AS HUMANS, WE ARE DEVELOPING A SENSE OF FULFILLMENT. OF ACCOMPLISHMENT. A SENSE OF OVERCOMING THE ODDS. AND WE ESPECIALLY DON’T WANT TO BACK OUT OF SOMETHING THAT COST US MONEY BECAUSE THAT STUFF’S TOO IMPORTANT TO WASTE. AS A COLLEGE STUDENT, I DROPPED OVER A HUNDRED DOLLARS ON SKYDIVING. YOU CAN’T JUST BACK OUT OF SOMETHING WHEN THAT MUCH MONEY IS ON THE LINE. I ALSO THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE AND SOMETHING I WAS GOING TO BE HAPPY THAT I DID (AND IT WAS). IT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT THESE ARE SOME OF THE BEST THINGS THE EVEREST SCRIPT DOES, BECAUSE PREVIOUSLY LISTED ARE CHARACTER MOTIVES FOR CLIMBING THE HIGHEST PEAK IN THE WORLD AND IT MAKES THEM PRETTY RELATABLE. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT IS ONE OF THE ONLY POSITIVE POINTS THIS SLOPPY SCRIPT HAS TO OFFER.
WILLIAM NICHOLSON AND SIMON BEAUFOY’S WRITING HERE IS CONSISTENTLY ALL OVER THE PLACEM WHICH IS KIND OF SHOCKING CONSIDERING THEY’VE BOTH WORKED ON GLADIATOR, LES MISERABLES, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE, AND 127 HOURS. DESPITE BOTH OF THEIR NOTEWORTHY CREDENTIALS, IT SEEMS AS IF THE DUO JUST COULDN’T QUITE PUT IT TOGETHER FOR THIS EXPEDITION DISASTER DRAMA. FOR STARTERS, THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY MOVING PARTS AT THIS SEEMINGLY BEGINNINGLESS MOVIE. IT HONESTLY FEELS LIKE TWO LONG MIDDLE PARTS, AND THE AUDIENCE IS THROWN RIGHT INTO IT. IMMEDIATELY STARTS OFF WITH TRAVELING TO THE VENUE, SMALL TALK AMONG CHARACTERS TO ESTABLISH BACKGROUNDS, WHICH LATER LEAD TO TALKING ABOUT MOTIVES AND THE RISKS, BUT INDEFINITELY SUFFERS FROM A TOO MANY CHARACTERS SYNDROME. EACH CHARACTER IS GIVEN A MOTIVE FOR MAKING THE CLIMB, BUT WE ONLY END UP TRULY CARING FOR A HANDFUL OF THEM DUE TO LACK OF WRITING, SCREENTIME, OR BOTH. IT ESSENTIALLY COMES DOWN TO THROUGHLY ENJOYING JASON CLARKE AS ROB HALL WHO IS ULTIMATELY THE LEAD, ALTHOUGH THAT ISN’T CERTAIN UNTIL LATE INTO THE FILM, IF AT ALL. AND JAKE GYLLENHALL’S CHARACTER SCOTT FISCHER IF NOT FOR ANYTHING BUT GOOD ACTING IN A LIKABLE PORTRAYAL OF A COOL CHARACTER WHO’S KIND OF LIKE EVERYONE’S FAVORITE HIGH ENERGY FUN SPIRITED CAMP COUNSELOR. OTHER THAN THAT, YOU FEEL FOR SOME, FORGET ABOUT OTHERS, AND COME TO TERMS WITH WATCHING A HIKING EXPEDITION GONE WRONG DUE TO WEATHER AND FLAT OUT STUBBORN PERSONALITIES.
