The impossible movie trailer

The Impossible, that stars Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts in the lead roles, is an English-language Spanish production about a Spanish family, The Belons, who faced the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami head on, and lived to tell their heart-wrenching tale. This is not a movie that wastes its time in setting up the impending doom, or savours the disaster scenes by amping up the destruction for the pleasure of the viewers, or even boasts of the blockbuster tag that demands limited emotional participation in exchange of instant gratification. This is a simple but powerful film about human tenacity, about surviving against all odds in the face of death, about salvaging and hanging out to the last bit of hope when life has little of it to offer.

The Impossible movie cast and crew

Directed by
Juan Antonio Bayona

Naomi Watts

Ewan McGregor

Tom Holland

Samuel Joslin

Oaklee Pendergast

Marta Etura

Sönke Möhring

Geraldine Chaplin

Ploy Jindachote

Jomjaoi Sae-Limh

Johan Sundberg

Jan Roland Sundberg

La-Orng Thongruang

Tor Klathaley

Douglas Johansson

The Impossible movie images

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The Impossible movie overview

I can say that since things have died down at work, back to normal hours, and having some extra money due to the extra hours, I have been able to see a nice bunch of movies to start 2013. And hopefully that is a trend that continues for awhile. Although next week is vacation for me and I’ll be spending it in Vegas, so I am not sure if a movie will be watched then.

But I did once again venture off to one of my local Landmark Theaters, the Oriental, to see this movie, The Impossible. There had been some strong buzz for this one going in, and even a little more buzz now after yesterday’s Oscar nominations were announced, with Naomi Watts up for a Best Performance by a Lead Actress nomination for the film.

The Impossible is based on the real life family, the Bennets: Maria (Watts) and Henry (Ewan McGregor), and their three sons, Lucas (Tom Holland) Thomas (Samuel Joslin), and Simon (Oaklee Pendergast). While vacationing in Thailand for Christmas, they were about to become just one of the stories of survival from a 2004 tsunami that devastated the area.

You might think knowing it’s a real-life survival story is a spoiler, but if you watch the trailer or read the official synopsis, you will see that that’s the premise of the movie. Perhaps you think it will ruin the drama and suspense, but for me, I would say, not in this movie.

We are given a brief intro and look at the family before all hell breaks loose. And when the tsunami hits, your heart begins to quicken and you just sit in your seat and feel the raw power and chaos as you follow the family during the initial wave. The amazing visuals and special effects, which are not overdone, just drag you into the wave. And it’s going to get a little gory as the destruction makes its way inland. So for those of you that aren’t a fan of blood and stuff, be warned, you may need to look away at certain scenes. But luckily the story and cast are enough to get your attention back to the screen.

Amongst all the bad that is going on in the world, a movie like this is enough to make you feel good about mankind and the human condition once again. The tsunami affected many, but no matter the color of skin, everyone was out to help everyone, and that makes your heart feel good.

If I were to complain about one thing, it would be the few times you may want to say “C’mon” towards the end, as there are some close calls between the family being reconnected. After awhile, it just seemed a little obvious they were trying to get you more emotional invested, but believe me, I was close to tears at a few times, but you would expect that with this movie.

I would say this is one you should see and make sure you check it out in theaters, just to really get the full effect of seeing it on the big screen as I am not sure a viewing on your TV will be as powerful.

The Impossible movie review

A typical Hollywood disaster film is defined by its multiple interconnected storylines where half the fun lies in guessing who would die first, extravagant special effects that cost more than the souls of the studio heads producing it, a huge ensemble cast of a bunch of B+ actors who would *actually* otherwise be brought together only if there was a real-life apocalypse, and the godforsaken choice between Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich as director, which makes ALL the difference in the world (no it doesn’t). Thankfully, The Impossible is not your typical Hollywood disaster film. In fact, it’s not a Hollywood film to begin with.

The Impossible, that stars Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts in the lead roles, is an English-language Spanish production about a Spanish family, The Belons, who faced the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami head on, and lived to tell their heart-wrenching tale. This is not a movie that wastes its time in setting up the impending doom, or savours the disaster scenes by amping up the destruction for the pleasure of the viewers, or even boasts of the blockbuster tag that demands limited emotional participation in exchange of instant gratification. This is a simple but powerful film about human tenacity, about surviving against all odds in the face of death, about salvaging and hanging out to the last bit of hope when life has little of it to offer.

The Belon family – Maria and Enrique Alvarez, and their three sons, Lucas, Tomas and Simon, were spending their Christmas vacation in a tropical paradise resort in Thailand on December 26, 2012, just minutes off the Thai coast, when the deadliest tsunami in human history ravaged the shores of cities across South East Asia. The Belon family, injured and separated from each other on that day, did not give up on each other, and persevered through the chaos and turmoil of post-tsunami Thailand to find each other amidst a sea of wounded, dying or dead tourists and locals, in a story that is traumatic as it is beautiful.

After powerfully setting up the haunting moment when the tsunami first struck, The Impossible follows the independent journeys of the separated family – Maria (Watts) and the eldest son, Lucas (Tom Holland) who end up in one of the many Thai hospitals teeming with the injured, and Henry (played by McGregor) and the two younger sons, Thomas (Samuel Joslin) and Simon (Oaklee Pendergast), who are looking through every hotel, every hospital and every morgue in the hope that the rest of their family is alive.

While the disaster and its aftermath – the human suffering at the hands of an unforeseen and unexpected natural force – are definitely an important part of the movie, the core of the movie lies in what is probably the core of the human fabric: the love for family. The movie does not care to deal with subtexts or larger meanings, or try and analyse why the disaster happened, why were these particular people chosen or who was responsible for it all; instead, it taps into the most basic of human emotions and shows, through a screenplay that is at times heart-breaking, and at times fills you with elation, that the tragedy of losing everything material can always be overcome, if your loved ones are still by your side, holding your hands.The Impossible is sometimes a difficult movie to watch, purely for the range of emotions it stirs within you, but it is also an important watch, to drive home the point that we only know too well – that love is all you need. It’s directed straight from the heart by Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona (The Orphanage); it’s got some of the best, most natural and most heart-rendering performances seen on screen in a while, by Watts (who deserves an Oscar like nobody else), McGregor and especially Hollander, who makes the viewer feel pain, joy, suffering and hope like only the real Lucas could have felt; and ultimately and most important , it’s about courage and the triumph of the human spirit.

If these are not enough reasons to watch what is undoubtedly one of the best films of the year, watch The Impossible because it will leave you with a smile on your face, as you go back home and hug your entire family, and thank the powers that be for every moment you’ve got to spend with them, and for every moment hereafter.