Plot
In May 1996, two expeditions, Adventure Consultants and Mountain Madness, meet at base camp and prepare to summit Mount Everest in the following days. Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) is one of three guides for Adventure Consultants, whose eight clients include Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin), who had been climbing for ten years, Doug Hansen (John Hawkes), who was climbing to prove an ordinary man can pursue an extraordinary dream, and Yasuko Namba (Naoko Mori), who had previously climbed six of the Seven Summits and was attempting to become the oldest woman to summit Everest. Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal) was the guide for Mountain Madness.
A month earlier on the day he leaves New Zealand for Nepal, Rob says goodbye to his pregnant wife, Jen (Keira Knightley), and promises her he'll be back in time for the birth. Later on while at base camp, she sends him a fax message to inform him that the baby is going to be a girl, and he suggests they name her Sarah, which Jen isn't too keen on. There, the two expeditions are introduced to Helen Wilton (Emily Watson), the base camp manager, who keeps in contact with all of them via walkie-talkies while they climb. On May 7th, they climb from base camp to Camp II, which includes walking across a fixed ladder to get from one section of mountain to the next. Suddenly, large chunks of ice fall away under the strain of too many climbers crossing one after the other and it almost detaches, which concerns Rob. He tries to persuade the opposite group to ascend at a later date but they refuse. Therefore, both expeditions keep climbing and reach Camp IV on May 9th, starting to use the supplemental oxygen when needed.
They later reach the "death zone" and set off in the early hours of May 10th from the South Col, with a plan to reach the top and turn around by 2:00pm, the last safe time to reach base camp before nightfall. Smaller expeditions sponsored by the government of Taiwan and India also ascend on the same morning but from the North Face. On the way up, they quickly encounter delays. Upon reaching a bottleneck at the Hillary Step, they discover that no fixed line has been put in place and are forced to wait an hour while the guides install one, which pushes their time plan back considerably. Three climbers decide to turn back. Meanwhile, Beck takes a break after his vision decreases. He informs Rob that he had an operation the year before, but believes he will be fine after he rests for a while. Rob allows him half an hour, but tells him he must turn back if he can't see better by then.
Gradually, the climbers reach the top of Everest one by one. Anatoli Boukreev (Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson) is the first to do so at 1:07pm, with Rob following soon after, but many others don't reach the summit by 2:00pm as planned due to several more stops along the way. Yasuko also reaches the top and plants her Japan flag into the snow, thanking God and celebrating with Rob, who tells her how proud of her he is. During this time, Boukreev notices that the weather does not look good and at 3:00pm, snow starts to fall and the light slowly diminishes. On his way back down, Rob encounters Doug struggling just above the Hillary Step and orders him to turn back since it's too late to keep going, but Doug expresses that he won't get the chance to do this again and says he must go on. Knowing how important it is to him, Rob agrees and goes with him back up, and they reach the top several minutes later. Scott did not summit until around 3:45pm, exhausted and becoming increasingly ill after suffering from high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) even before he started his ascend, but didn't tell anyone. He tells the two climbers he's descending with to carry on without him.
The weather begins to worsen, particularly the blizzard on the south side of the mountain, causing much difficulty for descending members. Supplemental oxygen is also running out and there are no full emergency tanks hidden where Rob had asked. Doug falls unconscious from lack of oxygen, so Rob radios Helen at base camp to send somebody back up with tanks and water, knowing they are in trouble. When he leaves Doug for a moment, Doug unbuckles his harness and lets the heavy wind knock him over the edge, killing himself. Meanwhile, several climbers nearing the bottom pass by Beck who is still sat down on the Balcony, who tells them that he cannot see. He has become temporarily blinded by the effects of high altitude and overexposure to ultraviolet radiation. They all pull together to help him down. Beck, unable to see clearly, trips and knocks several climbers down the mountain some 20m from a drop off of the Kangshung Face. They later become lost after the blizzard obliterates the trail back to Camp IV and end up wandering around until after midnight, until they can no longer walk. When the blizzard clears, three of them set off to find help, leaving Beck and Yasuko behind.
Andy Harris (Martin Henderson), one of the other guides for Adventure Consultants, makes his way back up the mountain with oxygen for Rob and Doug, only to be told that Doug is "gone". Unable to move due to the blizzard, Rob and Andy are forced to wait it out on the side of the mountain. Soon after, Andy, suffering from hypoxia, hallucinates that he's overheating. He strips off his clothes and accidentally kills himself while Rob lies next to him. In the early hours of May 11th, Hall radios base camp to tell them that he is still at the top of Hillary Step but Doug and Andy are gone. Helen and others break down in tears. They tell Rob that he needs to start making his way down now before he gets any worse, but he informs them that his hands and feet are frozen, and his oxygen regulator is blocked with ice. They call Jen and put the phone near the walkie-talkie so they can hear one another, believing that if anyone can get Rob down the mountain, she can. She tells him he's got to get moving and he tries, but doesn't get far. Shortly after, knowing he doesn't have much time left, Helen calls Jen again to inform her he is still up there and puts her back on to Rob. He tells her he is cold but comfortable, asks her to name their daughter Sarah, and finally says, "Sleep well, my sweetheart. Please don't worry too much."
