Everest

Like many man vs. nature films, Everest works spectacularly as a technical achievement, but comes up a little bit short in terms of characterization.  Director Baltasar Kormakur does a fantastic job of putting us in the perilous climb up the titular mountain, one which claimed the lives of five people during an expedition in 1996 that is covered in this film.  But the screenplay by William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy has a slightly harder time drawing us in on a personal level.

This is definitely a movie that needs to be seen on the big screen, especially the select IMAX version, which I'm sure is absolutely stunning. (Unfortunately, I had to view the film at my local multiplex in 3D.) This is a movie that gives you the feeling that you are there with the characters, and deserves to be seen on the largest format possible.  As for the 3D, it sadly disappoints.  While the visuals and natural footage are beautiful, the 3D is never really utilized to full effect, and is really just there.  It's a shame that no 2D version exists, as that would be the real prime format to view this.  That being said, there is still a sense of majesty to the film.  And when the characters do face certain death during the later half of the film, it manages to thrill.  And if the characters were developed beyond the most basic level in order for us to tell them apart, the movie probably would have achieved the greatness it strives for.

The opening half of Everest is easily the hardest to sit through, as a large number of characters are introduced, but never grab our attention.  The expedition leader, Rob Hall (Jason Clarke), leaves his pregnant wife (Kiera Knightley), promising that he will be back in time for their future daughter's birth.  After that, we're quickly introduced to the individual members of the team, which include a wealthy Texan named Beck (Josh Brolin) who also has a family waiting for him, a writer named Jon (Michael Kelly), a postman named Doug (John Hawkes) who had to save up a lot to afford this adventure, and a Japanese woman named Yasuko (Naoko Mori) who has conquered six of the world's seven summits.  The film spends a lot of time introducing these characters, and a rival team led by another leader (Jake Gyllenhaal), but does little to make us feel attached to them.

Once they leave the base camp and begin their climb, the movie kicks into gear and we become involved.  We are at first awed by the footage, which is a combination of real footage of the mountain, digital effects, and in-studio filming.  As the team begins their climb, a massive storm kicks in.  The film's strongest aspect is how it depicts the dangers of making the climb.  It is relentless in depicting the perils these people faced.  I understand that there is a documentary that covers this group's climb (which I have not seen), and I can only imagine that it is a much more harrowing and tragic film than this.  But, as a fictional recreation, it is first rate.  The actors never once look like they are safe, or on a set, which is the way it should be with a film like this.  Even if we are not attached to these personalities, we feel their suffering at the right moments, and this is what draws us into the story.

Everest boasts a huge cast of talented actors, but only a small handful make a real impression.  Jason Clarke gets the most screentime, and the radio conversations he has with the team back at the base camp and eventually with his wife can be truly heartbreaking.  He comes the closest to creating a genuine character, because the movie focuses on him the most.  Coming up close behind would be Josh Brolin, who gets the most amount of attention of the people who paid to take the climb with Clarke's team.  The third act of his story arc is quite remarkable, and I kind of wish the film had focused a little bit more on how he managed to pull through.  As for the cast, a lot of sadly shortchanged.  Gyllenhaal fails to make much of an impression, which is rare, and Knightley as Clarke's wife mainly gets to sit by the phone, wringing her hands a lot.  Everybody is giving it their all, but nobody's really being pushed to their acting limits here, considering the talent.

If this review sounds largely negative, I apologize.  Everest is quite the experience to watch, thanks to the stunning nature footage and effects, as well as how it places you right in the middle of the perilous situation.  It's only when you walk out of the theater that you realize that the stuff behind it was a bit dramatically thin.  If you must see this movie (and I recommend it for the spectacle that it is), please see it in the theater, and on the biggest screen possible.  You won't quite get the same effect watching this movie at home, or on a tablet.  In fact, the film's underwritten script may be more apparent on the small screen.

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