The Impossible

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

I was concerned going in but relieved to find that it wasn't too sappy. There are those big moments but the majority of it felt either downplayed or earned. The cast are all great (except maybe one of the nurses, who was admittedly saddled with very repetitive dialogue) and young Tom Holland, fresh from playing Billy Elliot on the west end, makes an impression.

And the tsunami sequence is spectacular and intense. Naomi Watt's gets battered and bruised and they don't shy away from glimpsing the graphic results. I noticed two elder ladies had to leave the theatre. But the gore is not dwelt on, this is a survival story and much like the team, Juan Antonio Bayona and Sergio G. Sánchez's last film, the excellent horror The Orphanage, the focus is always on the characters and emotion.

It's interesting, they do structure the film like a horror, and I half expected the wave to come back for one final scare at the end. Still, very enjoyable.