MOVIE REVIEW - The Impossible

The Impossible has been out for a week or two, a true story of a single family's  story of survival of the horrific Tsunami December 26, 2004.

This movie has been reviewed well, and has received a few award nominations, but has a had a tough time getting traction at the box office.  And after seeing it, this fact does come sharply into focus.  As good as this movie is, it's just so incredibly tragic, sad, and is simply about 100 minutes of real human suffering.   In short, this may do way better in video than at theaters.   Besides the somewhat limited release, it's asking a lot of the general movie going public today, to put down big money for this subject matter.  This is a real movie goers movie.

This is a highly dramatic movie as this young family of 5 is hit head on by the tragic tsunami and is essentially swept away, somewhat separately.  The bulk of this movie is the journey they go through  trying to find each other after the disaster.   This movie shows, the panic, the chaos, and the total confusion caused by this horrible event graphically   We have to remember that this tsunami struck deep in Southern Asia, way out in the Pacific, and not in a hugely populous country or area.  

This really is a remarkable story of reunification, and survival and this is certainly a story worth telling.  The tsunami scene is stunningly real and does a great job of putting you in the middle of it.   It is terrifying and there is no question that you can sense the danger, and the horror that was this event.  Although this is not an action movie, this scene is plenty action enough. One thing I found fascinating about that scene.  It is so real, you are ready for it to be over, as you become as fatigued as the players on screen.

This stars Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor.   Watts is nominated for an Oscar for this, and that may be a bit of a reach.   She is certainly good here, but the majority of this role, is action based at the start, and the rest is essentially her in horrible pain and suffering the remainder of the movie.  But I always like her choice in roles as I do McGregor.  They generally don't make bad projects, and this certainly is not.  This is solid, good, and painfully sad for the majority of it.  But, you will know the whole time, that a decent ending is more than likely on the way.

The Impossible.   Inspiring story.  This is heavy drama, and gut wrenching stuff at times.  But if you are in, this is really a very good emotional movie.