Cinema Society

THE IMPOSSIBLE

Average
Rating

3.2

Wednesday, January 02, 2013, AMC La Jolla 12 Theatres

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2

On Screen: 4:30pm and 7:30pm (You Pick!)

AMC La Jolla 12 Theatres (Auditorium #9)

Cinema Chat and Introduction begins 15 minutes prior to screenings

Discussion follows screenings

THE IMPOSSIBLE

A powerful story based on one family’s survival of the 2004 tsunami, The Impossible stars Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor and is directed by J.A. Bayona (THE ORPHANAGE).

Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor) and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand, looking forward to a few days in tropical paradise. But on the morning of December 26th, as the family relaxes around the pool after their

Christmas festivities the night before, a terrifying roar rises up from the center of the earth. As Maria freezes in fear, a huge wall of black water races across the hotel grounds toward her.

Based on a true story, The Impossible is the unforgettable account of a family caught, with tens of thousands of strangers, in the mayhem of one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time. But the true-life terror is tempered by the unexpected displays of compassion, courage and simple kindness that Maria and her family encounter during the darkest hours of their lives. Both epic and intimate, devastating and uplifting, The Impossible is a journey to the core of the human heart.

Rated PG-13 for intense realistic disaster sequences, including disturbing injury images and brief nudity. Running Time: 114 Minutes

PLEASE NOTE: This event takes place on a Wednesday.

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3-Jan-13: jh - Rating: 2

THE IMPOSSIBLE is well-named. Given the force of the tsunami, as depicted in the film, crashing onto the shore and the many ways you could die in the torrent, what were their chances of survival? So maybe that was why I felt so little emotion as one by one the whole family survives and, in the case of the mom, heroically so. That at least was inspirational.

3-Jan-13: judy s - Rating: 5

What an undertaking! Sitting 4th row from the screen, I was instantly life boat or air lift ready. Having heard about the tsunami years ago, it was like a second hand experience, but this telling of the tale made it seem first hand. Add to that its authenticity as the guest speaker chillingly reported and I think the film was block-buster. Surely not a total feel good movie, but certainly an in depth look at a colossal tragedy that deserves awe.

3-Jan-13: Mroe - Rating: 4

More like “The Miracle” because it is a miracle that this family even survived the ordeal they went through. The underwater and thrashing about scenes felt a little all too real but maybe that is a sign of a good Director/Cinematographer/Editor. Kudos to all the main actors (especially the “new” ones). The movie came across as a very personal story, not a lot of interactions with others (some but when it was most needed) and maybe that was the point, that with so many people being swept away and in some cases so far away from where they had been when the water rushed in that a lot of people did experience complete isolation and didn’t know when or if they’d ever seen another living soul let alone their loved ones. Without knowing this family’s past it was still very telling about what kind of people they were/are in how they interacted with each other in the time of crisis and their will to survive that has drawn me into wanting to know more about them now and how the experience changed their lives. This will be a tough film to recommend, just have to consider the viewer but it is worth seeing.

3-Jan-13: Mark B - Rating: 4

Thanks for bringing the great film last night. I was at a SD dive club meeting in early 2005 and we had a guest speaker who was on a holiday dive trip and under water in Thailand when the tsunami hit. There were about 10 divers on the boat and they were near an island off Phuket. He and his buddy were down about 60' and saw a turbulence on the bottom coming toward them. They did not know what it was and when it hit they got tumbled around and pushed down to about 100'. When the turbulence soon subsided they checked their depth and pressure gauges and made a safe assent to the surface. Their safety training paid off...as they did not panic. The force of the ocean had scattered the other divers. The boat picked them up and went on to find the others. Some were a half mile away. All were taken back on board with no injuries and I think they may have made a second dive. The boat had hardly had any sign of energy flowing below. It was like a sudden massive current...??? They did not really know what had happened until they got back to the remains of the dock and the devastation of the city on the shore line. It was shocking for them and yet they survived one of the worst disasters in the world.

It would have been interesting last night to know how these villages and cities have recovered. The death toll was in the hundreds of thousands in the coastal regions hit.

3-Jan-13: pb - Rating: 2

The movie made me physically ill. I had to keep leaving the theater. There were several of us at the back with the same problem. Obviously very well acted. Didn't like the fact that they made the family white and blonde and so adorable.

I would like to not rate it at all but I couldn't leave a comment without rating. I would have gone home but I had to wait for my husband.

3-Jan-13: Mary S - Rating: 3

While I get that the filmmakers wanted to focus on one very fortunate family, it left me dissatisfied. To me, it was comparable to watching a movie about a fortunate Thai family separated and then reunited after 9/11 while the film ignored the magnitude and significance of the event to Americans. Great speaker, though.

2-Jan-13: Jim - Rating: 3

Well done, some wonderful acting. Especially Lucas. I didn't love the movie, and I'm having a difficult time trying to figure out why. Amazing and realistic cgi water. The sight of Marias leg wound made me viscerally nauseated. While the separation of the family would have been horrible, it seemed like there was much worse human tragedy all around that was given short shrift. The movie needed an epilogue about both the family, Maria's leg and the entire disaster.