Everest Movie Review – Tragedy without Sentimentality
Recently we could resist to go see the new Everest movie which came out in theatres in late September. To be honest, after watching what Hollywood can do to actual mountaineering stories (such as Vertical Limit) we expected an over the top, very dramatic and completely unrealistic account of the disaster, but were pleasantly surprised by the films modesty (in Hollywood terms, of course).
The truth is, the movie was actually a fairly accurate portrayal of the events. Though there are many gross exagerations, such as climbers removing their gloves and goggles at high altitude, there wasn’t much else that was incredibly untrue as far as we could tell from a climbing perspective. The acting was great, with some pretty famous actors (such as Jake Gyllenhall, Robin Wright and Keira Knightley) that didn’t detract from the actual story.
What happened in 1996?
Rob Hall (portrayed by actor Jason Clarke) is the leader of the Adventure Consultants, a guiding company which encounters bad weather and overcrowding.
In May of 1996, one of the worst mountaineering disasters on Mount Everest, which claimed the lives of 8 people. This was the worst disaster in Everest history until the avalanche of 2014 in which 16 people died, and the earthquake of May 2015 which claimed the lives of 18 people.
Numerous climbers were up high on the mountain when the storm hit. The disaster was the subject of many books including Into Thin Air (1997) by John Krakauer, The Climb (1997) by Anatoli Boukreev, Left for Dead (2000) by Beck Weathers, and many more.
Ironically, the IMAX movie Everest (1998) was being filmed at the same time, and includes footage of the events.
Tragedy without sentimentality
For the most part, the writers avoid the sentimental hopes of a disaster movie, except for the unavoidable tear-jerking radio contact between Rob Hall and his wife, pregnant with their child at the time, while he was succumbing to exposure on the mountain.
Everest not without controversy
Much like the actual disputes centered around what actually happened during the disaster, there is also controversy about the events depicted in the latest film.
The movie has raised a bit of controversy from author Jon Krakauer, who published his account of the disaster in Into Thin Air, who claims the movie is ‘total bull’ and Jeannie Price Fischer, the widow Scot Fisher, who is offended by Scott’s caricature portrayed in the movie.
See it for the scenery
The bottom line? Great cinematography. The main draw of this movie is the amazing cinematography, which only becomes amplified when you see it in 3D. The movie is available in 3D and regular viewing, but the 3D version is highly recommended. The mountain scenery is quite moving and very dramatic. Most of the climbing scenes were filmed in the Otztal Alps (in Northern Italy). Some filming was also done in Iceland.
The film’s stunning mountain landscapes were shot in both Nepal and Italy, with the famous landmarks of the Hillary Step, Icefall, camp four and the summit built on a stage.
Actual shooting was done at Lukla Airport and Everest Base Camp. In fact, the movie crew was in the area during the avalanche in 2014.
Watch the movie trailer here:
Did you see Everest? Leave your comments below.
For another look at Everest from climbing she raps perspective take a look at upcoming Sherpa – Trouble on Everest Movie
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