The Impossible (DVD REVIEW)
The Impossible
DVD Review by Kam
Williams
Oscar-Nominee Naomi
Watts Stars in Real-Life Tsunami Drama
On the day after Christmas in 2004,
a magnitude 9.3 earthquake, the third largest ever measured on the Richter
scale, triggered a mammoth tsunami in the Indian Ocean
which cost a quarter million people their lives. Thanks to the ubiquity of
surveillance and cell phone cameras, the world was able to witness much of the
tragedy, including tidal waves crashing ashore and creeping deep inland before
sweeping humans, cars and everything else in its path back out to sea.
Maria (Naomi Watts in an
Oscar-nominated performance) and Henry Belon (Ewan McGregor), a married couple
from Spain, had the
misfortune to be vacationing in Thailand
with their three sons (Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin and Oaklee Pendergast) that
fateful day. Because they had rented a ground level cottage at a luxurious
beachfront resort, they were engulfed by water and separated from each other
the moment disaster struck.
The family’s ensuing ordeal is the
subject of The Impossible, a harrowing tale of survival directed by Juan
Antonia Bayona (The Orphanage). The Belons’ nationality has admittedly been
changed from Spanish to British for the sake of the film, but one can only
assume that the rest of their terrifying experience has been accurately
recreated here.
The film opens with a relatively
serene tableau covering their uneventful, Christmas Eve flight to Khao Lak as
well as their subsequent celebration of the holiday opening presents and
snorkeling. Of course, that deceptively idyllic setup is just the quiet before
the storm.
When the tsunami hits the following
morning, their hotel is engulfed, and from that point forward the picture is
presented primarily from Maria’s point of view. We first witness her clinging
to a palm tree, and then saving eldest son Lucas (Holland).
The kid eventually escorts his
profusely-bleeding mother through the chaos to a makeshift hospital for some
urgently-needed medical attention. While she teeters between life and death,
Lucas perambulates the devastated region for any sign, living or dead, of his
missing father and siblings.
A disaster flick chronicling a dream
getaway that turned into a never-ending nightmare in the blink of an eye!
Very Good (3 stars)
Rated PG-13
for brief nudity, disturbing images and intense disaster sequences
In English and Thai with subtitles
Running time: 114
minutes
Distributor: Summit Entertainment
DVD Extras: Deleted
scenes; Casting The Impossible; Realizing The Impossible; and audio commentary
with the director, scriptwriter, producer and survivor.
To see a trailer for
The Impossible, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU4mXJRHIcQ
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