Monday, 28 September 2015

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EVEREST [2015, UK - USA - English]
Originally recounted in Jon Krakauer's non-fiction book Into Thin Air, the ill-fated 1996 climbing expedition up Mount Everest is adapted into the big screens by Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur as a 3D disaster drama starring Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Hawkes, Martin Henderson, Kiera Knightley, Emily Watson, Robin Wright, Sam Worthington and Michael Kelly. Opening at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival, the film is based on real events experienced by two expedition groups, one led by Rob Hall (Clarke) and the other by Scott Fischer (Gyllenhaal) as they brutally attempted for survival when their ascent was pulverized by an unexpected severe blizzard.
Teaming up with screenwriters William Nicholson (Unbroken) & Simon Beaufoy (127 Hours), director Baltasar Kormákur (A Little Trip to Heaven, Contraband, 2 Guns) wanted the film to be as realistic as possible, having his actors shooting outside in the elements in locations including six weeks in Ötztal Alps in Italy, and a month each in Iceland and Nepal.
It’s good to note that many aspects of the actual events have been kept as consistent as possible in the 2-hour film. For instance, one of the tear-jerking moments in the film is when Rob Hall speaks to his wife on his radio via satellite connection, as he struggles to survive in the brutal-cold near-oxygen-free air. This did take place, and his exact words to his wife Jan were used in the film, “I love you. Sleep well, my sweetheart. Please don’t worry too much.” There will be some of you who would be questioning after watching, whether the ladders used in traversing the gaping, treacherous crevasses were actually as rickety as the ones used in the story. They actually were! In fact that was the most riveting scene for me, watching in 3D the climbers shaking as they cross the ladder, and particularly when Beck Weather (Brolin) loses his footing on the ladder as an avalanche unfolds nearby, nearly resulting in him plummeting into the crevasse. Although dramatized, that incident did take place as well in real life.

One of the most prominent incidents in the story is when Brolin’s character Beck is left to die when his eyesight starts to fail him, and his system begins to weaken in the storm as he descends. This actually took place as well, and it happened twice! The other climbers who attempted rescue during the blizzard made an assessment on both Beck and another stranded victim, Yasuko Namba that they were beyond saving. At daybreak the second group arrived to reassess the status of the two, and concluded that they were near death and that they would not survive the descent.
There is not much development of the characters, simply because there isn't time for it! Truth be told, Everest is a film of grandeur not because of its delve into the characters' individual stories, but it's the visuals. Cinematographer Salvatore Totino clearly made the mountains the star of the movie, with breathtaking shots of the majestic snowy peaks one after another. Watching it in 3D is hence encouraged. More emphasis is placed on the horrid throes and struggles encountered as the climbers are battered by the ferocious snowstorm. It is this focal point which makes the film staggering, becoming a film to remember as we are made to feel and cringe at every fall, grunt and pain endured by the cast. Did they need A-listers like Jake Gyllenhaal for the role of Scott Fischer? Definitely no. Not sure why Gyllenhaal would agree to such a menial role.
Rating : B+


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