Being that the weather is so snowy here in Fredonia, I decided to cuddle up and watch the coldest movie I could possibly find, Everest. Everest Is based on the unbelievable true story of two expedition groups who trekked the highest mountain in the world in 1996. While on the mountain an unforgiving storm hits and the climbers must fight to stay alive against the harshest elements found on the planet.
I found myself really intrigued with this story. It hooked me right away and I was immersed the whole two-hour runtime. I was a big fan of how the actors portrayed their roles. When bad things start to happen it really makes you emotional. The cinematography was also top tier as well. The sweeping shots of the snowy mountain were so beautiful. Along with that the special effects were also amazing. It truly looked like the actors were really climbing Mt. Everest.
I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys great performances, beautiful camerawork, and a heart pounding story. I also think you should try to go into this movie as blind as possible. I didn’t know anything about the true story, so when certain things happened I had my jaw on the floor.
Spoilers:
As I stated before I knew nothing about the actual story going into this. First of all it is absolutely insane that people actually climb this mountain with all of the potential risks. You can get Hypothermia, Delirium, and because of how high you are your lungs can collapse.
At the very beginning we learn that the main character Rob Hall, played by Jason Clarke is expecting his first child with his wife, played by Natalie Portman. Eventually Rob gets stranded by himself towards the top of Mt. Everest in the titular storm. He doesn’t have much oxygen left, he gets covered in snow, and no one can save him. There is a heartbreaking scene where his wife talks to him through a walkie talkie to try and get him to come down the mountain. He then tells his wife to name their baby Sarah then he dies. WHAT!! I literally thought he was gonna pull through and make it back down, but now his wife hears his last breath on the walkie talkie. I was not expecting to be left sad from this movie.
I found myself getting so connected to the characters that I felt so sad when they started succumbing to the harsh elements. One character Beck Weathers, played by Josh Brolin ends up surviving being buried in the snow for hours. He eventually picks himself up and travels down the mountain for help. Because he was unconscious in the snow for so long he had severe hypothermia on his hands and face and when he got medical care he had no choice but to cut off the affected areas. His story alone is just so crazy to learn about.
As you can probably tell, this movie was gagging me left and right. I highly recommend you check it out because it is such a heartbreaking and interesting story.
I give this movie ★★★½/ ★★★★★
(You can watch this on Hulu through a premium subscription or rent it on Amazon Prime.)
