The Impossible Review

The impossible

About the film/the plot

Well, where to start with this film; the impossible is about the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, the film itself is all about a family of 5 who were on holiday when the Tsunami hit but they were separated by the events. It's based on a family's events of the natural disaster, the characters also are named exactly the same as the family in the film which makes this film very personal. It's a very heart stopping movie, it shows the disaster in great detail including gore, suffering, love and determination. The only thing I could compare it to is 'Saving Private Ryan', if you have seen the first half hour of that you will know the sort of scenes to expect in The Impossible. The whole film I was at the edge of my seat hoping something good would come out of the disaster. I would say more about the action in the film but it would really ruin the story it is such a touching story you do not want to miss any of it.


Personal Ratings

This film is like nothing I have ever seen before, I have seen very tense films; and I have seen very inspirational and touching stories but this is on a whole different level. The fact that this was based on true events of a family's struggle made me really on edge and want to know what happens next and where as most films are very predictable this is completely different, there was no clear ending which constantly made me want to keep watching. Most films you will just sit back and watch and not really take notice of what the characters are feeling but most of all you know you are watching a film! When I sat down to watch the impossible with my cup of tea, I was just expecting the normal disaster film effect, but my tea went cold, I didn't touch it, the whole film was so tense i didnt want to look away, i forgot i was watching a film, i thought i was there in the water with the characters. Its very hard as a director to make us feel like we are there and we are not watching a film. Juan Antonio Bayona (the director) really created a very close rapport with the audience and the characters! The casting for the film were superb it was very convincing throughout. Ewan McGregor (Salmon Fishing in the Yemem) and Naomi Watts (the ring & King Kong) played their roles superbly well, even the children made it seem so real which is very hard as an actor considering they have to pretend they were in the horrible disaster.

A lot of films nowadays have over the top gore or too much gore but this film did have its fair share of it but it wasn't over the top, it was just right, it did look so real with the situation. Another great thing with this film which I really think works better and I know I'm not the only one is live action, there is only one scene with the green screen and even then it is only the background, the actual Tsunami was a real live action scene with no green screen, and it did look 100x better, it made it look like it was really happening and it made me feel for everyone there. The sound in the film also created the scenes too e.g. When the waves hit and the shots underwater. It's a very powerful film with real emotion into it and I would recommend it to anyone, even if they are not a film fan; this film would turn any non film fan into a fan.

A very powerful and touching film with real emotion and bravery
10/10

The Real Story

The impossible is based around a family of 5 who were separated by the disasters of 2004, the 3 boys Lucas 12, Simon 5 and Thomas 7. They were separated leaving Lucas and the mother Maria together and the dad Henry with Thomas and Simon. When the wave first hits is looking for her children not seeing where she was standing, when she noticed the wave was coming straight for her she was hit by the wave and went straight through a glass door. The speed of the water reached 60mph causing 100's of people to drown! Lots of wood and metal were in the water which were hitting people who were in the water, Maria was one of those people and I'm sorry to say this but she really did have a metal bar dig into the back of her leg. When the waves calm down Maria and Lucas find each other and they find a young little called Danny aged 3. The wait for help and Maria becomes very weak as her cuts are infected and she lost an awful lot of blood.

(If I say anymore it will ruin the film because the film is very accurate to the true story)