The Impossible (film): A decent movie that is reasonably close to reality

in #movies6 years ago

This movies is about the 2004 Tsunami that killed something crazy like 200, 000 people. This film takes place in Thailand because well, that is the most recognizable place in all the spots that people died in. Not nearly as many people died in Thailand as in say, Indonesia, but it is far more reasonable that a family would be vacationing in Khao Lak than Banda Aceh.

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one of the things that makes this story great is that it is based on actual events of an actual family that was actually vacationing here when the Tsunami actually happened. I know that is a lot of "actuals" but it is important if we are going to tell a "real" story that some of these factors exist.


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A lot of the special effects were exaggerated for the sake of cinema, such as the shot above. I was here when the tsunami hit and well, it was more like a river just came out of nowhere and all of a sudden existed everywhere rather than a massive wave that shot over the top of buildings.

That didn't make it any less devastating though. Water weighs nearly 7 pounds a gallon and if you are all of a sudden hit with hundreds of thousands of gallons of it... well it doesn't really matter if it is airborne or not, you are going to lose that battle every time.

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People who were lucky enough to not be drowned or bashed with flying debris had to face another horrible situation afterwards- which was being separated from the people they know and horribly injured.... and this is the story of "The Impossible" which i think is a rather good film.

This movie was close to being banned in Thailand because well, they are sensitive about those sorts of things, and even after it was finally allowed it did not do well in theaters. I once played it in the display room of my guesthouse that I owned and the police came by and asked me to switch it off. They were not forcing me to do so, which was nice, but i complied because i didn't want to offend anyone.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about this film was the way in which the compassion of Thai elders (particularly country folks) was displayed in this movie. I know old people that live on farms, i know how to speak with them and I can say without any reservation that if they saw someone in pain, it wouldn't matter who they were or where they were from, they would be looked after exactly as is presented in this film.

Bottom line: This movie takes some liberties as far as science is concerned but as far as the aftermath is concerned and portrayal of Thai medical services, this movie is about as accurate as you are going to get.

7 / 10

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Very powerful movie, like you mentioned the fact that is based on true events makes it more heartwrenching. Naomi Watts perfomance is for me the highlight of the film, too bad she was overlooked for awards but she's the driving force of this picture.

"The Impossible" is a film that has a moment every watcher awaits from the moment the screen credits begin to roll - the tsunami. These "moment" films have a major obstacle to clear as the expectation for that moments gives the film the pressure to live up to that "moment". But thanks to those high expectations films that are able to live up to the promise transcend. Some examples are "Jaws" where everyone in the audience is on the edge of their seats waiting to see that shark and when it does appear, boy does it meet expectations. And then the film itself continues to build on that momentum and before you realize it you are experiencing a special kind of magic. When it's done poorly - say like 2004's "The Day After Tomorrow", it's a disaster. This film marketed world destruction and the special effects delivered but the film itself was tedious and idiotic. When the tsunami arrives in "The Impossible" - it is terrifying. Just like advertised the moment that is the nucleus to the film is visually stunning but also a horrifying thing to witness. Juan Antonio Bayona does an incredible job at not just stopping at the huge wave that overcomes the resort but the unknown dangers it continued to unleash on our protagonists. Thanks to strong performances by Naomi Watts and the incredible Tom Holland, "The Impossible" comes close to being a home run, but the moment that action shifts to Ewan McGregor's side of the story it deflates. The script in its attempts to depict moments that occurred over a long period of time into a compact 2 hours becomes hard to swallow. Coincidences abound - one moment in the hospital (will avoid divulging spoiler) is particularly Hollywood. For about 3/4 of its length, "The Impossible" is a hell of a film but it ultimately begins to falter. Luckily for us the promise the movie made of exposing you to the horrors of the tsunami and surviving it is fulfilled. Too bad the human element didn't equal that promise.

How heart touching was the trailer, I am eager to watch this movie now. moreover I appreciate the way you review the film in all our own way which inspires me to write my own reviews as i mentioned earlier:) Got to learn another thing today!

A very moving film where we relived that painful tragedy like the tsunami was

I have seen this movie about few years ago.
However I just came to know that it is consisted on reallity.
I'm really shocked that tsunami killed about 200,000 people. The figure is hilarious. I'm sorry for the loss.

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Really very intetesting story of this movie.This is heart touching movie.Very imprrssive trailor of this movie.Really painful tragedy.So sad.Thanks for sharing.

Looks Good, will check it out. Thanks!

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Great review!
Thank you @gooddream!

/FF

soy de venezuela ayudenme con algo porfa y gracias

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