Terrific spectacle and decent drama

Rating: 7/10 (18 July 2014)

There is something a little unsavory about following one privileged white family through the hellish aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, but there's more than enough good material to counter any feelings of whitewashing. The recreation of the tsunami is a marvel of visual effects, combining miniatures and digital elements that must have been grueling to film and the result is a technical masterstroke. Its spectacle is both stunning and frightening and director Juan Antonio Bayona stages this mayhem with a brilliant eye. He holds shots without cutting quickly and even with his characters being tossed around from the water, the action is made of well composed shots that are never difficult to tell what is happening.
Watts spends most of the film on a bed rotting, but manages to pull out a great performance, where she could have easily over done it and hammed it up. Newcomer Tom Holland (no, not the horror director) also does a fantastic job as Watts' young son.
The Impossible spends most of its running time in a hospital, as tourists and locals search and mourn for their loved ones and while the film occasionally enters 'inspirational' territory, it never goes too far to become cloying and sentimental. There's enough quality filmmaking here to highly recommend The Impossible.