Skip to main content

Everest


Starring: Jason Clarke, John Hawkes, Naoko Mori, Michael Kelly, Josh Brolin, Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Jake Gyllenhaal, Robin Wright, and a bunch of other people
Directed by: Baltasar Kormákur
Screenplay by: William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy

There's mountain climbing, and then there's climbing Mt. Everest.
      Since Edmund Hillary and Tenzig Norgay became the first people to climb Mt. Everest in 1953, many people have attempted to climb the world's tallest mountain.  By 1996, Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) was leading guided expeditions to the top of the mountain.  This is the story of one of his trips.
      Rob is not the only person who leads people to the top of the mountain.  There are others as well, such as Scott Fischer, who lead trips up to Mt. Everest.  Everybody wants to get to the summit as fast as possible and on a day where the weather won't be too bad.  On Rob's journey, there are people from many different walks of life; like Yasuko Namba (Naoko Mori), who has climbed 6 of the 7 tallest mountains in the world (all but Mt. Everest); Jon Krakauer (Michael Kelly), an outdoors journalist on the trek following Hall's guiding company Adventure Consultants, and whose now best-selling book Into Thin Air is about this expedition; and a man who just wants to climb Mt. Everest because it's there, Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin).  Together they'll endure conditions the human body simply isn't meant to handle, and go on the journey of a lifetime while hoping for a safe return.
      This is not the exciting action packed movie the trailer might have shown it to be.  This is the kind of movie that might inspire people to go climb a giant mountain until the weather turns bad.  Then, you might think it's best to stay home and let others try it.  This is the story of how eight hikers died in the deadliest day in Mt. Everest's history.  And it obviously does not have a happy ending.
       Initially, Everest seems like it will be a movie about a team that has to deal with a deadly situation, and that while not all members of the team will survive the situation, those that do will bond and become closer.  The characters are poorly developed.  It is clear that this is not Rob's first journey to the summit of the mountain, nor does he plan on it being his last.  His wife, Jan (Keira Knightley), also a mountaineer, would be with him on this trip but instead she is at home in New Zealand pregnant with their first child.  It is not clear what Beck Weathers does for a living.  All that is known about him is that he's a Dole-Kemp supporter based on the t-shirt he wears upon his arrival.  They all meet up in Kathmandu, Nepal ahead of their trek first to base camp, and then up the mountain.  Most of these people meet for the first time in Kathmandu.
       As the film progress, another character enters the picture, Mt. Everest itself.  Komakur portrays the mountain excellently as it feels as if it is a character in the film.  People talk about it like it is a character; "The last word always belongs to the mountain", one character states.  Even Rob Hall mentions something that makes the journey seem absolutely crazy, "Human beings simply aren't meant to function at the cruising altitude of a 747.  Our bodies will be literally dying."  The actual characters seem to be a loosely fit together band of people that don't necessarily get along perfectly, lacking the bonding experience that some audiences may expect to see during this film.
       The cinematography is great, showing how conditions can change so quickly on Mt. Everest, and how hikers have to adapt quickly.  The film also takes audiences on a step-by-step journey through hiking up the mountain, but focuses on some areas more than others (like the Hillary Step towards the summit more than the ice fields at the bottom of the mountain).  The film gives audiences a good look at what it might be like to actually be on the hike.  However, the IMAX 3D may not be necessary.  It doesn't add much to the experience of watching the film.
       Unlike other disaster movies where one by one, members of the team are killed off and mourned, Komakur simply has us move on after each death of a character.  For some reason, it feels like we aren't meant to be upset about watching these people die because we are too focused on making sure that the rest of them get down the mountain safely and alive.  But don't feel like the film just glosses over their deaths, because there is a nice tribute to all of the hikers at the end just before the credits.
       Overall, this film is a good tribute to those who lost their lives on Mt. Everest that day.  This is an exciting and thrilling movie to watch and it will have you biting your nails pretty much the whole way once the hikers leave base camp.  I definitely recommend this film.
I give Everest an A-.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Hunger Games

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth Directed by: Gary Ross Screenplay by: Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins      If reality television hasn't gone too far yet, then this show should definitely make it go too far.      In a futuristic nation called Panem, one boy and one girl are selected from each of the nation's twelve districts to represent them in an annual television event called the Hunger Games.  Of the 24 contestants, only one will survive in this televised fight to the death.      I like the concept of the story.  While this futuristic society seems somewhat simple, it does not seem all that well developed.  It is unknown how this society came into being, even though it is known how the Hunger Games began.      If this film were released last year, I would have hoped it would be nominated for best make-up.  Many of the characters look absolutely ridiculous and are way too flashy, but the make-up is v
2 comments
Read more

First Man

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, and Corey Stoll Directed by: Damien Chazelle Screenplay by: Josh Singer Based on the book by James R. Hansen      Yes, this is the same director who did La La Land from a few years ago.  But this is a true story this time, and not necessarily a feel good one.      Many of us know about Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.  First Man is not simply the story of the moon landing, but the story about Armstrong and what led him to be the first man in history to walk on the moon.  It's a story about making huge sacrifices for himself, and his family, in order to accomplish such a goal, as well as overcoming a great deal of grief.       The film focuses almost entirely on Neil (Ryan Gosling).  The film opens up on him as one of the premiere pilots in the military, piloting the X-15; a plane that was capable of flying over 100,000 feet altitude.  He is portrayed as
Post a Comment
Read more

Resident Evil: Afterlife

Starring Milla Jovovich and Ali Larter, and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson Resident Evil: Afterlife is a somewhat scary action thriller about a zombie dominated planet during present times. It's the fourth movie in the franchise. Alice (Jovovich) is the former head of security at the Umbrella Corporation, the company that created the T-Virus that accidentally escaped and turned everybody into zombies. She travels to Alaska to what she thinks is a small town called Arcadia, where there is supposedly a colony of survivors that are infection free. She is drawn by transmissions saying that they offer safety and security, food and shelter. When she arrives, nothing is there, but she picks up Claire Redfield (Larter) and travels to what once was Los Angeles where there is another colony of four survivors living atop a prison rooftop and surrounded by zombies. They find that the Arcadia is actually a ship just offshore. Can they make it to the ship? Milla Jovovich plays a very act
2 comments
Read more