Everest is a film adaptation of the book "Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster," by Jon Krakauer. The film follows Rob Hall as he guided a group of climbers under his agency Adventure Consultants up 29,029 feet in an effort to summit the mountain by May 10, 1996. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst when Rob and his climbers were hit by one of the biggest storms while descending Everest. Battling low levels of oxygen, ice-shattering winds, and their deteriorating bodies, the group fought against the conditions set upon them.
As Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson's character Anatoli Boukreev states, "The mountain has the last word." The expedition claimed the lives of eight climbers with a few of their bodies remaining frozen in time on Mt. Everest.The film documented their path to their deaths.
Everest has a great and healthy balance within its story-line allowing us as an audience to connect with each and every individual's personality. The film features Jason Clarke as Rob Hall whose performance I applaud (considering his terrible participation in the most recent installment of the Terminator saga). The movie also stars Josh Brolin, Sam Worthington, Kiera Knightly, Jake Gyllenhaal, and many more. Needless to say, the roles were casted well.
As for the film itself, the cinematography did a great job capturing the enormous and breathtaking landscape that the mountain has to offer. Although, it would've been nice to see the view from the summit for those of us who could never achieve such feat. Everest portrayed the strong love Rob Hall had for his wife marvelously making me tear up at one point. There was not one moment where I was not biting my nails as the dramatic irony resonated in my head.
However, there were moments where the plot's sense of time didn't exactly play out well on the big screen. Towards the end, its a little hard to keep track of the time they are on the mountain. Such as the scene where Rob Hall is on the brink of death with frostbitten hands and feet and he attempts to get over the south summit with sherpas making their way up to aid in the descent. Just before they can reach Hall, the two sherpas have to turn around because a second storm is about to hit. They tell Rob they will try again when the storms passes.Yet, the movie never shows the storm directly nor a second attempt in a rescue. It just shows Rob Hall blanketed in snow and ice. Thus, creating a break in the timeline for the audience.
Everest provides us with an inside look at the terrors lived spring of 1996. It also sheds light on how small we are compared to the wonders of this planet; and how conquering these wonders entitles us to accepting Mother Nature's challenges and her merciless acts. The movie earns a 7.6/10.
For those of you who read the book, take a look at Jon Krakauer's recent comments regarding the film adaptation Everest by clicking here.
