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The Movie: Many moviegoers became interested in the subject of Mount Everest last year when the IMAX film "Everest" did brisk business and the book "Into Thin Air" gave readers a first hand account of what the trek to the mountain was like, in incredible detail. Now, there is a new documentary from climbers Alan Hobson and Jamie Clarke that take a more intimate look at the journey up the mountain. Both films are quite good in their own ways, but are really very different; "Everest" showed the incredible scenery and drama with stunning IMAX photography; "Above All Else" takes a more intimate look, with basic cameras and often has interviews with the team during their stays in base camp. Both Hobson and Clarke are engaging and their journey is documented quite well during this program; I liked how the documentary wastes little time going into the climb. I liked this documentary quite a bit; I really got a sense of the obstacles that these climbers have to go through on their way to the top and although the DVD edition is slightly lacking(I would have liked to have seen some (well, any) extras. Still, if you're interested in the subject, or would like to see an additional perspective after watching "Everest", I recommend at least a rental of "Above All Else". The DVD VIDEO/AUDIO: This disc has both a Dolby Digital and DTS soundtrack; it's fairly limited in dimension, with the majority of the audio comming from the front speakers. There is surround use, but it's not terribly pronounced. What the audio does offer, mainly the audio interviews and narration, is easily understood, but occasionally slightly harsh with the interviews during the climb. The Dolby Digital and DTS versions do not have that much difference to them; mainly, the Dolby Digital version sounds a little bit thinner than the DTS audio. The video quality is watchable, but not that great. It really varies from scene to scene, with some areas looking only moderately better than video. The image goes from being adequately sharp to noticably soft at times, as well. Detail is fair, and colors occasionally are bright(such as the clothes that the climbers wear), but otherwise fairly subdued. It's not a bad full-frame image, but has a few noticable flaws. MENUS:: Basic menus, but there is slight animation when a selection is made. EXTRAS: None  Program Grade:A- Audio Quality Grade:B Image Quality Grade:C+ Extras Grade:N/A |