Scott, now alone, knows he cannot make it back and lies down in the snow before slowly passing away. Boukreev later finds him dead on the mountain and shrouds his face with his backpack. His body remains on the mountain to this day. Many climbers reach base camp with the news that Beck and Yasuko are still up there and need help, but it's too dangerous for anyone to ascend because the weather is still treacherous. They eventually agree that they won't be found alive regardless. Helen calls Beck's wife and children to inform her of the news. However, later that day, Beck miraculously regains consiciousness and begins walking back to camp alone, much to the surprise of everyone there. He is severely frostbitten and desperately in need of medical assistance, so the group make him warm and comfortable in the tent, believing he won't make it through the night. Meanwhile, his wife, after later being informed he is in fact alive, calls the American Embassy and organises a helicopter to pick him up and take him to hospital. It's a big risk since the air is too thin for a helicopter to be able to fly, but the Western Cwm send one and are able to rescue him, becoming one of the highest altitude medical evacuations ever performed by a helicopter.
In the closing scenes, everyone is seen going home. Helen and several other climbers meet Jen at the airport who embrace one another, and Beck returns home to his family. He is bandaged up and later loses his nose and both hands as a result of the frostbite. Jen later gives birth to a daughter, and she names her Sarah.
Production
Development
Baltasar Kormákur directed the film, which was scripted by Simon Beaufoy and Mark Medoff,[12] with early script adaptations carried out by Justin Isbell and William Nicholson and produced by Working Title Films.[13] Universal Pictures will distribute the film in US.[14] The film about the 1996 disastrous expedition to scale Mount Everest was produced by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, and started shooting in November 2013.[15] In September 2013, Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films was about to co-finance the film[16] but later in October they exited as co-financier.[17]
After the production start date of November 6, 2013, had passed,[18] Cross Creek Pictures and Walden Media joined the production on November 12, 2013, and financed the film with $65 million.[2] The film started production on January 13, 2014, in the Ötztal Alps in Italy, after which production was moved to Nepal and Iceland.[2][19] On December 11, 2013, The Hollywood Reporter posted that South Tyrol's regional film board added $1 million to the film's funding.[20]
On January 30, 2014, Universal set February 27, 2015 as release date for the film,[21] but later on March 21 it was moved to September 18, 2015.[4]
Pre-production
On February 19, 2013, Christian Bale was in talks to join the cast of the disaster film to play Rob Hall, the leader of a New Zealander group who ran Adventure Consultants.[14] On July 17, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Jason Clarke and John Hawkes joined the lead cast of the film. Bale dropped out of the film around this time.[15] Gyllenhaal played Scott Fischer, the leader of the Mountain Madness expedition; Brolin played Beck Weathers, a doctor; Clarke took the role of Rob Hall, also an expedition leader; and Hawkes played Doug Hansen, one of Rob Hall's clients who encounters difficulties on the descent from the summit of Everest.[5]
On February 4, 2014, Clive Standen also joined the cast of the film while the shooting is underway.[10] On February 7, 2014 more cast and characters added to the film, including Martin Henderson, Emily Watson, Thomas M. Wright and Michael Kelly, Watson played a motherly base camp figure who works closely with Rob Hall and Kelly played Into Thin Air author Jon Krakauer.[7] On February 17th, actor Micah Hauptman was added to the cast of the film in the role of filmmaker and mountaineer David Breashears, who directed the 1998 IMAX documentary film Everest.[11] On March 24, 2014, two more joined the cast of the film including Sam Worthington and Robin Wright. Worthington played Guy Cotter and Wright played Beck Weathers' wife Peach.[6] On May 1, DailyMail.co.uk revealed that Keira Knightley joined the film as Jan Arnold, to play Rob Hall's pregnant wife.[8]
Filming
In November 2013, the film was set for a January 13, 2014 production start date in Italy. Co-financier Brian Oliver told Variety they would shoot in Ötztal Alps in Italy for six weeks, a month in Iceland, and then move to Nepal for another month's shoot.[19] In early January 2014, actors Gyllenhaal and Brolin were practicing for climbing mountains in the Santa Monica Mountains, to train for their roles.[22]
