HOLLYWOOD—We have all seen documentaries and flicks aimed at chronicling the tale of treachery that lives on Mount Everest. The new movie “Everest” chronicles the real live events of the 1996 disaster which chronicled what transpired with two expedition groups tackling the dangers on Mount Everest. The disaster flick stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Jason Clarke as Scott Fischer and Rob Hall, both leading groups to climb the highest mountain on Earth.
Note this is a place that sits 8.848 meters above sea level (that is more than 29.029 feet high). “Everest” has an all-star cast including Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Sam Worthington, Robin Wright, Keira Knightley and Emily Watson. So it’s Adventure Consultants against Mountain Madness to make it to the top. This is a movie that is not for the faint of heart; it’s in your face, gut-wrenching and difficult to watch at times. As a viewer, the outcome of the flick is apparent once the narrative begins.
With that in the forefront, as a viewer it’s nearly impossible to take your eyes away from the screen; you want to witness what transpires on Mount Everest which has resulted in the deaths of many people. Some of those bodies still remain on the mountain till this day.
The argument can be made that “Everest” has a solid script; it’s more about the special effects and the tale of survival that captures the audience’s attention. Emotional undertones are utilized with Peach (Wright) and Jan (Knightley) who portray the wives of Rob and Beck (Brolin) who are used as motivation to get their husbands to fight for survival.
The moment that blizzard tackles are expeditors it’s a spectacle to see unfold. We’ve all heard about weather related disasters like high winds, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis and so many others, but when it comes to a blizzard, the movement of the snow and the wind is unstoppable and beyond frightening. Director Baltasar Kormakur captures that action in a way that places the audience in the midst of the storm. This is a movie that responds even better in IMAX than on a smaller movie screen. The scale of the action appears grandeur and you feel immersed in the chaos that is unfolding.
This is not to argue that the impact of emotions is any less on a smaller screen, it’s just the IMAX perspective works so much better for the overall impact of the movie for a viewer in my personal opinion. “Everest” might be the first film to really capture the horrors of Mount Everest.