Characters lost in the scenery

Rating: 7/10 (26 July 2019)

High altitude mountaineering is incredibly dangerous, and was once the preserve only of the most brilliant, and dedicated, climbers. But in a world where rich people look for the ultimate experience, some climbers have found they can make a living by guiding lesser mortals to the highest summits, none more desired than the highest peak in the world, Mount Everest. We know now what this has led to: queues of people on the highest point on earth, and periodic tragedy. And a big question is what it really means to "guide" under conditions so extreme, where anyone can lose their sense of reason under shortage of oxygen, and when demented ambition and fierce storms can wreck the best laid plans. In 1996, high altitude guiding was relatively new when tragedy struck the parties of guides Rob Hall and Scott Fisher. The presence of journalist Jon Krakauer in Hall's party ensured that the story was well-told; 'Everest' is in fact the second movie based on Krakauer's book. It's a higher budget affair than its predecessor, and a little less corny, but essentially very similar. Perhaps it brings out some of the individual stories a little less strongly, although the visuals are predictably stunning. Twenty years on, it's hard to know the right solution; but also hard not to conclude that people are very bad at calculating odds.