Effective

Rating: Null/10 (5 January 2013)

The Impossible is definitely an emotionally-manipulative film, as manipulative a film as one can get (hmm, perhaps not as much... just imagine Spielberg directing this!). But it was still very effective, the first act being among some of the best scenes of the year. The whole cast is great as well. Watts is fine here definitely, but I'm not sure she's much any better than McGregor, who has a phone call scene that is heartbreaking in its own right. The kids all hold their own as well and are overall pretty impressive. So this is definitely recommended, and while I'm sure many won't like just how shamelessly emotional it is, it's still worth it.