Horrific and moving but leaves a bad taste.

Rating: 6/10 (11 January 2013)

As a movie, this film is both frightening and moving. The scenes involving the tsunami itself are absolutely devastating. I'm not a fan of movies that rely on special effects, but in this case they are the most horrifying since the opening scenes of 'Saving Private Ryan.' You could never recreate the true horror of being there, but this is probably as close as you could get.
So, why has it left a bad taste? Firstly, I must say the makers did put the Thais in a good light as friendly, helpful people. This is actually true. They can seem shy, even aloof at times, but in a crisis they are the best people to have around. I was not living here during the tsunami but I was here for the great flood of 2011 and the Thai people were absolutely fantastic in every way. An old lady rescued my family and I in a boat from our house so I have first hand experience.
So, I really was hoping for a movie that showed the difference between the rich on holiday and how they got treated and the poor who lost everything and had no medical insurance.
Some westerners did suffer terribly and many died, but it was a small amount compared to the thousands of Thais who lived in ram shackled housing.
This movie is good, but it could have been great by showing the effects on western families on holiday, the rescue services (including the locals, although that was touched on a little but not enough) and the Thai community and the response of the authorities.
The movie turns into a 90 minute 'disaster movie' instead of the 3 hour epic it could have been.