Everest Official Movie Review
Jason Edwards had only a few minutes on top of Mount Everest when he reached the 29,035-foot summit in 2001.
He looked around, taking mental photographs from the highest point on the planet. He gave a thumbs up for an actual camera as he posed for the obligatory summit shot. Then it was time to descend.
What he saw Tuesday night on a massive IMAX screen at the Pacific Science Center reminded him of that moment like no other Hollywood film hes seen.
That is about as close as you could probably get to emulating what the summit looked like and would feel like without being there yourself, said Edwards, an accomplished mountaineer whos climbed the highest point on every continent. It is incredibly realistic. I was very impressed.
Edwards was watching Everest, the latest recounting of the 1996 Everest disaster that saw eight people killed when they were caught in a storm during their summit attempt.
I literally couldnt tell which shots werent taken on the mountain, Edwards said. I know the mountain pretty well. Im sure if I sat there with some buddies and studied it, we might be able to figure it out, but it is really realistic.
Edwards says he looks forward to the next time he sees his friend David Breashears, a co-producer on the film, so he can learn more about how they filmed the movie.
Its magnitudes more powerful (in IMAX 3-D) than watching it on a flat screen, Edwards said. You were immersed in the experience. I think for me it was like, wow, I was feeling a lot of the same emotions I would have been feeling if I was there myself.
Edwards, 56, has a lengthy rsum that includes more than 300 Mount Rainier summits, numerous international trips and four trips to Everest. He guided on Everest in 1991, 94, 97 and 2001 for Ashford-based International Mountain Guides.
During those four years, he made five summit attempts, having to turn back the first four times for various reasons, including a frozen cornea in 1997.
He never regretted turning back and hed never second-guess those depicted in Everest who some have argued should have turned back sooner.
You shouldnt armchair quarterback if you arent there to witness it yourself, Edwards said. It was obviously a collision of bad weather and a challenging mountain that created the proverbial perfect storm.
Edwards has the decades of experience that allow him to pick apart climbing movies. He recalls seeing Cliffhanger, the 1993 Sylvester Stallone movie, and its laughable portrayal of rock climbing.
A bolt gun used to set anchors in solid rock was a particular annoying departure from reality.
I would love one of those guns, that would be just magnificent, he said. It made me laugh, and I realized I should just sit back and enjoy the film.
Thats what hes learned to do over the years. He doesnt let minor inaccuracies keep him from enjoying the movie.
But this film (Everest) is different, Edwards said. It is very realistic. It pulls you right in, even as an experienced climber.
Sure he could nitpick if he wanted. Some of the tents and gear appeared to be newer models than climbers would have had in 1996. Climbers likely would have worn overboots (neoprene covers for their plastic climbing boots) more often than they did in the movie.
There were things like not wearing sunglasses a lot, but I think that was for the benefit of the movie, Edwards said. But only little details like that that most people wouldnt pick up on.
As for the emotions whipped up by the storm, a storm that killed people Edwards knew, including one of his former clients, those were unmistakably real. They are emotions he doesnt want to share publicly.
The movie creates a feeling of loss and compassion for the climbers that were killed and for the survivors and their families, Edwards said. A few minute later he added, Its not a positive movie. It is a chronicle of human endeavor, challenge and loss. Really, thats what we all yearn to experience and overcome if possible.
Source: http://www.theolympian.com/entertainment/movies-news-reviews/article35503398.html
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