Everest (2015) (English Language)

Review

121min

Genre:    Fact-based, Adventure, Drama

Director: Baltasar Kormákur

Cast:      Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal…and more

Writers:  William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy

Harrowing true story about the exploits of a climbing expedition as they struggle to reach the mighty Everest peak only to be hit by a devastating blizzard which leaves them fighting for survival, a visually stunning disaster drama from director Baltasar Kormákur featuring a strong ensemble cast.

Right off the bat ‘Everest’ is visually impressive with a mix of sound stage work and real location shooting in the Italian Alps and parts of Everest itself, the combination provides impressive and foreboding panoramas plus tense and perilous sequences.

The decision to make ‘Everest’ a faithful representation of the tragically real and relatively recent events of the 1996 expedition puts the film in a difficult position which is reflected by some of its reviews. Baltasar Kormákur is damned for not injecting more cinematic jeopardy and making this more of an action thriller, almost as much as he would have been slated for desecrating the memory of those who perished had he sexed-up the narrative to make a more “Hollywood” production.

If you’re expecting an action/adventure thriller ala Stallone’s ‘Cliffhanger’ you will be disappointed by ‘Everest’, think more along the lines of the 1993 real-life survival drama ‘Alive’ and you’ll understand the narrative tone of this film. Kormákur and the writers do a commendable job of painting a realistic portrait on the reality of climbing Everest, from the weeks of acclimatization before the climb to the several camps along the way and the physical consequences of climbing at extreme altitudes.

Led by Jason Clarke, the all-star cast does a good job of fleshing out the characters and getting the audience to connect to them enough to make the tragic drama that develops all the more effective, particularly when you consider that these are real events being depicted, perhaps the performances are good enough to make us more overly sympathetic.

The Bottom Line..

Although constrained by its faithful adaptation of a real story in terms of narrative and action, ‘Everest’ is executed well enough to make it a striking and potent thriller and a different kind of disaster drama, a refreshingly realistic view of the most unattainable of human endeavours.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Alive (1993)

Extraordinary true story of tragedy and survival as an Uruguayan Rugby team is stranded on the Andes mountains for over 2 months after a plane crash in 1972, as the survivors struggle to survive awaiting a rescue they will be forced to break the greatest taboo to stay Alive..

Directed by Frank Marshall and starring Ethan Hawke, Vincent Spano and Josh Hamilton among others.

Comments

comments

One thought on “Everest (2015) (English Language)”

1. Peter on October 11, 2015 at 09:45 said:

   I applaud Working Title for breaking new ground and not sticking to the ‘Into Thin Air’ version of the 1996 Everest tragedy, which is maybe why this book is not in this film’s Credits, something that has not gone unnoticed by some professional reviewers.

   Working Title/the Director referred to Jon Krakauer as ‘a writer who just happened to be on the mountain at the time’. To learn more about what actually caused this seminal event you will need to read ‘A Day to Die For’ and ‘After the Wind’. Well done Working Title and Baltasar Kormakur for daring to break the mold!