THE ONLY OTHER PERFORMANCE I WOULD SAY STICKS OUT IS KEIRA KNIGHTLEY’S UNDERUSED CHARACTER. SHE PLAYS A PREGNANT SOON TO BE MARRIED TO JASON CLARKE’S CHARACTER WHO DOESN’T LIKE HIM HIKING IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND THEN THERE’S JOSH BROLIN WHOS A TEXAN TOUGH GUY WHO THREW DOWN SIXTY FIVE THOUSAND BIG ONES TO MAKE THIS EXPEDITION AND HE’LL BE DAMNED IF HE DOESN’T MAKE IT. MAKE NOTE HOWEVER, THAT THERE IS SOME REALLY GREAT VISUALS AND SOLID CAMERAWORK TO BE DONE HERE AS WELL. EVEN IF HE DOES PULL A MICHAEL BAY AND USE THE SAME SHOT TWICE, YOU KIND OF LET IT GO BECAUSE OF HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE MOVIE. DIRECTOR BALTASAR KORMAKUR AND CINEMATOGRAPHER SALVATORE TOTINO CAPTURE SOME REALLY GREAT MOMENTS ON THE LEGENDARY SUMMIT THAT IS EVEREST. THE VISUALS ARE EYE OPENING, AND DEFINITELY HELP BUILD THE TENSION WHEN YOU REALIZE THE SERIOUSNESS OF STORM APPROACHING.
THERE’S A GREAT QUOTE FROM LAST MAY’S GODZILLA THAT FITS IN HERE. “THE ARROGANCE OF MAN IS THINKING THAT NATURE IS IN OUR CONTROL AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.” THAT BECOMES VERY PROMINENT WHEN BLACKENED FROST BITTEN FINGERS COME ONTO SCREEN, AND NO MATTER WHAT THE CHARACTERS DO TO TRY AND MAKE IT BACK TO CAMP, NATURE HAS IT’S OWN AGENDA THAT IS ENTIRELY OUT OF OUR CONTROL. AND FOLLOWING THOSE SCENES ARE SOME PRETTY SOLID WORK FROM A FEW ACTORS THAT MAKE THIS DISASTER MOVIE TOUCHING. ANOTHER CLEVER THING THE MOVIE DID WAS PARALLEL A QUOTE FROM ON SCREEN STAR JASON CLARKE AND WELL CRAFTED CINEMATOGRAPHY. IT GOES ALONG THE LINES OF “IT DOESN’T MATTER, EVEREST MAKES IT’S OWN WEATHER” AND THEN THE SHOTS CAPTURED FOLLOW SUIT IN PRETTY AMAZING WAYS. ALMOST AS IF TO PUT OUR EXISTENCE INTO PERSPECTIVE AND SHOW HOW SMALL WE ARE IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS. ONE IN PARTICULAR SPIRALS DOWN FROM AN EVEREST BIRDS EYE VIEW TO A CLOSE UP OF A CHARACTER NOT ONLY SURROUNDED, BUT BURIED IN A SEEMINGLY NEVER ENDING SEA OF BEAUTIFUL, YET EVIDENTLY DEADLY WHITE POWDER.
I REALLY LIKED THE THEMES OF NATURE IN THE FILM, AS WELL AS THE SHOTS CAPTURED, AND A HANDFUL OF THE PERFORMANCES. IF THERE’S ONE FLAW, ITS A MAJOR ONE AND LIES IN THE SCRIPT. IT’S DISTRACTINGLY MESSY AND UNSTRUCTURED AND AT POINTS MAKES A SIMPLE STORY FEEL A LITTLE COMPLICATED. IT LOSES TRACK OF IT’S CHARACTERS, AND DOESN’T REALLY GIVE US MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES OF A START AND AN END. JUST TWO LARGE MIDDLE PIECES. THERE’S SOME GOOD MEMORABLE WORK DONE HERE, BUT IN THE END FALLS SHORT OF ANYTHING GREAT DUE TO A VITAL PART OF THE FILMMAKING PROCESS THAT IS THE SCREENPLAY. I MEAN, WASN’T IT LIKE FIFTH GRADE WHERE WE WERE TAUGHT TO OUTLINE BEFORE JUMPING STRAIGHT INTO THE ESSAY TO MAKE SURE THERE’S A GOOD SENSE OF FLOW AND AN AVOIDANCE OF SLOPPY WORK?
Rating: 6.5/10
The Middle Seats 