The 44-member crew arrived on January 12, 2014 in Nepal and stayed in Kathmandu. They had permission to film from January 9 to 23.[23][24] Later filming on Everest commenced on January 13, 2014.[25] On January 14, Brolin and Hawkes filmed some shots[26] at local terminal of Tribhuvan International Airport, and then they were to be filming at Lukla Airport on January 15, then to Namche Bazaar and later at the Everest Base Camp, news confirmed.[23] After shooting completed in Nepal, the crews were to move to Italy (Schnalstal and Rome[27]) and then in early March to UK to film at Pinewood Studios.[25] On February 23, 2014, Gyllenhaal was spotted in Rome, during the filming of Everest which they recently wrapped up in Nepal,[28] Brolin was also spotted with his assistant Kathryn Boyd.[29]
English actor Clive Standen said that filming on location in freezing temperatures has been "tough but fun".[30] On March 24, 2014 the shooting was said to be taking place at the Everest Base Camp in Nepal.[6] Additional portions of the film, including scenes that take place just above the icefall to camp 3, were filmed at 10,000 feet at Val Senales in Italy.[31] Base camp exteriors were filmed on the backlot at Cinecitta Studios in Rome, where bright sunlight could be achieved to resemble the lighting at base camp.[31]
On April 18, 2014, while the second unit crew was shooting some remaining scenes of the film at Camp II on Everest, an avalanche struck, killing 16 Sherpa guides. They were carrying equipment and supplies to camps for climbers in advance of the start of the summer climbing season.[32][33] Deadline reported there were no injuries or fatalities affecting the film crew. The production was not present where the disaster took place, but they were nearby. Filming at Pinewood Studios in England was just about to finish up, but the second unit was shooting at the camp which then had to halt the production for some time.[34] Hillary Step, camp 4, icefall and the summit were built on the 007 stage at Pinewood Studios with greenscreen for CG backgrounds. Totino said, "It was very challenging because we had to re-create the sun, which at Everest is so incredibly sharp and crisp." The team used SoftSun lights for creating sun on the summit, Hillary Step and icefall. "They were 9 feet long and 3 ½ feet in diameter and 100,000 watts. They had to be moved around on cranes because they are very heavy," Totino said."[31] To photograph one scene during which expedition guide Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) is stuck on the mountain in the storm, Totino recalled: "We tented off a portion of the set with some very heavy plastic and brought in these giant refrigerating units, half the size of a semi truck, and we cooled that part of the stage down to about 26 to 28 degrees Fahrenheit and brought in real snow. Baltasar really wanted the actor to feel like he was frozen. You really see and feel that."[31] The film was shot with Arii Alexa XT cameras, using the Arriraw format.[31]
Post-production
On July 2, 2014, it was announced that Dario Marianelli would be composing the music for the adventure film.[35]
Release
Universal Pictures had originally slated the film for a September 18, 2015 release date in the United States and Canada.[4] However, the date was later pushed back to September 25, 2015 in order to build word-of-mouth. The film will be first released exclusively in IMAX 3D on September 18, 2015, followed by a wide theatrical release on September 25, 2015.[36] In the United States and Canada, it will be released in Dolby Vision format in Dolby Cinema, which is the first ever for Universal Pictures.[37] It was screened at the 2015 CineEurope on June 23, 2015 at the Centre Convencions Internacional Barcelona in full 3D Dolby Atmos.[38][39] The film's world premiere took place on September 2, 2015 at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival in the Sala Grande at the city's Palazzo del Cinema in Venice.[40][41]
Marketing
On February 12, 2014, the first photo from the set of the film was revealed featuring Clarke.[42] On June 4, 2015, the first trailer for the film was released online, with an appeal for relief for the April 2015 Nepal earthquake through Oxfam America in the coda.
Reception
Box office
United States and Canada
Prior to its wide theatrical opening in the U.S. and Canada on September 25, the film received a limited release in IMAX 3D and other premium large format screens across 546 theaters on September 18 in order to build good word of mouth.[36] It made $325,000 from 481 IMAX screens and premium large-format screens from late night showings which began at 7 pm[43][44] and an estimated $2.3 million on its opening day.[45]
Other markets
Internationally, Everest will be released in a total of 65 countries.[46] It had No. 1 opening day in 12 countries and in Iceland, director Baltasar Kormakur's native country, the movie opened to No. 1 with $32,000 which is the second biggest opening day of the year there.[46]
Critical response
Everest has received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 72%, based on 140 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's consensus reads, "Everest boasts all the dizzying cinematography a person could hope to get out a movie about mountain climbers, even if it's content to tread less challenging narrative terrain."[47] On Metacritic the film has a score of 64 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[48]
