Inspired by the incredible events surrounding a treacherous attempt to reach the summit of the world's highest mountain, "Everest" documents the awe-inspiring journey of two different expeditions c...
Tackling a true story and turning it into a piece of cinema is certainly no mean feat, especially when it is a tragic and horrific event which no doubt still haunts many to this day. To make anything below average out of such an upsetting subject would be a great offence to millions and would damage the reputation of everyone involved, so it’s a good job Everest pulled it off.
Where the real heart of the movie lies is in the characters, who appear real and rational due to subtle performances and well-written dialogue. The true-story element helped with the sympathy felt for the various climbers, but the acting and well developed characters played a larger part in my opinion. I did feel however that the character of Doug, who was the first fatality in the film, was not fleshed out enough to prevent his death by falling to be somewhat comical.
One flaw of the film was the occasionally laughable structural editing. One memorable moment was the sudden cut from a peaceful base camp to the mountain, where within seconds a small avalanche began. It was sudden shifts in pace like this which occasionally ruined an otherwise immersive experience.
Some of my favourite parts were the striking shots of the mountain and the scenery, which captured beautifully both the grandeur and deadliness of Mt. Everest. They were not used sparingly either, which I will certainly not complain about. I can only mourn that I didn’t see this film in IMAX on release. The cinematography in every other scene was also noteworthy, whilst more could be said for the lighting. In almost every night time shot I found myself wondering where that light could be coming from, if not the moon, which is definitely not that bright.
In terms of direction, nothing can really be said.
Baltasar Kormakur (a quick check on IMdB proves I’m not the only one who’s never heard of him) just sort of points the camera in the right direction and does some cool aerial shots every now and again. There are no noticeable flaws in the direction of the film, but there is also not much noteworthy either. He got the right performances from the right actors, and overall did a good job of holding the film together.
Whilst the film is by no means high art, it does no disservice to the climbers who lost their lives on the expedition, and makes significant tugs at the heartstrings of even the most stubborn viewer. A good screenplay, good cinematography, great acting and sub-par editing combine to make a thoroughly enjoyable and emotional, whilst sometimes underwhelming and cheesy movie. It tries, but Everest could not help but feel like a big-budget Hollywood production at the end of the day, which is a shame, as I can’t help but feel a more character driven, smaller scale film would have turned out better.
