The Impossible (2012)
83%RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
28 wins & 70 nominations total
The screenplay isn’t quite as powerful as the direction or the acting, but with such an astonishing real-life story at its center, The Impossible is never less than compelling
The Impossible” is a movie that will make you feel all the emotions. From devastation to love and compassion, this film has it all. And let’s not forget the amazing tsunami sequence that rivals even Clint Eastwood’s in “Hereafter.” Naomi Watts delivers a mesmerizing and emotionally devastating performance that would have been an Oscar shoo-in in any other year. Sure, some critics may say it’s sentimental, but who doesn’t love a good tear-jerker? Overall, “The Impossible” is a dramatic and unwavering film that will make you believe that anything is possible.
Production Company(ies)
Columbia Films, Anouchka Films, Orsay Films,
Distributor
Summit Entertainment
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Khao Lak Orchid Beach Resort, Phang Nga, Thailand
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for intense realistic disaster sequences, including disturbing injury images and brief nudity
Year of Release
2013
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital DTS
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 54m
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Language(s):English, Thai, German, Swedish, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 21, 2012 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 23, 2013
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast, Marta Etura, directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, written by Sergio G Sánchez, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Shubhra Gupta, Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, David Denby, Peter Rainer, Richard Roeper, Leonard Maltin, Mike Massie, Richard Propes, Yasser Medina, Debbie Lynn Elias, David Harris, Karl Delossantos, PG-13, Summit Entertainment, Belén Atienza, Álvaro Augustin, Ghislain Barrois, Enrique López Lavigne, tsunami, survival, family, Thailand, true story, Maria, Henry, Lucas, Thomas, Simon, kindness, courage, compassion, devastating, real-life story, winter vacation, incomprehensible nightmare, terrifying roar, wall of black water, unexpected displays, darkest hour, ameliorate terror
Worldwide gross: $198,087,212
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $251,639,700
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 580
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 27,441,625
US/Canada gross: $19,019,882
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $24,161,870
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,348
US/Canada opening weekend: $143,818
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $182,699
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,699
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $45,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $57,165,661
Production budget ranking: 709
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $30,783,709
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $163,690,330
ROI to date (est.): 186%
ROI ranking: 665
Ewan McGregor – Henry
Tom Holland – Lucas
Samuel Joslin – Thomas
Oaklee Pendergast – Simon
Marta Etura – Simone
Director – Juan Antonio Bayona
Producer – Belén Atienza, Álvaro Augustin, Ghislain Barrois, Enrique López Lavigne
Writer – Sergio G. Sánchez
Director(s)
Juan Antonio Bayona
Writer(s)
Sergio G. Sánchez
Producer(s)
Belén Atienza, Álvaro Augustin, Ghislain Barrois, Enrique López Lavigne
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
28 wins & 70 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (202) | Top Critics (62) | Fresh (164) | Rotten (38)
[The Impossible] shows us devastation, yes, unbelievable havoc, yes, horrific human loss, yes. But also, exemplary courage and love and compassion, all done with freshness and feeling.
March 21, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Shubhra Gupta
The Indian Express
TOP CRITIC
A heart-wrenchingly tense survival drama based on ‘an incredible true story’ of a far more ‘homely’ looking Spanish family, this is a cut above 1990s eco-disaster movies such as Dante’s Peak.
September 1, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh
metro.co.uk
TOP CRITIC
Alas, the movie tells a rather commonplace story.
January 28, 2013
David Denby
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
The tsunami sequence is amazing, right up there with the one Clint Eastwood staged in Hereafter.
January 18, 2013 | Rating: B-
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor
TOP CRITIC
This is an unforgettable tribute to the determination of a very special family.
January 17, 2013 | Rating: 4/5
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper.com
TOP CRITIC
Unlike some films that have become critics’ darlings, ‘The Impossible’ has no pretensions. It isn’t edgy and I don’t think it has a hidden subtext.
January 4, 2013
Leonard Maltin
indieWire
TOP CRITIC
It starts not with clever attempts at drawing emotions from the audience, but rather with blunt, staggering visuals to demand pity and sympathy.
December 1, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
In most years, Naomi Watts would be a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination with a performance that is absolutely mesmerizing and emotionally devastating.
September 11, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
The Impossible is a magnificent survival drama. [Full review in Spanish]
June 25, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados
Dramatic and unwavering, The Impossible will make you believe that anything is possible.
November 27, 2019
Debbie Lynn Elias
Behind The Lens
The purpose of Bayona’s film is “dubious.”
November 19, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/5
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
Sometimes it’s sentimental to a fault, but the thrilling and innovative filmmaking that’s being done makes it all worth it.
August 7, 2019 | Rating: 7/10
Karl Delossantos
Smash Cut Reviews…
Plot
A regular family – Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor) and their three kids – travel to Thailand to spend Christmas. They get an upgrade to a villa on the coastline. After settling in and exchanging gifts, they go to the pool, like so many other tourists. A perfect paradise vacation until a distant noise becomes a roar. There is no time to escape from the tsunami; Maria and her eldest are swept one way, Henry and the youngest another. Who will survive, and what will become of them?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Naomi Watts delivers a “mesmerizing and emotionally devastating” performance in The Impossible, according to one critic.
Juan-Antonio-Bayona.jpg
