Everest

Baltasar Kormákur knows how to make manly films and Hollywood obviously likes him. After the heist thriller Contraband and the action comedy 2 Guns, he's here with Everest, his most ambitious project yet. And he has succeeded. The director more or less ignores the pathetic scenes and tries to approach the story realistically. During the climb up the highest mountain in the world and the fight for life on the descent, we don't see scenes of a half-dressed hero holding his friend over a precipice with one hand and beating a chamois with the other. When there's dying, it's no bullshit. When there's a fight for life, it's over the top. And the fact that it's got really good actors makes it great to watch. (09/23/2015)

There couldn’t be a better director for such a story than Baltasar Kormákur. In my opinion, there is no other European nation than the Icelandic nation more connected with nature, and therefore they could tell totally everything with such a story. But since Baltasar is an Icelander and what’s more a capable director, he took up the storywhere the actors play second fiddle and Everest itself really plays the main role. I gained a lot of respect for it right from the first minutes and as Baltasar had no less capable cameraman, I experienced not only respect, but I also enjoyed the endless sceneries that were absolutely flawless. And the best part was that digital technology is used so little that you won’t even notice it. This movie is a huge film experience that I won’t easily forget. In many scenes, it says more than any viewer can catch, and at the same time, it tries to tell that story from 1996 as it actually could have happened, in a raw and realistic manner. (10/22/2015)

Raw and majestic. Where most people would have long since given up mountain climbing, Kormákur has no trouble in handling the dramatic plane, but he also has the enthusiasm to climb to the top of the world. The central story itself is very powerful, but the down-to-earth approach that removes any possible pathos forces you to value it all the more. Deaths are ordinary, without tension build-up and so have greater impact. Great acting performances. Worthington at last has a proper role, but not major. Keira will tempt moisture from your eye. Beautiful music. (09/24/2015)

After a second screening (and having learned about the making of this film), I'm pretty clear: the production values of Kormákur’s film are breathtaking. Whether it's the visuals, the actual locations where it was filmed, the plethora of great special effects that are naturally incorporated into the picture so that you don't even recognize them, and behind all of that there is a subtle tribute to the guys for whom mountains are everything. We can make a comparison here with, for example, the rather dumb Vertical Limit, where the mountains are just a vehicle for stupid stunts that are a laughing stock for real climbers. Everest, in contrast, has a real believable dimension and yet it is deep and human. The fact that you may think mountaineers are weirdos with obsessive compulsive behavior who gamble with their lives is actually pretty irrelevant, petty, and just your problem. Everest can proudly stand alongside some famous French mountaineering-themed films, which are pretty good on their own, and it’s certainly the best mountaineering film Hollywood has ever produced. (06/19/2016)

It is not an adaptation of Krakauer's well-known original "about the event", which will surprise many in a bad way. And it is even more surprising that it lacks any significant ambitions with regard to the creator and the cast. From the whole expedition we only get to know a trio "Hall - Texas guy - postman" properly. What is a biggest disappointment is that given that the disproportionately more interesting trio "Krakauer - Yasuko - Fischer" is clearly only a makeweight here (not to mention the other participants who are present only out of duty "because they were also there at the time" rather than playing a more significant role in the movie. The same goes for Sherpas. Likewise, what is completely ignored are the controversial topics surrounding Hall's and his company's involvement in this disaster “we get the people to the top even though they cannot make it". They failed to make proper preparation, and even at the top they made a bunch of incomprehensible decisions. The movie completely avoids any dark undertones what a person is capable of when things go wrong. And the fate of the three Indians who were caught by surprise by the same storm is not even mentioned. So, these are the weak points what this movie is not and what it is not about. What is more important is, however, what the movie is at the end of the day. And it's a damn successful manly adventure movie with Hollywood-style human warming emotions about the invincibility of the human spirit and with heartbreaking phone calls to the pregnant wife. Once you get it and understand that the main role is not played by the actors, but by the truly impressive camera (by the way, it was made in 3D after years again, which is not just a way to increase the ticket price, but an integral part of the experience; especially when watched in IMAX), showing the beauty of the Himalayas that will intoxicate you, you will really enjoy it. That is for sure. Yes, it's surprisingly cold not only in terms of atmosphere but also in terms for emotions and the first half is better than the second half that describes tragedy, but it doesn't matter that much, because it's still quite impressive and very intense, which is undoubtedly the best non-documentary climbing film of the last few years along with German Nordwand. (09/18/2015)