Meru (2015)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Fresh and Exciting

Absolutely the worst movie.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

This is the story of the first successful hike up Meru Peak in the Himalayas, a brutal and treacherous ascent, and also the backstories of the three hikers, Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk. Chin also co-directed and was the main cinematographer, and captures some stunning shots. What's fascinating is the tragedy in these men's lives, and I don't mean the trio's first unsuccessful bid up Meru that ended just 100 meters short. Anker's mentor died on a climb, and later his best friend died in an avalanche that hit them both. Ozturk went off a cliff while shooting mountain skiers at Jackson Hole, fracturing his skull and nearly dying. Chin miraculously survived a monster avalanche in the same place four days later. All of these stories are shown in retrospectives, and are just as compelling as the final attempt up Meru's infamous 'Shark's Fin' route. The film captures the mentality of the hikers, why they're so driven, their mentorship of younger hikers, and the ultimate trust they must have in each other. It seems like a crazy thing to do, but they're quite intelligent about measuring risk, extremely skilled at climbing, and stoically persevere despite extreme cold and very difficult conditions. It really makes the documentary feel complete, and I have to say, seeing them up on that narrow ridge at the end is inspiring.

People always talk about Everest as the ultimate mountain to climb but that hasn't been true for a long time. On Everest you can hire Sherpas to carry your stuff , to fix your ropes for you and to take most of the risks. Most climbers worth their sorts have climbed it many times , some have even skied off of it. Mount Meru is a whole different ball game. This is documentary about three climbers who attempt to climb the unchartered "Shark Fin" summit of Meru and it tells their story along the way. In a way I enjoyed this more than the film Everest because this is real footage and of mountain I wasn't aware of before. You have to admire these people for their determination but on the other hand you can't help but think they have a death wish. I only wish I had an ounce of their determination and drive.

Watched it after reading the good reviews on IMDb. The reviews are right in many ways, at least the positive ones.First this is not a movie . This is real life with real drama , tragedy , courage , hope and a celebration of human spirit.The documentary captures the eerie beauty and loneliness of the most amazing mountain range in the world. There is cracking footage of 3 courageous men slowly inching up to the summit 20000 ft above land.At times the viewer will feel the very real vertigo , the absolute silence , the sheer complexity of the climb. It is said that this route to Meru is the most difficult in the list of mountaineering challenges.The night sky looks like you are in space literally. I guess the climbers had the fortune of good weather resulting in beautiful cinematography .What some may find equally moving and beautiful is the story of each of their struggles and how they use the climb to the top as a catharsis of sorts.Best documentary in a long long time.

The inherent drama of men and mountains has spurred in recent years a glut of TV and film that has blossomed with the technological advancements of our time and the "look at me" attitude pervading society so that everyone with a Go-Pro can film their adventures for the world to see. From Youtube channels of independent climbers filming their routes to big money TV shows that bring the adventurers' lives to our living rooms, the world of mountain climbing and adventure sports in general seems caught in contradictions. Always underlying the contradictions is the simple question of why? Do these individuals risk life and limb for their fame, for sponsors, for a TV deal or out of a unique personal desire and will that drives them into the wild.The British climber George Mallory who died while attempting Everest back in the 1920s famously responded to the question of Why? with "because it is there". For the next 100 years, many climbers have tried to give better answers, and in Meru, we have a compelling combination of narrative and visual imagery that may result in the best answer of all. The narrative stands apart from other films and documentaries in that it is not completely linear and veers off course to give the viewers appropriate back stories to inject meaning and under currents to the climbers' motivations. You get to know the climbers as people, and with that understanding, I think it becomes easier for anyone, including people who have never set foot on a snowy ledge, to understand why these people climb mountains. The technical climbing is filmed by Jimmy Chin (both climber and film director) in a way that I have simply never seen before. As a climbing enthusiast, the shots of these guys on the walls of ice and rock are astounding, gut-wrenching and for me, completely inspiring. The organic relationship of the climbing team, their histories and ultimately their trials on the snow and rock of Meru expand on many common mountaineering themes - mentors, sponsors, risk analysis and contemplating death both yours and your friends. Jon Krakauer is not my favorite voice in this world, but he is a voice that is adept at translating the mountaineering world to laymen, and his role in this film is served well. In the end, I strongly recommend this film for everyone. For those that can understand the motivation to be the first to stand atop a peak, you will not be disappointed. For those that can not understand the motivation, you might walk away finally getting it.