The Impossible
Metascore
73 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 42
  3. Negative: 2 out of 42
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  1. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Reviewed by: Joe Williams
    Jan 3, 2013
    100
    Perilous incidents have riveted audiences since Pauline was tied to the railroad tracks, but in the hundred-year history of cinema, few thrillers have been as emotionally compelling as The Impossible.
  2. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    Dec 19, 2012
    100
    Here is a searing film of human tragedy.
  3. New York Observer
    Reviewed by: Rex Reed
    Dec 12, 2012
    100
    Put a staggering accomplishment called The Impossible, from Spanish director J. A. Bayona, at the top of the season's must-see list.
  4. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Deborah Young
    Sep 12, 2012
    100
    The Impossible is one of the most emotionally realistic disaster movies in recent memory -- and certainly one of the most frightening in its epic re-creation of the catastrophic 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
  5. Variety
    Reviewed by: Justin Chang
    Sep 12, 2012
    100
    Wrenchingly acted, deftly manipulated and terrifyingly well made.
  6. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Marc Mohan
    Jan 3, 2013
    91
    An extraordinarily gut-wrenching, intense story of survival against all odds.
  7. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    Dec 20, 2012
    90
    Yet it's not just the visuals that make the movie what it is, a thrilling, if also punishing, tale of heroic endurance. The Impossible, based on a true story, derives most of its impressive power from two remarkable performances: Naomi Watts as Maria, and Tom Holland as Lucas.
  8. Time
    Reviewed by: Mary Pols
    Dec 20, 2012
    90
    The Impossible is technologically a marvel - the tsunami experience is harrowingly believable - but also emotionally rich. I hesitate to use this term, since it is so often equated with hokey, but The Impossible is life-affirming.
  9. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    Jan 4, 2013
    88
    Yet as fine as she and Ewan McGregor are as the parents, Tom Holland stands out as eldest son Lucas, a slightly sullen teen who learns to put other people before himself.
  10. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    Jan 3, 2013
    88
    This is a tale not only of epic disaster but also of resilience. The Impossible is a nimbly acted drama that is at once a stellar visual achievement and a life-affirming story of familial love and courage.
  11. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    Dec 20, 2012
    88
    Watts is extraordinary - she manages both the physical and emotional demands of the role, with soul-deep conviction.
  12. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    Dec 18, 2012
    88
    The go-for-broke intensity and emotional layering Watts brings to her role is an acting triumph. And McGregor matches her in a performance of ferocity and feeling.
  13. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Noel Murray
    Dec 19, 2012
    83
    Like "The Orphanage," The Impossible confirms that Bayona is a major talent, with a skill for constructing sequences that build tension as masterfully as Steven Spielberg did in his '70s heyday.
  14. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    Dec 12, 2012
    83
    It's agony, in a rewarding way, to squirm and cringe and groan through an ordeal so realistically re-created.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 172 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 50 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 56
  3. Negative: 2 out of 56
  1. hacmiu36
    10
    Best movie i have ever seen. It's has a lot of heart touching moment that can make you cry . it's was so real that can make you believe in that movie
  2. Rikiege
    10
    The best Spanish film of the history of cinema.
  3. Dollis
    9
    "The Impossible'' is a true story very intense story of family's survival against the odds.worth checking out for the acting and effects ,and is not a remake movie.… Full Review »
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