Film Review: The Impossible

Director: Juan Antonio Bayona

The devastating tsunami that hit South-East Asia in 2004 was probably one of the worst natural disaster of our time, the new reports shocked people around the world into giving millions of pounds worth of donations to help the injured and to get things repaired. There were criticisms of the film for changing the family involved to a White-English family but these were actually minimal.

Maria (Naomi Watts) with her oldest son Lucas (Tom Holland)

*possible spoilers ahead*
Maria (Naomi Watts) and Henry (Ewan McGregor) are an English couple with three sons (Lucas, Thomas and Simon) who live in Japan but are spending Christmas on holiday in Thailand. They enjoy the gorgeous surroundings and beautiful sunshine before their lives are changed forever when a tsunami causes a tidal wave  to smash through the resort that they are staying at. This leaves them fighting for their lives in a country where the entire infrastructure is at breaking point.

Naomi Watts puts in a superb emotionally-charged performance as Maria who fights with her son to find safety whilst her health rapidly deteriorates. It is a hugely impressive lead performance that is fully deserving of a Golden Globe nomination and hopefully an Oscar one too, Tom Holland is decent as the oldest son who is given big responsibilities due to his mum's poor health. Ewan McGregor features a lot less in the film than you'd think and puts in a capable performance.

Henry (Ewan McGregor) with sons Thomas and Simon

The opening only passes by for around ten minutes before the tsunami hits, giving us just enough time to know the family and who they are. There was an interesting conversation about whether Henry will lose his job that never developed, maybe it was just there to put perspective on the tragedy but I did keep wondering throughout the film whether that topic would be visited again.

The special effects for the tsunami were incredible especially when Maria and Lucas are fighting through the water and currents to reach each other, the whole sequence followed by the walk through the crop fields were engrossing and tense. The film loses its way slightly as the tension disappears as the ending becomes clear whilst the scene where Henry, Lucas then Thomas and Simon are all outside the same hospital but don't  quite run into each other was farcical and hugely detracted from the realism they were trying to portray. But overall it was an enjoyable film that wasn't too 'Hollywood'.

3/4 Impressive first half loses its way