Review of Everest (2015) by Gordon H — 06 Feb 2016

A Story of Human Triumph Against Incredible Odds.

Everest is a 2015 American-British 3D biographical adventure-climate disaster survival thriller drama film directed by Baltasar Kormakur and written by William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy, starring Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson, and Jake Gyllenhaal. It is based on the real events of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, and focuses on the survival attempts of two expedition groups, one led by Rob Hall (Clarke) and the other by Scott Fischer (Gyllenhaal).

I read the book, 'Into Thin Air,' a first-person account of this tragedy, which was written by Outside Magazine journalist, Jon Krakauer, a few years ago. Krakauer denounced the film, stating that some of its details were fabricated and defamatory. Director Kormakur responded in kind, claiming that Krakauer's first-person account was not used as source material for the film and alleging that his version of the tragedy conflicts with actual events.

Having said all of this, I must tell you that 'Everest' is a very sad film, as is Krakauer's book. Eight individuals who were a part of the ascent that day died as a result of the storm that hit late that afternoon. Let me just remind you that the summit of Everest is 29,029 ft---about the same elevation that most commercial airlines will typically reach on average flights. In other words, those people were in extremely dire straits when this tragedy occurred. The film does the story great justice, but be warned, it isn't a happy story. Recommended for anyone who enjoys seeing the human spirit triumph at all costs, but not for audiences who expect happy endings.