Meru

source: Meru

WOW! As soon as the credits rolled - I hit start again and watched- it as intently as I did the first time. "Meru" is the best climbing documentary ever made, but, it's much, much more than that. A few years ago "U23D" became one of my under-rated "10's" (mostly due to it's incredible use of 3-D technology). "Meru" accomplishes a similar feat for high- altitude film. But, it's what happens on the ground that makes this film complete. This, unlike the IMAX film "Everest", is a finished and complete work. The people within have stories to tell, and that coupled with the clear and concise focus and climax of "Meru" make it a SPECTACULAR film. When Chin attacks the summit in the final scene it is something to behold. A perfect ending to an epic adventure film. There is absolutely NO reason to rent this movie. Buy it. I think that when all is said and done, years from now, this film will be the benchmark for this type of extreme film-making. Jimmy Chin has really out-done himself here, and we're talking about the guy that skied Everest for goodness sakes. I'm not a climber, I'm not a contributor or have any vested interest in the film, but this film will transport you to the mountain, and give you human stories that really magnify the achievement and risk. Solid 10/10. The 45th that I've awarded out of 3600+ ratings. 7.7 is a terribly misleading rating. Don't get me wrong, it's solid, but if this film doesn't deserve an 8+, nothing does! You'd like this if you liked:Touching the Void(great but nowhere near as great as this), Searching for Sugar Man(nearly this films equal), or The Crash Reel(not as good, but still solid). 95/100

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.

(Flash Review) Yes, these are some amazing mountain climbers. Highly skilled, smart, obsessive, no fear and a bit crazy...you have to be. Seeing their helmet cam footage while they climb is breathtaking. The film itself is not quite as impressive as the snow-covered peaks they ascend. Their back stories are fairly stereotypical for die hard mountain climbers and many risk losing their family if tragedy should occur yet they press on. There weren't any mind blowing unique facts about Meru and I didn't really learn anything beyond the climber's personal lives which would have magnified their efforts even more. So this is good at purely presenting good footage of some daring climbs.