Everest tells the harrowing true story of the tragic events that occurred during the 1996 climbing season at Mount Everest. The film opens by giving various statistics about the number of people who attempt to summit the mountain each year, and the number of people who die trying.
The film focuses on two of the teams climbing the mountain during the 1996 season. The first is Adventure Consultants, owned by New Zealander Rob Hall (Jason Clarke). His clients include doctor Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin), who’s been having some martial issues with wife Peach (Robin Wright); mailman/carpenter Doug Hansen (John Hawkes), who’s already failed to reach the summit a few times and this may be his last opportunity; Yasuko Namba (Naoko Mori), who’s hoping to complete her Seven Summits with this trip; and author Jon Krakauer (Michael Kelly), who’s there to write a piece for Outside magazine.
When the adventurers first arrive in Peru, Adventure Consultants basecamp staff members Helen Wilton (Emily Watson) and Guy Cotter (Sam Worthington) give the clients the rundown of the layout of the mountain, and explain the various dangers of high altitude climbing. This serves as both an informative introduction to this world, but also a foreboding warning to the viewers about what is to come.
When the clients reach the mountain, the men and women start a four week acclimatization process in order to prepare their bodies for climb. Everest has become a lot more commercial over the years, with more and more climbers showing up each season. 1996 was a particularly busy year for Mount Everest, with 20 different teams of climbers competing for the mountain’s limited resources. Adventure Consultants decides to team up with Mountain Madness owner Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal), his no-nonsense guide Anatoli, and their eight clients in order to alleviate some of the contention. However, there is some animosity between some of the team members, and the teams have conflicting climbing and management styles.
As these adventurers head out to make their climb, the conditions look clear. However, a surprise blizzard and other unexpected events cause harsh conditions that no one was prepared for, and they struggle against the elements and impossible odds just to stay alive.
Everest brings viewers on a roller-coaster of emotions. It spends a lot of time with these characters before the climb begins, allowing you to get to know them and care about them before they are put in danger. I was unfamiliar with the details of the events, so I had no idea who was going to live and who was going to die. So once that storm hit, it was a tense, emotional ride that had me on the edge of my seat, and bundling up for warmth even though my thermostat said it was 70 degrees.
This film makes you run the gamut of emotions—from moments of extreme joy to heart-wrenching loss and devastation. The cast is great, but some of the performances really stood out, such as Keira Knightley, who gives a crushing performance as Hall’s pregnant wife Jan who is desperately trying to find out what’s going on while thousands of miles away. The rest of the cast also delivers on the physical and emotional requirements of their roles.
I was really happy to see that I was sent the 3D Blu-ray of the film for review. I was blown away by the presentation—the picture captured every detail of the beautiful mountainsides, the harsh storms and facial epressions (when not covered up by a snowsuit). The effects look amazing—you really believe these climbers are right there on the mountain dealing with these horrible conditions. While the 3D does not provide any pop-out-of-the-screen moments, it does add amazing depth and realness to most scenes. It is especially effective in scenes where the characters are crossing over a big crevasse using ladders or a bridge, and in shots that show you just how high up the climbers are. The 3D is perfectly used to emphasize the majesty and danger of this climb.
This was the first film I’ve been able to watch with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack and it was quite an experience, especially during the storm scenes. It felt like I was right there in the middle of the storm, with winds passing overhead and all around me!
The 3D Blu-ray combo pack also includes a 2D Blu-ray disc and a DVD as well as iTunes and UltraViolet digital copies of the film. The discs contain a nice selection of bonus features (none of which are in 3D), including 20 minutes of behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes, over 6 minutes of interviews with survivors and family members of those portrayed in the film, and a really informative director commentary. It would have been nice to also have some sort of documentary about the events, but that is pretty much covered throughout the commentary as director Baltasar Kormákur goes into the events and differing theories in great detail.
What’s Included:
Film: (2:01:16)
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3D Blu-ray:
- 3D / 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos/TrueHD, English DVS Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos/TrueHD, English DVS Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
- Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, English DVS Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- iTunes Digital HD Copy
- UltraViolet Digital HD Copy redeemable via Universal, Flixster or Vudu
Blu-ray:
DVD:
Digital Copy (See NBCUcodes.com for Redemption Deadline):
Extras:
* Some bonus features are only included on the 2D & 3D Blu-ray discs
- Race to the Summit: The Making of Everest (10:59)
The cast and filmmakers talk about maintaining authenticity to these disastrous events of 1996, the challenges of shooting on location in Nepal, filming in Arctic conditions, and working with director Baltasar Kormákur. Includes behind-the-scenes footage from the mountain and interviews with producers Tim Bevan and Nicky Kentish Barnes, co-producer David Breashears, director Baltasar Kormákur, and stars Jason Clarke (“Rob Hall”), Josh Brolin (“Beck Weathers”), John Hawkes (“Doug Hansen”), Jake Gyllenhaal (“Scott Fischer”), Michael Kelly (“Jon Krakauer”), Naoko Mori (“Yasuko Namba”) and Martin Henderson (“Andy ‘Harold’ Harris”). - Learning To Climb* (4:42)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the high altitude training and climbing boot camp the actors had to go through. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with producers Nicky Kentish Barnes and Tim Bevan, co-producer David Breashears, key Alpine advisor/head of mountain safety Guy Cotter, and stars Josh Brolin, Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Kelly, John Hawkes, Martin Henderson and Vanessa Kirby (“Sandy Hill Pittman”). - A Mountain of Work* (5:13)
A behind-the-scenes look at how the visual effects were done and how the filmmakers recreated the upper 3000 feet of Everest on a stage using green screen. Includes interviews with visual effects supervisor Dadi Einarsson, co-producer David Breashears, production designer Gary Freeman, producers Nicky Kentish Barnes and Tim Bevan, director Baltasar Kormákur, and stars Michael Kelly, Naoko Mori and Josh Brolin. - Aspiring To Authenticity: The Real Story (6:47)
A look at the real men and women and events portrayed in the film. Includes interviews with the real-life survivors and the loved ones of those who didn’t. Those interviewed include director Baltasar Kormákur, Jan Arnold (Rob Hall’s wife), Sarah Arnold-Hall (Rob Hall’s daughter), Helen Wilton (Base-camp manager), Beck Weathers (survivor), co-producer David Breashears, and actor Jason Clarke. - Feature Commentary With Director Baltasar Kormákur (2:01:16)
Director Baltasar Kormákur gives a really interesting and informative commentary which provides a deeper, more detailed look into the characters and events as they are portrayed on screen, and talks about some of the controversies and disagreements surrounding some of the details of these events. Kormákur also gives viewers behind-the-scenes and production tidbits such as how certain scenes were filmed and some of the cameos by the real-life people associated with the events. This was one of the most interesting commentaries I have listened to in a long time—afterwards, I immediately picked up the Into Thin Air audiobook to learn even more about this tragedy.
Final Thoughts:
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Everest—well, as much as you can “enjoy” a film about a real-life tragedy. It takes viewers on a roller-coaster of emotions, giving a sense of the dangers and excitement involved in such a daunting task while trying to accurately portray the unfortunate events of the 1996 climbing season. There are some really great, emotional performances, inspirational characters, and an overall heart-pounding viewing experience. The technical presentation of the Blu-ray is fantastic and the 3D is used perfectly to add depth, scope and height to the scenes. The bonus features provide a nice look behind the scenes at the making of the film, while the audio commentary provides even more in-depth details surrounding the events portrayed in the film. I Highly Recommended picking this release up—particularly in 3D if you have the capability to view it!
