Everest

Ratings: 7.2/10

Film class: B+

Genre: Action drama

Everest's all about the mountain, the climbers merely act as supporting roles in portraying how dangerously beautiful this natural Goliath is. Throughout the movie, I myself was wondering (also addressed in the movie)... Why do people actually wanna risk their lives climbing it? Does satisfaction of conquering it precedes the importance of life? Of living? I don't want to comment too much on this, because i believe those who have climbed it or are thinking of doing it must have their own personal reasons. 

What I love about the movie is that it gives you the experience of what it would be like if you were to actually attempt climbing the highest mountain in the world. It's immersive, almost felt as if I was there myself. I get to see the different camps, the logistics and operations involved, get to understand the theories and symptoms behind possible health side effects, witnessed the blanket of scenic snowcapped terrains, gasps at the treachery of the volatile weather and of course what it would be like to reach the summit - it's view of the surroundings and the tattered flags laid by the many who have "conquered" it. 

What I like about it was how unpredictable the story was... It felt like a game of thrones moment, no one was safe... Every character had an equal chance of survival despite how experienced a climber he/she was. 

What I didn't like about Everest was that there weren't much "human spirit" portrayed. It wasn't like the movies "Unbroken" or "Men of Honour". It was more of glorying Everest, and about the giant claiming lives. I had hoped for a death defying seat gripping moment, but all I got were deeply depressing ones. Also, the accent was hard to catch. Most of the time, I found myself falling back to reading the Chinese subtitles so that I could keep up with the conversations, but eventually gave up because my Chinese is as poor as the weather conditions on May 10 1996.

Perhaps just like the unpredictability of the turn of the weathers high up in the mountains, this movie also promises that for its audience - at first everything was "bright" and hopeful, but at the end, all that remained were tons of frozen despair and an avalanche of bleak survivals. The ending was rather random, detailing the survival of one unlikable character. 

More imax-experience-documentary styled than action drama, still, Everest will not fail to impress. Get ready to be swept away by the highest mountain in the world...