Everest (2015)

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Cast

Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Sam Worthington, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson, Thomas Wright, Martin Henderson, Elizabeth Debicki, Naoko Mori, Clive Standen, Vanessa Kirby, Tom Goodman-Hill, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Charlotte Bøving, Micah Hauptman, Chris Reilly, Chike Chan, Vijay Lama, Mark Derwin, Mia Goth

Storyline

On the morning of May 10, 1996, climbers from two commercial expeditions start their final ascent toward the summit of Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. With little warning, a violent storm strikes the mountain, engulfing the adventurers in one of the fiercest blizzards ever encountered by man. Challenged by the harshest conditions imaginable, the teams must endure blistering winds and freezing temperatures in an epic battle to survive against nearly impossible odds.

Opinion

Once again I had high expectations and once again I've been disappointed. Stuffed with famous names, Everest is a well done chronicle film, that only invites to observe and not feel.

With an overlong first half focused on the preparation of the climbing itself and acclimatization to the high altitude, and a second half focused on the tragedy itself, the film does not lack credibility or attention in the reconstruction of the events, but it's soulless. Apart from the fact that the division between part one and part two is like a clear cut, the film does not go beyond telling the facts as they are, and completely fails in showing the difficulties you may encounter in such a climbing, and the hostility of the environment.

The characters are a washout. The only well outlined character is climber Rob Hall, that with his company Adventure Consultants guided even clients with little experience on the top of the Everest. Unfortunately, Hall's rival Scott Fischer is very superficial, portrayed as an reckless drunkie. The other characters are just plot elements, and characterized by some small details - like Doug, the mailman pursuing his dream, or Yasuko, the woman completing the seven summits. Also, Anatoli Boukreev definitely deserved more space in the story.

The actors are wasted. While Jason Clarke and Josh Brolin give good performances, Jake Gyllenhaal's only purpose is delivering stupid lines, Emily Watson's New Zealand accent is unconvincing, Keira Knightley occasionally shows up crying, and Robin Wright doesn't even need to be in the film.

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