Into Thin Air: Death on Everest (1997)

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

What I liked about this film was it was one of the more informative learning films concerned with Mountain Climbing. It was also a good example of how many things can go wrong in a planned effort to climb Mount Everest. As a person who enjoys the outdoors greatly I was surprised at the need to summit in this film. There were a number of times when it was clear watching the film all climbers should have stopped and done some serious thinking. With the level of experience of the characters there was a strong lack of leadership from all involved with being outside in a dangerous situation. I wish all climbers would look at this film as a learning experience and when faced with unnecessary difficulties in a climb to stop and take a long moment to consider options, enjoy the view, look at the time and the conditions and if necessary seek safety quickly so you can climb another day, another mountain. Accidents can always happen but if they can be avoided they should. Safe Climbing to all.

Jon Krakauer's book has had its share of controversy but overall was a good attempt to tell a harrowing story as it was. This film does not begin to do it justice. Key characters are swapped around, heroes made of those who weren't (no criticism of anyone there, for whom it must all have been awful) and those who performed heroic feats like Anatoli Boukreev have their part much diminished. The tremendous actions of some of the Sherpas there was hugely played down too. The acting was wooden, the whole thing looked as if had been thrown together in a couple of hours.I felt unbelievably angry by the time that I struggled through to the end. What a tragic waste of a compelling if altogether catastrophic story.

Jon Krakauer's story of climbing Mount Everest earned him his first best seller. Climbing Mount Everest was something that I would have never thought about before until now. It seems exciting even though there have been many casualties of people achieving the difficult climb of almost 40,000 feet. This movie has a good cast featuring Christopher McDonald as Jon Krakauer, Peter Horton as team guide Scott Fischer, and Richard Jenkins as Beck Weathers. The story of the climb reminds me of a Perfect Storm. After they reach the summit, they face treacherous weather and casualties mount. It's question of survival, clash of egos, and arrogance as well as motivation and drive to achieve the almost impossible of reaching MOunt Everest and surviving the experience.

The book in which this film is based was a good read because of the events it described in the adventure of climbing the highest mountain on earth, Mount Everest, in the Himalayas. This version of the novel has a look that said "Movie of the Week" all over it. The direction, by Robert Markowitz, tries to involve us in the adventure, but it doesn't quite succeeds.The film has an episodic look. Almost every scene ends in a fade out in order to move to the next person being portrayed. There are things that don't make much sense, like watching an experienced climber, like Rob Hall, taking off his gloves in that kind of environment. Also, the pathologist Beck Weathers is seen without that protection and hat, suffering from frostbite as he makes an amazing descent into the camp.The ensemble cast do a passable job about the expedition.