Everest Review

2015 in film

Sep 3

Written By Rendy Jones

Preview

PG13: Intense Peril and Disturbing Images

Universal Pictures

2 hrs and 01 Minutes

Cast: Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Sam Worthington, Robin Wright, Keira Knightley Michael Kelly, John Hawkes, with Elizabeth Debicki, and Emily Watson

Editor’s Note: This review was originally published during my adolescence. Outdated language might be seen in these old posts. Since then, my thoughts and values have grown. This review is being presented as they were originally written, grammatical errors, shitty sentence structure, and typos galore. Because to do otherwise would be that same as claiming these flaws never existed.

BACKSTORY: Wednesday September 2nd I dragged my best bud Gil to an IMAX 3D screening of Everest in Sheepsead Bay. Because I never went to that theater on my own it was a pain in the ass to get there. Luckily Gil lived by the theater so having to rely on him saving me a seat was a good idea, because by the time I actually went there the usher said the theater was full. Since I told him my friend saved me a spot, he let me shimmy my way through to get to the theater with Gil as we watched/bashed the film together.

STORYLINE: On the morning of May 10, 1996, climbers (Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin) from two expeditions start their final ascent toward the summit of Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. With little warning, a violent storm strikes the mountain, engulfing the adventurers in one of the fiercest blizzards ever encountered by man. Challenged by the harshest conditions imaginable, the teams must endure blistering winds and freezing temperatures in an epic battle to survive against nearly impossible odds.

3D: IF and ONLY IF you are going to see this movie, go 3D. Better yet go IMAX 3D. The way the 3D is used really pumps up the tension of the characters climbing their way to Mount Everest and struggling their way back. If it wasn't for the great sound mixing and cinematography the IMAX 3D wouldn't be as captivating as it is.

REVIEW: In the spirit of films that persuade you to never do anything risky such as going to space like Sandra Bullock in Gravity or go sailing like Robert Redford in all is lost comes a new kind of film that persuades you to NEVER TRY TO CLIMB MOUNT EVEREST! In Everest you have more than 10 hikers climbing to Everest and more than half doesn't make it back. When it comes to intensity this film delivers but the journey to get there takes a very long time. For a two hour thriller epic, this film is paced very slowly which takes a while for you to get invested. When you have a heavy handed film based on a true story every character should have a certain amount of depth which this film lacks. We have a numerous amount of characters we are introduced to with different backstories, but unfortunately we get tiny sprinkles of their backgrounds. Most of them are just adventurous because why not? Seriously most of the motives of climbing to Mt. Everest is because either A) why not? or B) I didn't accomplish last year or C) I'm getting old. The only person with an actual personality is Gyllenhaal who gives the tiniest of comic relief. The movie doesn't wake you up until the cast starts heading down from the mountain, because when the blizzards and storms come you are constantly saying "get the fuck out of there." Once you see people start to die out of frostbite you get emotional chills (no pun intended). It's genuinely sad the efforts these real people had to do to tell their family how they aren't going to make it. By the time the film ends you are going to walk out of it depressed and angry on why a film was made to capture deaths of people we follow throughout the film, but then you realize that the film did it's job.

LAST STATEMENT: Naturally intense, and genuinely depressing, Everest is a film meant to be seen in IMAX 3D and only IMAX 3D, but expect lack of character development and bad pacing.