The Impossible
3/4
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast
Rated PG-13 for Intense Realistic Disaster Sequences, including Disturbing Injury Images and Brief Nudity
There's no doubt that "The Impossible," based on a true story of a family who survived the 2004 tsunami, is a harrowing film. But everyone will agree that it could, and should have, been so much more.
The Bennett family, which includes Henry (McGregor), Maria (Watts), Lucas (Holland), Thomas (Joslin) and Simon (Pendergast), is spending the holidays in Thailand. A few days into their stay, a tsunami hits. The island paradise is now a chaotic wasteland filled with pain, death and destruction. The family has been split up; Lucas tries to find help for gravely injured Maria, while Henry tries to find his family members with his younger two sons.
There's nothing wrong with the performances. With Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor as the leads, that's not particularly surprising. Both are fine, except that McGregor isn't a good crier (as one can see in the trailer). But to me, the actor who stuck in my mind the most is young Tom Holland. A newcomer to film (his only previous credit apart from his theater work was a voice role in "The Secret World of Arietty"), Holland effortlessly handles the relatively complex role of Lucas. He's a little too serious for a boy his age, and he's pretty aloof in terms of showing emotion freely. But he does care about people and is willing to help ("Go help people," his mother says. "You're good at it").
The problem is that the script is on the thin side, and director J.A. Bayona is prone to self-indulgence (such as the part when Maria goes into surgery). The plot feels a little too simple, and the script just doesn't give the actors enough to work with to make this a truly memorable film. One easily identifiable problem is that we're not given enough time to get to know the main characters. Five minutes is not enough time to introduce five characters.
Still, I recommend the film. It is a powerful film and the emotions it generates are real. The tsunami scenes are particularly intense. Bayona doesn't whitewash the destruction or the casualties; the film pushes the PG-13 rating to the limit. It's not as good as it could have been, but for what it is, it does a solid job.
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast
Rated PG-13 for Intense Realistic Disaster Sequences, including Disturbing Injury Images and Brief Nudity
There's no doubt that "The Impossible," based on a true story of a family who survived the 2004 tsunami, is a harrowing film. But everyone will agree that it could, and should have, been so much more.
The Bennett family, which includes Henry (McGregor), Maria (Watts), Lucas (Holland), Thomas (Joslin) and Simon (Pendergast), is spending the holidays in Thailand. A few days into their stay, a tsunami hits. The island paradise is now a chaotic wasteland filled with pain, death and destruction. The family has been split up; Lucas tries to find help for gravely injured Maria, while Henry tries to find his family members with his younger two sons.
There's nothing wrong with the performances. With Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor as the leads, that's not particularly surprising. Both are fine, except that McGregor isn't a good crier (as one can see in the trailer). But to me, the actor who stuck in my mind the most is young Tom Holland. A newcomer to film (his only previous credit apart from his theater work was a voice role in "The Secret World of Arietty"), Holland effortlessly handles the relatively complex role of Lucas. He's a little too serious for a boy his age, and he's pretty aloof in terms of showing emotion freely. But he does care about people and is willing to help ("Go help people," his mother says. "You're good at it").
The problem is that the script is on the thin side, and director J.A. Bayona is prone to self-indulgence (such as the part when Maria goes into surgery). The plot feels a little too simple, and the script just doesn't give the actors enough to work with to make this a truly memorable film. One easily identifiable problem is that we're not given enough time to get to know the main characters. Five minutes is not enough time to introduce five characters.
Still, I recommend the film. It is a powerful film and the emotions it generates are real. The tsunami scenes are particularly intense. Bayona doesn't whitewash the destruction or the casualties; the film pushes the PG-13 rating to the limit. It's not as good as it could have been, but for what it is, it does a solid job.
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