A climbing expedition on Mt. Everest is devastated by a severe snow storm.
Spectacular and well-acted, this suffers from much the same problem as the situation it depicts — too many people on the mountain and too many threads to follow so that affecting individual stories get lost in the snow.
A valiant effort that never quite scales the dizzy emotional heights required, running out of oxygen in the final act. Visually, though, it’s stunning.
Stirring and star-studded disaster movie that suffers from rather thinly drawn characters.
The true-life drama about a disastrous attempt to climb Mount Everest in 1996 delivers neither edge-of-your-seat thrills nor a compelling story.
A remarkable mountaineering melodrama rather than a standard-issue disaster movie.
The striking 3D images and crisp sound design all contribute to the sense of being right in the heart of this life-and-death adventure, even if it never quite delivers the thrills or reaches the emotional heights that the subject matter seemed to promise.
The film feels evasive, as if it is trying to bury its darker themes under the snow.
It is extremely well made and you will certainly snuggle up gratefully in bed afterwards.
Emily Watson steals the show in this real-life story based on an expedition to climb Everest in 1996.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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