121 minutes, Drama/Adventure, M

There is a little bit of Oscar buzz circulating in the movie realm for EVEREST, a true story which stars half of Hollywood! No joke! How’s this for just some of the main cast list – Jason Clarke, Martin Henderson, John Hawkes, Emily Watson, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Elizabeth Debicki, Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal and Robin Wright. So what have they all to do here? The men (and one female) are mountain climbing while the women are either waiting anxiously at home to hear if their loved ones are still safe or they’re working at base camp on Everest. Based on various books about a major disaster that took place in 1996, EVEREST chronicles the extremely arduous and highly dangerous climb to the summit in an attempt to reach the highest point on Earth.

Despite the building hype and the fact it is based on real events, I had an avalanche of issues rushing to mind concerning this disaster/survival film after seeing it. The cast list, although undeniably appealing and impressive has resulted in the writers giving their audience a rather steep mountain to climb for themselves. With the narrative arc of the film barely there for almost the entire duration, forming a real fondness for any of our climbers before they take to the slopes isn’t really given much of a chance. And with so many team members trekking upwards in separate teams, there is a real lack of simplicity and clearness to aid the audience in differentiating one climber from another, thus making EVEREST a confusing and frustrating ordeal. Furthermore, a valid point to make at the risk of sounding insensitive, this movie is hoping to gain empathy from an audience who may not be willing to show any for a group of (rich) people who knowingly thrust themselves into a dangerous situation where Mother Nature calls the shots. Whilst my experience was not involving as I’d hoped it would be, EVEREST, courtesy of visual excellence (some scenes are borrowed from the 1998 IMAX film EVEREST) and its attention in detailing some physical complexities and ramifications together with its score does resonate when at its strongest peaks. And Keira Knightley can do the Kiwi accent very convincingly!

♥ ♥ ½

Film Trailer – EVEREST

Footnote to Parents 
The disaster scenes carry a medium to strong level of intensity and there are some disturbing images that give EVEREST its justified M rating and therefore is recommended for ages over 13. No violence and very little swearing to note.

Moviedoc wishes to thank Universal Pictures and Hoyts Melbourne Central for the invitation to the media screening of EVEREST.

Review by Moviedoc
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