“Why do we do this to ourselves,” a Mount Everest climber asks another, “It’s crazy.” Though all they really get for reaching the highest peak on Earth is the satisfaction of knowing they did it, that last bit isn’t necessarily true. It could just be stupid. It seems, if they’re not on secret suicide missions, it has to be either one or the other. When you reach the so-called Death Zone, you’re guaranteed to start dying from lack of oxygen. Even with a full “O” mask, you could just as easily fall or freeze to death.

Everest is based on the true story of several climbers getting caught in a deadly blizzard, but you’d be better off watching one of the many documentaries covering the 1996 disaster. This fictionalized version never gets far off the ground. There’s a poignant phone scene near the end, but nothing in the storytelling invokes much compassion for the cast of foolish or crazy characters. So much for suspense. Consistently hearing them breathe and grunt as they climb only adds to the annoyance.

my rating : 3 of 5

2015