The Himalayas

This review may contain spoilers!

This film tries really hard to stand out but ultimately this feels like Korea's attempt to recreate the Everest film we got last year. I would give The Himalayas a 6.5/10.

This film is best when it's analysing character deaths or paying homage to character deaths, there are some very emotional moments in this film that will bring you close to tears. However beyond the character deaths in this film you are best engaged when the action is taking place upon the mountains, the peril of the climb is what this film thrives upon and sets the risky tone for the plot. What help emphasise this tone is the film's phenomenal score, the somber notes linger upon emotional scenes but picks up quickly to back up the danger filled sequences. The cinematography in this film is the true achievement, I've always thought that film's with immense and powerful settings like this one should have a strong visual style and The Himalayas applies this perfectly.

Jung Woo, who played Park Moo-taek, had some of the best character development in the film; the bond between him and Jung-min was one of the most consistent qualities of the film. Jo Sung-ha, who played Lee Dong-gyoo, had an incredible amount of energy and a fantastic presence in this film; I loved to see him push to get sponsors and I thought he brought out some of the best acting of the film.

However the best performance came from Hwang Jung-min, who played Um Hong-gil. Jung-min was an exceptional protagonist in this film, he really drove the rest of the cast through some amazing shared performances particularly in the case of Woo. In this performance there was a powerful emotional range that we were treated too, Jung-min showed a fierce determination and resolve to push ahead while upon the mountain. Yet the pinnacle of his performance was his grief over the death of Park Moo-taek, this can really be seen in the funeral scene and when they find the body of the deceased upon the mountain.

This film suffered, ironically, from the same problems as Everest when it came to the plot. You cared about the deaths and action upon the mountain but otherwise you had no real pull or connection to the characters within this story. Because of this there were long periods of time between mountain scenes that it was easy to grow bored, ultimately the film moved at a snail's pace. The editing was another big let down to the stunning cinematography, this film was riddled with basic cutting that aided in slowing the film to a crawl.

Kim In-kwon, who played Park Jeong-bok, didn't have a very strong screen presence in this film; at the end of the day he often feel second fiddle to Woo's performance. Ra Mi-ran, who played Jo Myeong-ae, had some great dialogue and line delivery in this film; unfortunately her role was completely underutilised and I wished we'd had more scenes with her character.