Cast: Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawks, Sam Worthington, Emily Watson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley,

Directed By; Baltasar Kormakur

There was a lot of news coverage about a major tragedy that took place in 1996 tragedy when a group of mountaineers decided to take on Mount Everest. The news of their deaths shocked the world. The 1997 film Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" . (‘Into Thin Air: Death on Everest’ is a made-for-TV movie based on his book ‘Into Thin Air’ -  A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster (1997). The film showed the danger of attempting to scale the world’s highest peak; and this film goes one step further and shows the risk mountaineers take to realize their dreams.

The two hour feature is based on the true story of the ill-fated 1996 Mount Everest climb that writer Jon Krakauer (Michael Kelly) (who was part of the expedition) wrote about in his book. The movie opens just as a group of mountaineers gets ready to leave the airport in Christchurch, New Zealand, on their way to Nepal. Though it gets a bit confusing finding out who is who and in which expedition, we get to know it one by one we get to know who all is part of the expedition, including the expedition leaders American Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Rob (Jason Clarke), who has left his pregnant wife Jan (Keira Knightley) behind in New Zealand; The duo take on their team Beck (Josh Brolin), a brash Texan; Doug (John Hawkes), a humble mailman/carpenter and others on the expedition.

The quest to scale the mighty mountain goes wrong when one of the groups departs before dawn and gets stuck midway due to lack of mountaineering gear. A few manage to make it to the summit, but the others are stranded midway with their health failing them. Disaster strikes the whole group when suddenly a blizzard comes in their way jeopardizing their return from the summit to the base camp. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, so watch it and find out how the rest of the story unfolds.

Watching ‘Everest’ is like being right there on the mountain, suffering along with them and for their loved ones at home waiting for news, good or bad. The scenery of Everest is breathtaking, the whole area is white, cold, and you can almost feel it in your bones. This movie reveals what the mountaineers must have gone through; at times it makes you feel like you are there. The cinematography, landscapes, and acting are all top notch, after all the entire movie is filled with stars who deliver heart wrenching performances that will keep you captivated.

Shot on location in Nepal, Iceland, England and in Italy, this fact is sadly revealed in the bonus material - Race to the Summit: The Making of Everest, Aspiring to Authenticity: The Real Story,

But you really would not care about it, for the snowy mountains would leave you amazed. The movie serves as a memorial to those lost lives on the mountain. . ‘Everest’ is very much like ‘Titanic’: both are disaster movies, but end up being also a love story.

If you really want to feel the surge of avalanches and the ice, watch this on a big screen with a good 5.1 surround sound system. ‘Everest’ makes a great addition to anyone's personal library of films.

Rating: ****

Reviewed by Verus Ferreira