I skimmed through the review and figured I should watch the movie first. Now that I have, I must say this is a brilliant review.
Pitching in for the debate - the true answer for 'Why?' is in fact 'Because it's there'. There'll always be the handful of people wanting to attempt something solely because the possibility exists. And as the rest of us watch, they go into murky waters. Most suffer but sometimes they discover new things hitherto unknown to humanity.
It could come in any form, this reason. Like trying to mask depression as for Beck. Or wanting to inspire children as for Doug. For some though, it isn't easy to rationalise or even articulate, like for Yasuka. She has to climb it because it's the only thing left to do after climbing the rest of the big seven.
I think Kormakur's work is the best execution this story could have gotten. Exploration and suffering isn't always about the winning of human spirit. Sometimes it's just about the human spirit, successful or otherwise.
Director Baltasar Kormakur has painstakingly assembled all the necessary elements for a big-budget Hollywood disaster movie. There's a great ensemble cast, an inspiring true story, a talented cinematographer, amazing sound design, and, of course, stunning CGI.
Here's the twist. Kormakur has infused all of these elements with the stolid spirit of a creation akin to a documentary, all in the name of verisimilitude. This will most likely polarize the viewers of Everest; some will find Kormakur's approach refreshing while others might feel disappointed with the toned down treatment....