Everest

This review may contain spoilers!

Ultimately a generic film that is perfectly executed in almost every way. I would give Everest an 8/10.

What is essential in an adventure/survival film is a strong progression of journey, which is what really worked well for this film in terms of plot. We really came to empathise with the struggle that the climber's faced reaching the summit of Everest; even more than this we truly feared for them in the fantastic second half of the film when the storm hit. The cinematography and editing in this film is beautiful; it's important in these types of films to feel the setting and you feel in touch with the harsh elements of the mountain in this film. Furthermore the score/sound editing in this film is powerful; it not only heightens the danger but really amps up the threat of both Everest and the storm. Finally the special effects in this film while minimal look stunning; just look at how the storm is styled when it's first shown onscreen and you'll know what I mean.

John Hawkes, who played Doug Hansen, is a really likeable character; you connect with how real and humble his role is. Michael Kelly, who played Jon Krakauer, I actually quite enjoyed in his small role in this film; he really played the role of journalist who had interest in those around him well. Keira Knightley, who played Jan Arnold, is in a very small role in this film yet shows off her acting talent despite this; you have to admire how she can play a strong character while also displaying an intense amount of grief. Josh Brolin, who played Beck Weathers, gives quite a genuine performance as this man who escapes normalcy by climbing; he's kind but we also see an intense amount of fear from him in the film that Brolin delivers really well. Jake Gyllenhaal, who played Scott Fischer, really suits roles that are almost immature and could do with more sense of responsibility; his carefree attitude really balances out against Clarke's performance.

However the best performance came from Jason Clarke, who played Rob Hall. If there's anything I've learned from watching Clarke these past two or three years it's that his acting ability is exceptionally versatile. He can perform an incredible range of characters and here he plays a character that feels very grounded and down to earth. I like that you feel Clarke can connect with anyone in his cast; it's nice and makes you smile and connect with the performance. Ultimately what you have to admire is that Clarke embodied the role of an experienced climber; I was convinced of his performance and he could deliver jargon or perform the actions flawlessly.

Where this film suffered was the first act, it was a bit boring and meant that the pacing at the beginning of the film suffered. You had to be ready to suffer a lot of jargon as well as small snatches of information about the ensemble cast of characters. Unfortunately because the cast was so big it was hard to keep track of everyone and to care for each of them; in this manner a lot of character's stories became unimportant in the scope of the bigger picture.

Ang Phula Sherpa and Pemba Sherpa; who played Ang Dorjee and Lopsang respectively, weren't given their due in this film; the sherpas of Nepal are a big part of Everest and the climbers there and in this film they felt like background characters. Thomas M. Wright, who played Michael Groom, faded into the background as well; you weren't sure if he was a climber or a guide like Hall for most of the film. Martin Henderson, who played Andy 'Harold' Harris, had absolutely no screen presence; the significance of his death meant that his character should have had more focus within the film. Naoko Mori, who played Yasuko Namba, really should have been given more scenes in this film; her performance was great but the amount of lines she had meant that you just didn't care enough about her character. Emily Watson, who played Helen Wilton, gave a very weak performance; she had no power behind her lines which meant her role felt far too plain. Sam Worthington, who played Guy Cotter, was fairly redundant in this film; we already had a lot of grievers in the tent but he was wasted there. Elizabeth Debicki, who played Caroline Mackenzie, wasn't very convincing as a medical professional; she had no screen presence and was very much a background voice. Ingvar Eggert Sigurosson, who played Anatoli Boukreev, was a performance that fell into the background far too often; his gruff role really could've been more interesting with more attention in the film.