Terri L
A Heartbreaking Battle Between Man and Mountain
Everest is not just a survival film. It’s a gut-wrenching tribute to the strength, fragility, and humanity of those who dare to climb the world’s highest peak. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, this visually stunning and emotionally devastating film is based on the true events of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster—and it doesn’t hold back.
The film follows two commercial expedition groups led by Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) of Adventure Consultants and Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal) of Mountain Madness. As they prepare to take clients to the summit of Mount Everest, we’re introduced to a diverse and passionate group of climbers, including the soft-spoken mailman Doug Hansen (John Hawkes), the determined Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin), and journalist Jon Krakauer (Michael Kelly). Each climber carries a personal reason for facing the deadly mountain, making us care deeply about them from the very beginning.
Rob Hall, a devoted husband whose wife Jan (Keira Knightley) is pregnant back home, is painted as a heroic and deeply compassionate leader. His relationship with Doug Hansen is especially moving—Doug has attempted Everest before and failed, and Rob believes in giving him a second chance. Their summit journey becomes a symbol of trust and loyalty, but it also sets the stage for the heartache that follows.
When a violent blizzard suddenly descends on the mountain, what began as a daring adventure quickly turns into a desperate fight for survival. The emotional core of the movie hits hardest here—Doug collapses during descent and dies. Rob, refusing to abandon him, sacrifices his own chance of escape. Watching Rob speak his final words to his wife over satellite phone—telling her he loves her and naming their unborn daughter—is beyond heartbreaking. I cried uncontrollably. It didn’t feel like a movie scene—it felt like witnessing someone’s last breath of love and life.
Meanwhile, Scott Fischer, exhausted and struggling with illness and oxygen deprivation, also succumbs to the mountain’s brutal conditions. His death, though less personal than Rob’s, still shakes the soul.
But Everest doesn’t just leave us with death. It shows us the unbreakable will to live through Beck Weathers. After being left for dead in the snowstorm—frozen, blind, and unresponsive—he miraculously wakes up, staggers back to camp, and survives. His frostbitten, disfigured hands and face are haunting, but his return to his family is a powerful symbol of the human spirit’s resilience.
The cinematography is breathtaking, showing the deadly beauty of Everest in all its awe-inspiring majesty. But it’s the emotional weight—the quiet sacrifices, the final goodbyes, the dreams left buried in the snow—that lingers long after the credits roll.
Final Thoughts:
Everest is a tear-jerker in the truest sense. It’s not about heroes conquering nature. It’s about how nature humbles even the strongest among us. It’s a story of love, loss, and legacy. The performances are gripping, the visuals are stunning, and the real tragedy behind it all makes it unforgettable.
Rating: 9/10 – Bring tissues. This one hurts. But it also honors something deeply human.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
05/14/25
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Mitchell S
The ending is a little sad, but the story is interesting and showcases the dangers of climbing mountains of that magnitude. Plus, the characters have really good chemistry.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
04/23/25
Full Review
Jewel C
This might be a GenX thing, but I just finished this movie (without knowing anything about the story) and thought it was bad. I'm blaming it on generation because I have to assume people who really loved it don't have as much to compare it against.
I've seen loads of true-story tear-jerkers ("Apollo 13" immediately comes to mind) that were so much more well thought out and effective. At multiple points, this film reminded me of all the bad 1970s disaster movies I saw as a kid, and I haven't thought about those in years. Even Stallone's "Cliffhanger" was better than this!
One of the biggest problems with the film was character development. Several of the characters were so poorly developed (i.e., not at all) that once they were all in gear and covered with ice, I lost track of who the hell they were. White dudes with beards. We never got any hint as to why Jake Gyllenhaal's character was having trouble physically or what his story was. Was he supposed to be a drunk? Why? And is that what was wrong with his stomach?
At one point, Rob has a tête-à-tête with Donnie Darko to ask if their teams cab work together on the climb, and his response is "Okay." Not really much of a conflict there. A scene like that is usually added to build tension, but this one didn't deliver. They should've skipped that scene and instead given us Jake's character's back story.
Who was the douchey guy who got pissed off over the other teams wanting to set a departure schedule? Was it his team who helped out with the rescue toward the end? I assume so, otherwise there was literally no reason for this scene. But I can ONLY assume, because once again, there was no further exploration of the character. That's not how a good story works. You can't bank on your audience making assumptions. There should have been more buildup to the meeting scene---something earlier in the story to indicate that that dude was going to be a potential problem. And then he should have actually turned out to be a problem. Caused an accident. Something. It also would have helped had we known why it was so important that they all go up at the same time instead of staggering their start times.
Instead, he throws a fit for no reason, then disappears until---like Superman emerging from a phone booth---his team appears at the end to (try to) save the day? (If that's what happened. Again, it wasn't clear. There were multiple teams at that camp.)
The key difference between this film and crap like "Earthquake"---and the biggest reason I disliked it---was that these people all did this to themselves! It's not like they were up there surviving a plane crash. They climbed up there knowing the odds were they weren't coming back down. It's hard to feel sorry for people who pay $65k to go to a place humans aren't designed to survive in. That's just a Darwin award waiting to be handed out.
The fact that Doug the mailman pushed Rob to go up to the summit when Rob told him in no uncertain terms, "No, we have to leave NOW," perfectly illustrated the incredible level of selfishness that is involved in this kind of undertaking. Because of that guy's need to be a big man and get all the way to the top of a damned mountain, a little girl grew up without her dad.
I might have had more sympathy for the characters and their plight *had they been better developed.* Instead, I was left wondering, "What the hell did I just watch?"
I love Jake Gyllenhaal, BTW, and normally love anything he's in, so I was all primed to enjoy this one. Remember: I LIKED CLIFFHANGER. There wasn't a high bar to meet. What a letdown.
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
04/23/25
Full Review
Jonathan K
Emotionally charged! They really nailed the impact on the people going through it. The emotional weight lands hard. The characters are great, with lots of well-known actors showing up. Some of the camera shots are insanely good. Overall, really well done, especially in how it handles the devastation of loss. Heavy stuff, beautifully executed.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
04/13/25
Full Review
Rg S
There are far better ways to waste time. Too artificially maudlin.
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
03/22/25
Full Review
Jason S
Considering this is based on real people, you can’t rate it as anything other than 100%. Incredible and heartbreaking story.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
03/21/25
Full Review
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