Enjoying a holiday in Thailand with her family, Maria (Naomi Watts) basks in its sun-kissed serenity. Along with her husband Henry (Ewan McGregor), their thoughts turn to spending quality time with their children. Sadly their world is shattered when a tsunami wreaks havoc over the land. With lives lost and others missing, what transpires is a harrowing account of finding loved ones and surviving a shocking event.
Swirling violins, inspirational incidents and tears, ‘The Impossible’ has lots of it. This may have the ‘cliché-alarm bells’ ringing although it passes muster due to its powerful tale. Wisely focussing on one family, they become a microcosm of the horror people endured. The scale of the disaster was immense as was the physical and emotional toll. ‘The Impossible’ examines these issues well as Maria’s searches for her family, which is often painful viewing but nonetheless compelling.
As expected the CGI-created tsunami is conjured with breath-taking effect. The chaos it unleashed is expressed with skill by director J.A. Bayona who is strongly served by a fine cast. Even if the musical score over-plays the emotions, none of the performers do as they consistently ground their roles. Immediately you become part of their traumatic journey towards piecing together some sense of normalcy.
Whilst being occasionally predictable ‘The Impossible’ is a solid production. It’s made all the more powerful due to having happened with people’s survival instincts once again more absorbing than anything read in fiction.
Movie Review Rating out of 10: 7
Movie Review by Patrick Moore
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