Frozen, still clad in colourful gear, and many serving as ghoulish landmarks for other trekkers (“Mate, take a turn at Green Boots”), there are over 200 bodies on Mount Everest of mountain climbers whose journeys on the peak met a chilling end.

Although it is not statistically as dangerous a climb as K2 or Kangchenjunga, with its frequent avalanches, blizzards and thinning oxygen, Mount Everest is still insurmountable for many. Numerous people have lost their lives in mere rescue attempts. Perhaps this is why, at the highest altitudes, some have taken the cold decision to leave dying climbers, such as British mountaineer David Sharp in 2006, to freeze to death rather than decrease the chances of their own survival by trying to save another in such an unforgiving environment.

Personally, I have never attempted a mountain climb, but I have experienced the deathly cold, and Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur is remarkable at portraying the feeling in his dramatic thriller. As the adventurers battle to keep their fingers warm, as they desperately suck on oxygen, as they ignore the crusts of snow on their faces, you will be taken to a time when your experienced your harshest winter.

Mount Everest is the last resting place for many unfortunate mountaineers

Based on the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, Everest features gorgeous cinematography from Salvatore Totino, capturing the giddy heights of the world’s largest mountain to a terrifying degree. Though I am not fond of 3D effects in general, here, they actually enhance the visuals, creating a true sense of peril.

In Everest, the mountaineers travel from landmark to landmark, through the base camps, walk over ladders placed on deadly pits, eventually reaching well over 20,000 feet. As far as authenticity is concerned, the filmmaking has certainly been given a stamp of approval by Everest experts such as famous climber Sean Swarner.

But while Kormákur manages to scale extraordinary heights in terms of production values, he certainly finds narrative to be more challenging. Here, featuring an ensemble cast of some of the world’s most talented actors such as Jason Clarke (New Zealand expedition leader Rob Hall), Keira Knightley (Jan, a fellow climber and Rob’s pregnant wife), Jake Gyllenhaal (American mountaineer Scott Fischer), Josh Brolin (Texan doctor), Robin Wright (the good doctor’s wife), Sam Worthington (Guy Cotter), Michael Kelly (Jon Krakauer), amongst others, the film tells the tale of two commercial expeditions, hosting some wealthy clients, and attempting to reach the summit.

The groups are eventually led by Rob Hall, a man with a perfect safety record. Hall is considered to be so careful; other more adventurous leaders such as Scott Fischer playfully accuse him of hand holding. It doesn’t take long for Hall’s steel to be tested when the expedition runs into trouble due to overcrowding and deadly weather.

Interestingly enough, Hall goes against his cautious nature, allowing his clients to take unreasonable risks, in what is speculated by his partners to be an attempt to impress now famous journalist Krakauer, a man who eventually wrote a bestseller on the disastrous climb.

In contrary to the skill behind the visuals, the storytelling in Everest is uneven at best, and lacking imagination at worst, with the characters often coming across as one dimensional and clichéd. What’s more, there is plenty of Oscar bait in the film, including teary dramatic speeches and a soundtrack clearly designed to tug at the Academy’s heartstrings. Perhaps this is why, after taking me to the top, Everest still left me feeling a little empty inside.

Rated PG-13 for intense peril and disturbing images

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, October 4th, 2015

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