The Impossible Review

Rating: 9/10 (28 January 2013)

Based on a true story of a family swept apart by natures most fierce. Starring Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts, a couple and their family embark on what would be their biggest adventure yet. The mass destruction in which the tsunami left and the sheer madness that arose the couple and their children start The Impossible task to find one another.
Maria (Naomi Watts) and Henry (Ewan McGregor) take their three sons on holiday to a remote area on the coastal region of Thailand. As December 26th 2004 arrives, the family go out to play around the pool, that is where all fun and games were going to come to an end and the sheer roar from the incoming tidal wave sent shock-waves down everybody's spines, a huge black wall of water sweeps her and her family as well as other holiday goers off their feet and into the abyss. A family separated by a tragic circumstance but somehow reunited as one.
The film conjured some very interesting and effective camera shots. There is a particular scene in which the camera focuses on Maria from a wide angle to establish the type of danger that she is in, this is followed by a close up of her struggling face, this together emphasize on the sheer size of this catastrophe. Another really nice camera shot is when Maria is emerging out the water and there is somewhat of a glow around her which forms an angelic type of shot which maybe suggests a miracle as occurred a better still, she is alive.
This story through visuals and powering script is a basic story told in an absolutely brilliant way. Of course a challenging aspect to this movie was making the tsunami and effects look as really as possible and with the aid of top CGI artists, Antonio Lado (The Expendables 2, The others) and his team of FX artists. All came together to create possibly one of the most realistic and believable natural disasters to appear on the cinema screen. You will feel completely submerged into the tsunami itself as the camera bobs in and out of the water and by the way the waves have been rendered and how it fits within the scene. As well as the sheer roar that comes with the wave, altogether creates a very unnerving atmosphere; one that no man would like to be a part of.
As the wave seemingly calms Maria and one of her sons are reunited, it takes around 30 minutes before we actually know whether Henry had survived the tragic event along with the other two sons. However, a further wave hits which lead us wondering whether any of the family had survived, surely not I hear you say, not after two huge waves hit the coastal region of Thailand. This adds to the suspense and the continuing question as to what happened to them. This in my opinion reflects on how strong and emotionally telling this film and story is and it really emphasizes on the true meanings of family.
Lucas (Tom Holland) makes his feature film debut and he surprised a lot of people. He surprised in a very good way and he really held himself in this film. Throughout the film you see him mature from playing with his new toys which shows his child like behaviors to incredibly saving his mother's life, as he does so he meets lost children and possibility he may lose his mum, he tries to do everything that will make her proud within what could be her final hours.
Overall this film sends you on an emotional roller-coaster, this is what invests the audience and this is what the audience pay their money for. This brilliantly crafted master piece from J.A.Bayona and writer Sergio G. Sanchez, they immersed me into an event which I never wish to happen to myself or anybody for that matter. This film showed me what it would be like as realistically as possible to be involved in such a horrific event albeit one families views out of the 300,000 people who unfortunately aren't with us anymore.
One of the most outstanding pictures of the year!
Go and see it people!