Tom Holland’s “extraordinary” debut movie The Impossible lands new UK streaming home

The Impossible, the real-life disaster film which featured Tom Holland on his first on-screen role, has landed a new streaming home in the UK.

The 2012 film, which is directed by Spanish filmmaker JA Bayona, is based on the life of María Belón and her family, who found themselves in peril following the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 while they were spending the Christmas holidays in Khao Lak, Thailand.

María, whose name is changed to Maria Bennett in the film, is played by Naomi Watts, with her husband and three children being played by Ewan McGregor, Holland, Samuel Joslin and Oaklee Pendergast respectively.

Written by Sergio G Sánchez, the film is currently available to stream in the UK and Ireland on Prime Video. The survival thriller was added to the service on Thursday (25 September).

In addition to being a box office success, grossing over $198 million against a budget of $45 million, The Impossible was a hit with critics, with its approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes currently standing at 81% from 197 reviews.

Summit Entertainment

Related: Best film and TV tours for 2025

In Digital Spy’s review of the film, we wrote: “Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts plumb the depths in so many gruelling ways in this extraordinary true story of a family swept apart by the 2004 tsunami.”

“An unforgettable film that combines epic spectacle with the intimacy of loving relationships in a celebration of the invincible human spirit,” opined Observer, while TIME Magazine called it “life-affirming”.

“For all the visually impactful moments that all but put an audience directly into the horror of the Boxing Day tsunami in The Impossible, the true test of this drama comes in the emotion conveyed in its simplest moments,” wrote The Toronto Star.

Warner Bros.

Related: Tom Holland “taking a break” from Spider-Man 4 filming after on-set injury

Other films that have been recently added to Prime Video include Hunter Killer, the forgotten action thriller starring Gary Oldman, and Split, the psychological thriller from M Night Shyamalan.

While Holland can be seen in The Impossible, the actor has since gone on to achieve major Hollywood success with the Spider-Man franchise – a role that he actually mentioned in the promotional campaign following his debut on-screen performance.

The Impossible is streaming now on Prime Video.

The new edition of Living Legends is here! Buy Gaga in newsagents or online, priced at just £8.99.

You Might Also Like