| Rating: ★★★★☆ Reviewed by Tom Goldsmith | Staring: Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Michael Kelly, John Hawkes, Emily Watson, Robin Wright, Keria Knightley, Sam Worthington and Jake Gyllenhall. Director: Baltasar Komákur, Screenplay: William Nicholson, Simon Beaufoy. |
Based on the 1996 attempts to reach Everest’s summit. Due to overcrowding and an incoming storm the climbers find themselves behind schedule on the dangerous peak of the mountain. “Human beings simply aren’t built to function at the cruising altitude of a 747.” These are the words spoken by mountain guide Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) as he briefs his clients before they set off on the perilous journey. It is a statement that ultimately proves true. Everest is a film about human courage and strength, but it is also a film about human hubris and weakness.
Everest was originally going to be a Christian Bale vehicle with the focus on Rob Hall. However when he left the project the film was changed to an ensemble piece. And boy did they get an ensemble. Look down the cast list and you have to get past nine names until you find an actor that isn’t either a leading movie or television star.
The film centers on Rob Hall’s expedition group but also includes Fisher’s (Gyllenhall) group, support units at base camp and the family members of Hall and Weathers (Brolin). Emily Watson is the standout performance as Helen Wilson, the mother of base camp. She manages to create a perfect balance between professionalism and a creeping horror as she realizes that she is powerless to aid her stranded team members. Of the climbers we only really get to know Rob Hall, Doug Hansen (Hawkes) and Beck Weathers. Their reasons for climbing the mountain are all different but reinforce the message that these are ordinary people attempting an extraordinary pursuit. Doug in particular represents the everyday man, he has three jobs and is fighting for personal pride. He wants to be the first mailman to climb Everest.
Ultimately it turns out that there can be too much of a good thing. While the performances are all great the film does get lost trying to bring each character arc to a close and when the blizzard hits it gets hard to follow who is where and what’s happened to them. Some key reasons to why the expedition got into trouble get brushed over a little to quickly and it feels like the writers had to condense a lot of events.
The biggest star of the film is cinematographer Salvatore Totino who captures the awe-inspiring beauty of Everest. This is a film that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen you can find as the camera sweeps round the views are breathtaking. The cinematography at the summit of Everest gives us a clear sense of why people are willing to risk their lives.
An interesting companion piece for Everest is the critically acclaimed documentary Touching the Void (2003). Like Everest it also focuses on a disastrous mountain expedition and examines why climbers feel the need to push themselves and the decisions made in a time of crisis.
Verdict: Everest is a gripping and moving film that asks the question of what we
would risk to achieve our dreams.
Everest was originally going to be a Christian Bale vehicle with the focus on Rob Hall. However when he left the project the film was changed to an ensemble piece. And boy did they get an ensemble. Look down the cast list and you have to get past nine names until you find an actor that isn’t either a leading movie or television star.
The film centers on Rob Hall’s expedition group but also includes Fisher’s (Gyllenhall) group, support units at base camp and the family members of Hall and Weathers (Brolin). Emily Watson is the standout performance as Helen Wilson, the mother of base camp. She manages to create a perfect balance between professionalism and a creeping horror as she realizes that she is powerless to aid her stranded team members. Of the climbers we only really get to know Rob Hall, Doug Hansen (Hawkes) and Beck Weathers. Their reasons for climbing the mountain are all different but reinforce the message that these are ordinary people attempting an extraordinary pursuit. Doug in particular represents the everyday man, he has three jobs and is fighting for personal pride. He wants to be the first mailman to climb Everest.
Ultimately it turns out that there can be too much of a good thing. While the performances are all great the film does get lost trying to bring each character arc to a close and when the blizzard hits it gets hard to follow who is where and what’s happened to them. Some key reasons to why the expedition got into trouble get brushed over a little to quickly and it feels like the writers had to condense a lot of events.
The biggest star of the film is cinematographer Salvatore Totino who captures the awe-inspiring beauty of Everest. This is a film that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen you can find as the camera sweeps round the views are breathtaking. The cinematography at the summit of Everest gives us a clear sense of why people are willing to risk their lives.
An interesting companion piece for Everest is the critically acclaimed documentary Touching the Void (2003). Like Everest it also focuses on a disastrous mountain expedition and examines why climbers feel the need to push themselves and the decisions made in a time of crisis.
Verdict: Everest is a gripping and moving film that asks the question of what we
would risk to achieve our dreams.
