It is good to see the majestic Everest on the big screen but it is not all picturesque and heavenly. It tells many stories of survival and appreciation of life to those who climbed the mountain and this flick is not an exemption as the plot is based on a true story of a group of climbers led by Ron Hall (Jason Clarke) who attempts to ascend to its highest peak but is devastated due to a severe snow storm.
Headlining the movie is an ensemble and solid cast, those you can depend on delivering dramatic and emotional scenes, namely Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Emily Watson, Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Jake Gyllenhaal to name a few and directed by Baltasar Kormakur. I commend the cast as they provided the moviegoers with an emotional roller coaster to each scenes. All of the cast really immersed themselves to their character to the especially Jake Gyllenhaal. I also commend the director for faithfully telling the story of these mountain climbers without capitalizing too much with it. The score plus the cinematography helped set the tone of its thrill and melancholy.
The film gave you a glimpse to the world of mountain climbing as it explains to you that your body must be physically ready to climb and training will take around 1 or 2 months before moving up the mountain. It made me realize that I am not fit for that kind of physical activity. However, this scene made the pacing of the movie a bit dragging and was afraid of me getting bored but at least it picked up and became interesting until the end.
With the above, I will give 4 out of 5 stars to this movie. I enjoyed watching this as it is visually entertaining and it feels like I was part of the group climbing as I was at the edge of my seat half way through the movie. What I also like is that this flick revolves around each characters stories of attaining their dreams, pushing themselves to achieve their goals, love and passion, their fight for survival and most importantly the sacrifices and team effort in the midst of the calamity. Also, the movie overall is exhilarating and intense and can conclude that nature really is a force to reckon with.
If you want to see the trailer before going to the cinemas, here is the official trailer.
Photo and trailer credits to Universal Studio
In My Own World 