The ImpossibleMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 73 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

Iffy for 13+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

100

The Hollywood Reporter |
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. Read full review
90

Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern
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. Read full review
88

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
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. Read full review
88

Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea
Watts is extraordinary - she manages both the physical and emotional demands of the role, with soul-deep conviction. Read full review
88

USA Today | Claudia Puig
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. Read full review
83

Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum
It's agony, in a rewarding way, to squirm and cringe and groan through an ordeal so realistically re-created. Read full review
80

New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman
The most memorable turn, however, comes from young Holland. There is not a moment in which Lucas' fear, or unexpected courage, feels less than real. Read full review
75

San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle
If one person survives and 6 million are killed, or one person gets out and 3,000 are crushed, it's not really a happy ending - or even an adequate representation of the larger event. This is precisely the challenge that The Impossible faces and never quite overcomes. Read full review
65

NPR | Jeannette Catsoulis
Starring flying debris and surging walls of water, The Impossible takes the template of the old-timey disaster movie, strips it to the bone and pumps what's left up to 11. Read full review
50

Boston Globe | Ty Burr
An earnest, extremely grueling, prodigiously crafted true-life drama that takes one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history and reduces it to a bad day at Club Med. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for The Impossible on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says Iffy for 13+ Very intense story of family's survival against the odds.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that The Impossible is an intense family drama set against the 2004 Asian tsunami. Because of the subject matter, there are many upsetting sequences, particularly in the first half hour after the tsunami hits. People are shown swept away and presumably killed by the rushing wall of water, and a mother is so severely injured that a part of her skin is no longer attached to her body. Parents, please know that you, too, will be affected by the horrors depicted in the film -- none greater than when a boy believes he's all that's left of his immediate family.

Families can talk about whether The Impossible is a disaster movie or not. How does the depiction of the tsunami compare to other films about catastrophes? Critics have said the movie's ending takes away from its powerful beginning. Do you agree?
What feelings do you have while watching this movie? Is it OK to feel happy for the main characters amid so much devastation?
Are cinematic deaths resulting from disasters or accidents different than those due to war or other forms of violence?
The Impossible is based on a real family's true story. How accurate do you think it is? Why might filmmakers decide to change some details/facts? How could you find out more?

The good stuff

Positive messages: Ultimately, The Impossible is a story of a mother and son's devotion to each other after the unthinkable has happened. The movie reinforces the random way that natural disasters cause destruction. There's no reason some people survive and others perish; it's a terrible tragedy with unthinkable consequences. But throughout the calamity, people show each other extraordinary kindness and generosity, sending the message that even in times of despair, there are moments of hope and small miracles to celebrate.
Positive role models: Maria and Lucas do everything they can to help each other survive. There are several times when Lucas must act like the parent and take care of his mother. He even has to literally carry and hoist her up a tree. Although it's a burden, Maria convinces Lucas to save a little toddler boy they find.

What to watch for

Violence: The devastation the tsunami causes is catastrophic. People are swept away in a wall of water, drowned or impaled or crushed by debris. Maria is seriously injured as her body makes impact in the rush of water. At one point, she's incredibly bloody and has a large flap of skin hanging off of her leg. People taken to the hospital are grieving the loss of their loved ones. Kids and teens will especially feel for Lucas, who at one point believes his mother is dead. Both Maria and Henry think the other has died. A tween yells at his mother a few times.
Sexy stuff: Adults at the resort kiss and dance and embrace. There's nudity, but in a completely asexual way. The mom, who was wearing a bathing suit when the tsunami struck, doesn't realize her breast is exposed until her son mentions it.
Language: Strong language includes a tween swearing. Words include "hell" and "goddamn."
Consumerism: Not an issue
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Grown-ups drink at the hotel bar and a dinner party.

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