A sobering experience about how determination is not enough

Rating: 8/10 (22 September 2015)

Everest wasn't the cinematic feast that I hoped it to be, but it was a gripping, miserable and extremely realistic experience of what that horrible climb in 1996.
After many struggles, a commercial expedition led by Rob (Jason Clarke - extremely effective in the lead role) and Scott (Jake Gyllenhaal, who is excellent but completely underused) reach the top of Everest. It comprises ordinary joes and experienced climbers alike. The film does an excellent job at showing what a titan Everest is - what seems like a minor speed bump is actually the endgame for many climbers because it requires standing around in the debilitating cold. After defeating one such challenge, the team reaches the peak rather abruptly, and as a result the triumph is not particularly effective (maybe because it was shown in the trailer).
The film's defining scene comes when Rob stops for Doug (John Hawkes), a climber who has failed at the threshold of the peak once and is struggling within eyeshot of it now. Rob tries to turn Doug back, but Doug pleads to push on, because he'll never do it again. Rob, in a moment of weakness, agrees. Kormakur's skilled direction and some nifty camera-work lulls the audience into a false sense of security. Go on, its right there! Its what, five hundred metres? Its clear out and he's so close! How long could it possibly take? He paid $65,000 for this! Everest's greatest and most sobering message is that determination is not only insufficient, but sometimes misplaced.
On the descent, we see terrific visuals and great acting as the group of climbers struggle through storms and freeze. In one pivotal moment, a weak climber pleads that they have to leave their fallen companions or die with them. And such is the skill of the storytellers that I completely agreed with him.
Baltasar Kormakur definitely knew what he's doing with the direction of Everest. The pacing was faultless, the movie never dragged on a single moment. The climb and the descent, the hope and the helplessness, are given equal weight, and the visual depiction of Everest is so realistic that it almost feels like we are there ourselves. Of a stellar cast, none have enough time to make an impact, but I'll make a special mention to Emily Watson, very emotional and likable as the Base Camp contact, and Sam Worthington, who proves he's actually a good actor, just not a lead actor.
Everest is a sobering experience. I went in wanting to climb mountains one day. Now I just want to lie in bed with my electric blanket turned up to eleven and never leave electricity or gas heating again.