overemotive direction

Rating: 3/10 (13 February 2013)

The one thing this film really needed was a connection with the family. I just didn't feel it at all. I just didn't care. Someone else who reviewed this film suggested it was 'white-centric' and you could be forgiven for thinking this. Of course if it had been made by thais about thais the audience would be non existent outside asia. As it is they changed the nationality of the original family from Spanish to English probably for the same reason; but we should expect this and go with it.
No, the real problem is I just didn't care about the family, especially the way over the top hysterics of Ewan McGregor. The thing that pulled this movie up from 1 to 3 for me was the children, especially 'Luke'. In a glib by the book TV movie format they were surprisingly natural and Luke was the only actor who showed any real talent and grew with the story.
Overall this was a poor trivialisation of an horrific tragedy.