Director: Baltasar Kormákar
Stars: Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley, John Hawkes, Thomas M. Wright, Martin Henderson, Ang Puhla Sherpa, Tom Goodman-Hill, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Emily Watson, Robin Wright
Based on the true story of a 1996 expedition, Everest shows the dangers that the climbers face when a violent storm hits, and the anguish of the loved ones at home.
I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed Everest. All the cast are likeable, although some of them do get lost in the shuffle and on occasion, when they’re all covered in their climbing gear, it can be difficult to tell which characters the film is focusing on, but it’s intense and dramatic. The landscapes are awe-inspiring, and it really feels like these people are in another world.
It was strange though, because reaching the summit was something of an anti-climax for me as it just kinda happened…and then they made their way back down again. I imagine that’s what it must be like in real life, and there’s obviously a great sense of achievement, but in the film there was no swell of triumphant music or anything. But what a lot of people forget about climbing a mountain is that you have to make your way home again…
The main complaint I think is that the film doesn’t develop all the characters. It shows two spouses at home who deal with their husbands, but other than that there’s not much time to give everyone a backstory, which I didn’t really mind because the film is dramatic anyway that I didn’t need constant cutting back to home life. The character work does feel a bit uneven in places though.
But I just really liked the film. I like the action set-pieces, I liked the tension and the drama, and it just reaffirmed my belief that mountain climbing is not for me.
