Want To Climb Mount Everest? Think Again!

Rating: 8/10 (19 March 2017)

This is a retelling of the story of two mountain-climbing teams who climb to the summit of Mount Everest in May 1996, when there is supposed to be ideal weather...and even then, it is dangerous. Why does everybody go? A Japanese woman has already climbed the Earth's other six major peaks, some media people want news stories, one man is sent by the primary school he taught at, another battles depression he only escapes by climbing mountains. The movie describes that in the past, one out of four people who make the climb perished in the attempt, but in 1992 someone decides to set up a system of camps and site employees including Sherpas to make it easier for less-expert climbers to make the attempt. But even installing ladders and ropes to bridge crevices to decrease the danger does not make the climb safe.
Indeed, you don't need to see the movie in IMAX to see how utterly dangerous it is to climb mountains; the visuals and topnotch performances by all the actors do an excellent job in proving this. The staff at the Everest base camp tell everyone who comes just what sorts of hazards climbers can face, but most of the people still choose to go on, with few turning back. The sad part is how some of the people leave wives and families behind.
If the movie does nothing else, hopefully it proves to people just what a crazy stunt climbing such a high mountain really is.