It's got more sting than one may think

Rating: 7/10 (26 December 2015)

Everest looked like a generic disaster movie made purely for the big screen in the trailers. Not so. It tells the true story of a disastrous climbing expedition which took place in 1996. Since this is a true story, there's less room for the emotional manipulation and over the top set pieces which would have been expected. The film admirably follows the true story faithfully and doesn't sensationalize events. The way in which the film was marketed was misleading. There isn't as much action as the posters and trailers suggested. It's more of a realistic survival story than a big scale disaster flick. As a result, some may leave the theatre disappointed. Everest is an unexpectedly solid movie, but it certainly has its problems. There are definitely moments where the film loses your attention a bit, while a lot of the character deaths aren't given enough impact and seem rushed. In some ways, the part involving the climb to the top is more enjoyable than the slightly underdeveloped and occasionally rushed second half focusing on the disaster.
Still, this will surprise you. It's a tense movie rather than a really thrilling one, which is a pleasant surprise and shows the film's maturity and restraint. Despite the many characters, they are all developed enough to sympathise with. It's got a very good cast for a disaster movie, and they all give good performances. Even Keira Knightly and Sam Worthington are bearable. The film's big surprise is its emotional impact. This is a tragic story with one of the best- and saddest- final shots of the year. Not everyone makes it out alive. As a result, it's not as forgettable as it looked from the marketing. The direction is pretty good as well and doesn't show off the visuals, instead focusing on the suspense and the characters. Obviously it's not full of really developed characters, but not every film can be so that's not a problem. Everest is a solid, satisfactory survival film with a strong cast, tense set pieces and a surprise emotional punch, although it feels somewhat rushed despite it's 2 hour runtime.
7/10