Everest

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)

Everyone you develop a fondness for gets in big trouble. That is Everest’s only dramaturgical ambition. An IMAX marketing product that uses only half of the IMAX screen with its widescreen format. The script is purely average without any memorable dialogue, moments or characters. The excellent international cast has practically nothing to do, and Jake Gyllenhaal’s character, which we looked forward to most, gets only about three times more space than in the trailer. However, the visuals are nice and the Everest environment authentic, and the footage of the famous passage below the Hillary step is impressive. The key weapon in the film’s arsenal is the intensity of the whirlwind, which shoves you back in your seat in a cinema with a high-quality sound system (such as Dolby Atmos). Commendably, the film does not embellish reality, avoids pathos and is not dragged down by its own stupidity (Vertical Limit). But all of this is also true of Nordwand, which is not a rushed studio hit but, with narrative enthusiasm and interest in the characters, describes a historically more significant and dramatic climb on the Swiss Eiger (which is a completely different level of climbing than the “walk” up Everest). (09/22/2015)

A pleasantly civil, down-to-earth, and male spectacle (despite the presence of female elements) that wrings pathos from the fact that the protagonists are really hurting and the adrenaline pumps as if only in the background. This is because they die without grand gestures and the returns from the brink of death are dogged to the last breath. The casting couldn't be better because these actors cut through liters of emotion and personal feelings even over the phone, and in the audiovisual mode it's borderline hypnotic at times. I might have trimmed the more rambling first half a bit, but the second half is a pure action adventure that will have you locked in your seat by the time the credits roll. (09/24/2015)

The journey to a place where the human body dies, in the story of people who knew very well how much they were risking, but still went for it. Nothing more, but certainly nothing less. And even though I don't understand the self-destructive behavior of the main heroes, thanks to the brilliant cast, I feel like I have at least glimpsed beyond the first summit. The intensity with which the highest mountain in the world siccs its pitfalls on climbers nails you to your seat, and the moment a storm appears, the cinema is already shaken to the core and the viewer knows they are in for a rough ride. And every gasp for breath almost hurts in your own lungs. (09/24/2015)

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)