Movie review | ‘Everest’ is more than just a mountain movie
Everest***1/2
Though I remembered the story “Into Thin Air: Death on Everest” by journalist John Krakauer, two decades after the May 1996 disaster, I’d forgotten who died on the mountain, and why. That lack of memory served me well in viewing the new big-budget 3D epic “Everest,” which is the realistic retelling of that calamity.
The production took filmmakers to the Italian Alps, refrigerated backlot studios, and Everest itself. As you settle in for the viewing, you already know something will eventually slide downhill, but don’t waste your time second-guessing who will make it and who will become a permanent frozen fixture on the mountain, which, by the way, is a sonofabitch.
Stars Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Keira Knightly and Jake Gyllenhaal prove themselves by bringing each of the real characters to life with depth and realism. I feared that the movie might be two-plus hours of people slogging through the snow moaning about how hard it is to climb the world’s tallest peak, but award-winning Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur did a fine job on the story’s set-up.
Ever thought about climbing Everest? In this film you’ll learn everything you ever needed to know about the process; just where Nepal and Kathmandu are on the map, how worried your family at home will be, acclimatizing over the course of three weeks before your ascent, what kind of physical challenges you’ll have to endure, and ultimately how brutal nature can be.
During the filming in 2014, an avalanche killed 16 Sherpas who make their living as Mt. Everest guides. In April, 2015, some 9,000 Nepalese died in an earthquake near Everest in a tragedy that continues to cause terrible hardships. “Everest” will send a chill up your spine, a tear down your cheek, and will have most of us running for the nearest mug of hot chocolate, saying “no thank you, no way, not never, no how.”
What do those stars mean?
* Really, really, really bad. Don’t bother.
** Pretty bad, with one or more redeeming scenes.
*** Pretty good, but maybe not great, worth seeing for most
****Really great, a winning combination of story, casting, and directing
***** The rarest gem, an all-around perfect motion picture
This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 8:08 AM with the headline "Movie review | ‘Everest’ is more than just a mountain movie."