Everest
RELIANCE HOME VIDEO, Rs 599
Cast: Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Sam Worthington, Jake Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley
Director: Baltasar Kormakur
A major tragedy took place in 1996 when a group of mountaineers decided to take on Mount Everest. The 1997 film Into Thin Air (a made-for-TV movie based on Jon Krakauer’s book Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt Everest Disaster) showed the dangers of attempting to scale the world’s highest peak; this film goes a step further and shows the risks mountaineers take to realize their dreams.
The two-hour feature is based on the true story of that ill-fated climb that writer Jon Krakauer (Michael Kelly), who was part of the expedition, wrote about in his book. The movie opens as a group of mountaineers gets ready to leave the airport in Christchurch, New Zealand, on their way to Nepal. We get to know the expedition members one-by-one, including the leaders American Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal), and Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) who has left his pregnant wife Jan (Keira Knightley) behind in New Zealand. The duo takes brash Texan Beck (Josh Brolin), humble mailman/carpenter Doug (John Hawkes), and others on the expedition.
The quest to scale the mighty mountain goes wrong when one of the groups departs before dawn and gets stuck midway due to lack of mountaineering gear. A few make it to the summit, but the others are stranded midway with their health failing them. Disaster strikes when a sudden blizzard jeopardizes their return to the base camp. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, watch it to find out how the story unfolds.
Watching Everest is like being right there on the mountain, suffering along with the climbers and for their loved ones at home waiting for news. The scenery is breathtaking, the whole area is white, cold, and you can almost feel it in your bones. The movie reveals what the mountaineers must have gone through; at times you feel like you are there.
The cinematography, landscapes and acting are all top notch, after all, the movie is filled with stars who deliver heart-wrenching performances that keep you captivated.
Shot in Nepal, Iceland, England and in Italy; this fact is sadly revealed in the bonus material Race to the Summit: The Making of Everest, Aspiring to Authenticity: The Real Story. But you really would not care about it, for the snowy mountains would leave you amazed.
If you really want to feel the surge of avalanches, watch this on a big screen with a good 5.1 surround sound system. Everest makes a great addition to your personal library of films.
Verus Ferreira is a music journalist for over three decades. He is the author of The Great Music Quiz Book and The Great Rock Music Quiz Book and the founder of Musicunplugged.in