The Best and Worst Mountaineering Action Movies
Sure, most action movies involve serial killers, or cops, or soldiers, or adventurers, but every once and awhile, Hollywood makes an action film where the antagonist is simply mother nature, herself. Not disaster films necessarily, they are films about the dangers that occur when men are forced to survive at the cruising altitude of a 747. These are the best and the worst mountaineering action movies.
The Best!
One of the best nature documentaries of all time, Touching the Void tells the amazing story of Joe Simpson and his friend Simon Yates, two friends that decided to tackle the Siula Grande peak in South America by themselves. They have no guides, no sherpas, no emergency satellite phone, just two young men in peak physical condition, some ropes, and one of the most difficult mountains to summit throughout the world. Disaster occurs when Joe breaks his leg and falls off the edge of the mountain, still tied to Simon by a rope. Simon, thinking that Joe is dead, and realising his own life is in danger if he doesn't start down the mountain, cuts the rope, dropping Joe, on the other end, into a deep ravine beneath the surface of the earth. With a broken leg, no food or water, this film re-creates Joe's struggle with survival with such vivid and intense authenticity that the viewer becomes entirely engrossed with the story. Modern day reflections by both Joe and Simon provides the story with a moving and emotional frame of reference. Perhaps, the best mountain climbing film of all time.
The Best!
James Franco plays Aron Ralston in this real-life story of a lone climber whose arm becomes trapped under a boulder. Stuck in a single spot for 127 hours, without water or food, Ralston begins to hallucinate and slowly die, before he realises a horrible and ugly truth: To survive, to walk out of the desert, he'll need to cut off his own arm.
The Worst!
This 1990s mountain climbing entry entirely forsakes any semblance of reality and decides to go full bore with over the top action sequences. The characters jump from one mountain face to another, battle avalanches and crevices, and repeatedly defy gravity. Perhaps the filmmakers forgot that what makes mountaineering films exciting, is that they re-create a real-life challenge that has the potential to be deadly. Mountain climbing doesn't need to infuse over the top action scenes to appear exciting.
The Best!
This film tackles the ill-fated 1996 Expedition to the top of Everest. Fantastic performances, amazing cinematography, and keen performances - plus a script that spends an inordinate amount of time on establishing families and personalities - results in a movie where every death is felt by the audience. And there are a great many deaths.
The Worst!
Although one of the better Stallone films, that's still not quite enough of a compliment to make this one of the better mountain action movies. Sure, there are some great action scenes, and a lot of dizzying camera work that is top notch, but eventually the film succumbs to all the standard dumb action tropes. Better than Judge Dredd or The Specialist, but still not a good action film.
The Worst!
Like Vertical Limit, this is another mountaineering film that forgot what makes these movies successful (an honest showing of the real life challenges), and instead manufactures all sorts of crisis to try and make the film more exciting. Unlike most of the films on this list, this film isn't based on a true story.
6. Touching the Void
The Best!
One of the best nature documentaries of all time, Touching the Void tells the amazing story of Joe Simpson and his friend Simon Yates, two friends that decided to tackle the Siula Grande peak in South America by themselves. They have no guides, no sherpas, no emergency satellite phone, just two young men in peak physical condition, some ropes, and one of the most difficult mountains to summit throughout the world. Disaster occurs when Joe breaks his leg and falls off the edge of the mountain, still tied to Simon by a rope. Simon, thinking that Joe is dead, and realising his own life is in danger if he doesn't start down the mountain, cuts the rope, dropping Joe, on the other end, into a deep ravine beneath the surface of the earth. With a broken leg, no food or water, this film re-creates Joe's struggle with survival with such vivid and intense authenticity that the viewer becomes entirely engrossed with the story. Modern day reflections by both Joe and Simon provides the story with a moving and emotional frame of reference. Perhaps, the best mountain climbing film of all time.
5. 127 Hours
The Best!
James Franco plays Aron Ralston in this real-life story of a lone climber whose arm becomes trapped under a boulder. Stuck in a single spot for 127 hours, without water or food, Ralston begins to hallucinate and slowly die, before he realises a horrible and ugly truth: To survive, to walk out of the desert, he'll need to cut off his own arm.
4. Vertical Limit
The Worst!
This 1990s mountain climbing entry entirely forsakes any semblance of reality and decides to go full bore with over the top action sequences. The characters jump from one mountain face to another, battle avalanches and crevices, and repeatedly defy gravity. Perhaps the filmmakers forgot that what makes mountaineering films exciting, is that they re-create a real-life challenge that has the potential to be deadly. Mountain climbing doesn't need to infuse over the top action scenes to appear exciting.
3. Everest
The Best!
This film tackles the ill-fated 1996 Expedition to the top of Everest. Fantastic performances, amazing cinematography, and keen performances - plus a script that spends an inordinate amount of time on establishing families and personalities - results in a movie where every death is felt by the audience. And there are a great many deaths.
2. Cliffhanger
The Worst!
Although one of the better Stallone films, that's still not quite enough of a compliment to make this one of the better mountain action movies. Sure, there are some great action scenes, and a lot of dizzying camera work that is top notch, but eventually the film succumbs to all the standard dumb action tropes. Better than Judge Dredd or The Specialist, but still not a good action film.
1. K2
The Worst!
Like Vertical Limit, this is another mountaineering film that forgot what makes these movies successful (an honest showing of the real life challenges), and instead manufactures all sorts of crisis to try and make the film more exciting. Unlike most of the films on this list, this film isn't based on a true story.
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