A family in the midst of dramatic events

Rating: 8/10 (20 January 2013)

This is a good film, with good direction and acting. Even the script, the usual weakness of American movies is quite good. Not everything that is said is a plot device and most of the stuff that is shown in the film is based on actual facts.
The problem that I had with the film was the way the tsunami was really something in the background, as were the actions of other people. There was so much focus on what do and feel the five members of the family that anything else felt blurry. It has to do with my own expectations, which were to gain insight in the disaster itself, rather than the emotional hardships of a single family caught in it.
The action scenes were spectacular, I grant you that. To see in detail what happens to a human body caught in a massive wave filled with debris is shocking. The emotional scenes were OK, mostly. The soundtrack was appropriate, but it annoyed me to no end. Really, I can feel for myself, chill with the violins already!
Bottom line: There are some gruesome scenes in the film, but it is mostly character acting and dialogue. The focus is only on one five member family and, after quite an emotional journey, the movie ends. It is a good movie, something that I would recommend, but I didn't feel it was out of the ordinary.