The Impossible (2012)

The Impossible parents guide

No sex or nudity and mild language, about what a PG-13 should carry.

Rated PG-13, but by what is on screen our estimate is fine from about 10.

Scare

Mildly scary

A few tense or eerie moments.

Jump scares

Several

More than a couple of sudden jolts.

Gore

Light gore

Some blood or injury, briefly.

Violence

Some violence

Some fighting or peril.

Sex and nudity

None noted

Language

Mild

Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is The Impossible scary?

Only a little. The Impossible has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.

How gory is The Impossible?

Light gore and some violence.

What is The Impossible rated, and is it OK for kids?

Better for teens than younger kids: it is rated PG-13, with several jump scares.

What is The Impossible about?

In December 2004, close-knit family Maria, Henry and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand. But the day after Christmas, the idyllic holiday turns into an incomprehensible nightmare when a terrifying roar rises from the depths of the sea, followed by a wall of black water that devours everything in its path. Though Maria and her family face their darkest hour, unexpected displays of kindness and courage ameliorate their terror.

Cast and crew

More like The Impossible

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The Impossible is on our Christmas, Survival, Disasters, True stories and Thriller on Netflix lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a thriller with a twist, no spoilers”
• “a movie that will make me cry”
• “scary but not gory”

Lists with the same feel: Tearjerkers.