★★★☆
Some films are made for the big screen, and Everest is one of them. It’s hard to say how enjoyable the experience would have been on a smaller screen with less wholly encompassing sound, but witnessed in the comforts of the IMAX, it’s an engrossing and nail-biting man-versus-nature thriller.
It’s 1996, and numerous international agencies are vying to get ambitious travellers to the top of the world’s highest mountain. Veterans Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) and Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal) lead a troupe of climbers to the summit, unaware that a storm is brewing that will bring them all to the brink of destruction.
The knowledge that the events of the film genuinely occurred perhaps carries more weight than the screenplay by industry vets William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy, but its strength lies in its ability to balance exposure to the huge cast of characters; that is, except for those who are female.
Case in point: Robin Wright, Emily Watson and Keira Knightley claim fourth, fifth and sixth billing on the poster respectively, but together share about ten minutes of screen time. Of these, Watson’s have the most gravity, with her maternal figure playing emotional cipher for the audience. Knightley mostly just cries, though her Kiwi accent is competent; Wright just has nothing to work with.
As for the lads, Clarke’s Hall is a broadly appealing, flawed hero whose decisions, though guided by his heart, have tragic consequences. Gyllenhaal entertains and surprises as always, while Josh Brolin’s gung-ho Texan provides balance to the ensemble.
There are too many other actors in this film – frustratingly, one of the more interesting characters, experienced climber Yasuko Namba (Naoko Mori), has her dialogue cut off by journalist Jon Krakauer (Michael Kelly), and so we gain little insight into this fascinating real person. It’s otherwise nearly impossible to keep track of everyone.
But really, the humans are secondary – the true star’s name is in the title, and is captured vicariously through sequences shot in Nepal, Italy and Iceland by cinematographer Salvatore Totino. His eye for landscape will surely see him dominate film epics in the years to come.
With dizzying cinematography, moving music and scenes of true tension that has audience members clutching their armrests in dismay, the world’s biggest mountain deserves the world’s biggest screen.
Everest opens in cinemas on Thursday September 17.
