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The Impossible poster

Movies that feel likeThe Impossible (2012)

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.

If you loved The Impossible, the closest films we have are 127 Hours (2010), Munich (2005) and JFK (1991). All three share The Impossible's contemplative and tense feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Labyrinth of Lies (2014).

πŸ… 81% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.5 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. J. A. Bayonacontemplativetenseepic
6 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Hi-YAH

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If The Impossible hit the spot, these will too

127 Hours poster
127 Hours
2010 Β· dir. Danny Boyle
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.5adventure Β· drama Β· thriller

True disaster survival stripped to one person and no way out

The difference: Solo entrapment, not a family scattered by a wall of water

The true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah.

Munich poster
Munich
2005 Β· dir. Steven Spielberg
πŸ… 79%β˜… 7.5drama Β· history Β· thrillerPrime Video

A true 1970s catastrophe handled with the same patient, epic gravity

The difference: A manhunt thriller, not a story of survival and reunion

During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, eleven Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of Mossad agents to track down and execute those responsible for the attack.

JFK poster
JFK
1991 Β· dir. Oliver Stone
πŸ… 85%β˜… 8drama Β· thriller Β· history

History rendered with the same weight β€” one event, years of consequence

The difference: A courtroom investigation, not a family fighting to find each other

Follows the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison.

Society of the Snow poster
Society of the Snow
2023 Β· dir. J. A. Bayona
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.8drama Β· historyNetflix

Bayona's other true catastrophe β€” ordinary people against an unsurvivable landscape

The difference: Isolation in snow and starvation, not a flood tearing a family apart

On October 13, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, chartered to take a rugby team to Chile, crashes into a glacier in the heart of the Andes.

Lincoln poster
Lincoln
2012 Β· dir. Steven Spielberg
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.3history Β· drama

Common ground in both: a true story and historical fiction

The difference: Easier on the tension than The Impossible

The revealing story of the 16th US President's tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.

All the Money in the World poster
All the Money in the World
2017 Β· dir. Ridley Scott
πŸ… 79%β˜… 6.8crime Β· history Β· thrillerRent or buy

A true ordeal that tears a family apart while the world watches

The difference: A kidnapping plot with a villain, not an indifferent natural disaster

The story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen poster
Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen
2010 Β· dir. Andrew Lau Wai-Keung
πŸ… 47%β˜… 6.2drama Β· action Β· historyPrime Video

Contemplative where it counts, tense underneath

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

The Japanese forces occupy Shanghai and slowly start spreading terror in the city. Chen Zhen, who was presumed dead, returns to fight against the Japanese and put an end to their tyrannical rule.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 poster
The Trial of the Chicago 7
2020 Β· dir. Aaron Sorkin
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.7drama Β· historyNetflix

One thread runs through both: a true story

What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into a violent clash with the police. What followed was one of the most notorious trials in history.

Labyrinth of Lies poster
Labyrinth of Lies
2014 Β· dir. Giulio Ricciarelli
πŸ… 83%β˜… 7.3drama Β· history

A true postwar reckoning told with the same sober, patient weight

The difference: A courtroom investigation into the past, not a fight to survive now

A young prosecutor in postwar West Germany investigates a massive conspiracy to cover up the Nazi pasts of prominent public figures.

Steve Jobs poster
Steve Jobs
2015 Β· dir. Danny Boyle
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.2drama Β· history

True events given the same measured, unhurried epic scale

The difference: A backstage character study, no physical peril at all

Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.

Milk poster
Milk
2008 Β· dir. Gus Van Sant
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.5history Β· drama

A true story that turns one ordinary life into something historic

The difference: A political biography, not a family clawing back from catastrophe

The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join him in his fight for equal rights that should be available to all Americans.

The Perfect Storm poster
The Perfect Storm
2000 Β· dir. Wolfgang Petersen
β˜… 6.5drama Β· adventure Β· action

Nature turns lethal without warning, and true events guarantee no rescue

The difference: A crew lost to the sea β€” no survivors, no reunion at the end

In October 1991, a confluence of weather conditions combined to form a killer storm in the North Atlantic. Caught in the storm was the sword-fishing boat Andrea Gail.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share The Impossible’s defining feeling.