Everest
Everest the summit that could never be reached.
Let me begin by saying that I am a fan of outdoor films. As a former rock-climber
and camping aficionado, I have seen most of the mountaineering films and
documentaries out there, which is why I had high expectations for this one.
Based on the book “Into Thin Air” by former Outdoor’s magazine writer Jon
Krakauer played by Michael Kelly, as the book the film centers around Rob Hall
(Jason Clarke) and his expedition group Adventure Consultants. Hall is the founder
and noted for pioneering the commercialization of Mount Everest that leads
non-professional climbers up the mountain every year. Hall and his group were so
successful that many other companies started to over crowd the mountain with
inexperienced tourists with hopes of reaching the summit with in the two weeks in
May that weather is at it’s least heinous. When Rob Hall’s team and clients played
by Naoko Mori, John Hawkes, Josh Brolin, Sam Worthington, Ang Dorjee and Martin
Henderson, reach base camp at Everest, it has a spring break feel to it with nightly
drinking parties and a half naked Jake Gyllenhaal who plays Scott Fischer founder for
friendly rival group Mountain Madness. On the first acclimatization trip the group
finds it’s self waiting dangerously at one of the mountains crux called the Icefall.
This is due to the other slow moving guides and their lack of experience. This is the
first look into the dangers and a small peek into what would soon follow. The film
up to this point makes a persuasive case against the commercialization of this level
of perilous undertaking. However, it never really feels more than just background
information, which then keeps the viewers from further developing an attachment
for the characters and seeing them just as stereotypes and never transitions to
human beings.
The film is jam packed with high caliber talent, and this is where it goes wrong. The
script never really develops enough into any one character that it never really
reaches a climatic point. Even though there are some amazing special effects this is
the type of film that needs to be seen in IMAX 3D, it underwhelms in parts by the
tight shots that remind you that the actors were never more than 10 feet away
from the film crew. What saddens me is that the people involved and the story being
told deserved an epic film and unfortunately the end result is a subpar biopic that
leaves you feeling like $65K could have been used better.
By Hiram Trillo
7 out of 10
