The Impossible

The Impossible Image
Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 291 Ratings

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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 42
  3. Negative: 2 out of 42
  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. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Marc Mohan
    Jan 3, 2013
    91
    An extraordinarily gut-wrenching, intense story of survival against all odds.
  3. 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.
  4. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Kimberley Jones
    Jan 4, 2013
    78
    First, to dispel the two talking points attending The Impossible, Juan Antonio Bayona's dramatization of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami: No, it's not racist, and no, you don't have to be a parent to feel the film in your bones.
  5. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    Dec 12, 2012
    75
    The film's adult leads, Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor, give powerful, natural performances.
  6. Movieline
    Reviewed by: Alison Willmore
    Dec 6, 2012
    65
    The latter half of The Impossible is so disappointingly movie-ish, tying a bow on the events after portraying them too vividly to allow them to be wrapped so neatly. It wrings out tears with an industrious efficiency that leaves you feeling manhandled after the exhilarating, terrifying footage that's unfolded before.
  7. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Ed Gonzalez
    Nov 22, 2012
    12
    A sham realist's disaster movie, tackily insulting the deaths of 300,000 people by reducing the horrors of the Indian Ocean tsunami to a series of genre titillations.

See all 42 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 61 out of 77
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 77
  3. Negative: 6 out of 77
  1. hacmiu36
    Jan 6, 2013
    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. xang
    Jan 9, 2013
    10
    WOW! 10/10 Such an emotionally evocative film.. I love all the actors! by watching this movie you can feel that your lucky that your in safeWOW! 10/10 Such an emotionally evocative film.. I love all the actors! by watching this movie you can feel that your lucky that your in safe now and you should value every moment in your life..perfect for me 10/10...… Expand
  4. aozeta
    Jun 17, 2013
    10
    A total "wow!". This film touches the deepest of emotions when it comes to family and love. This is unforgettable in every aspect. BestA total "wow!". This film touches the deepest of emotions when it comes to family and love. This is unforgettable in every aspect. Best performance from Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts. Excellent screenplay, cinematography, sound, and editing. Possibly the best film of 2012 and the-one-to-beat for the decade.

    movienotesbook.blogspot.com    … Expand
  5. Bshop
    Jan 18, 2013
    8
    Visual and hits you right in the feels. It is during the times without dialogue where it really strikes an emotional chord. The unrealVisual and hits you right in the feels. It is during the times without dialogue where it really strikes an emotional chord. The unreal situation that surrounds this family is unbelievable, them surviving is seemingly impossible (hence the title). I imagine this is one of those "only good in theaters" movies. It demands, nay, it deserves your undivided attention. As far as acting/directing goes, one of the best of the year. The performances rank up there with other diasaster flicks, although this one is real, and raw. Brilliant performance goes to the son, Lucas in the film. He stole the show from Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor.… Expand
  6. Mabel8103
    Jan 20, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. No suelo ver películas que puedan estimular el fenómeno secreto-motor complejo que es caracterizado por derramar liquido del aparato lagrimal, evito al máximo la punzada en el pecho y verme ante la labor de mirar para otras partes intentando buscar fuerzas que me alejen de la escena que me acongoja, sin embargo … Expand
  7. sanyrub
    Jan 17, 2013
    7
    Great film. It´s not a masterpiece by any means, but the acting from all the cast and the way they recreated the tsunami alone deserveGreat film. It´s not a masterpiece by any means, but the acting from all the cast and the way they recreated the tsunami alone deserve the 8 I´m giving it. Naomi Watts is really into the character and gives one of her best if not her best performance to date. The kid is also great for his age and the few scenes in which Ewan McGregor takes the lead are also really well made, very realistic. After the big tsunami happens I thought I was going to be a little bit bored but it managed to keep my attention. Its flaws: it´s not original, it´s a little bit cheesy at moments and bases it´s strength in playing with the audience. It´s predictable but you don´t mind. The tsunami scenes are so realistic. 8/10… Expand
  8. Nazgulero
    Apr 24, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There is no way this movie can have a 73 rating on here. The movie is just so agonizing to watch. To start out with, there is no way the entire family could have survived this, as they show the guy and his two sons taking the full impact of the huge wave at the beginning of the movie. The boys don't even have a scratch. Just ridiculous. The endless sequence of the mother and the other son is just that...never ending moaning and screaming. They show a wound in the mother's right leg that is so huge that there is just no way she could walk, let alone...live. The blood loss would kill her in less than two minutes. The young boys say things young boys would never say in real life, it is way too obvious that they are just saying memorized lines. There is no character development whatsoever. The father leaves his two young boys, possibly all he got left, in the middle of the night to search for his wife and other son who are likely dead He doesn't even know where the boys are going. No father would do that.
    Even the only possibly redeeming scene, the wave hitting land is, cheap and bad. This could easily be Ewan McGregor's worst role. Almost two hours of agony.    … Expand

See all 77 User Reviews

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