklee Pendergast) go on a Christmas holiday to Khao Lak, Thailand. Two days latter on Boxing Day, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami hits the area. The family is

The whole tsunami was unexpectd, nobody saw it coming and thousands of people lost their lives as a result. From the Bennett's point of view, this was just another day on their holiday.

Director J. A. Bayona's direction is excellent. His choice to shoot many of the tsunami scenes in wide and overhead shots, reveling in the destructive force of the disaster, is
I have to give major praise to the effects department for recreating the tsunami in such a real and authentic manner as it was achived practically through the use of water tanks and model work. And the great thing is that it's not glorrfied or Hollywoodised in any way. The whole event is portrayed as a horrifically destructive force of nature
The score by Fernando Velázquez is

majestic nature of this culture.

The acting is excellent. Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts  For my money, Naomi Watts and Tom Holland are the MVPs of this film. Maria has a lot of empathy for survivors and always puts herself before them.

Tom Holland also definatly impressed playing Lucas, the eldest of the Bennet brothers