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In Short: Although expensive, the film and its extras still makes this disc worth recommending.
The Movie:
I've never really enjoyed any of the IMAX movies that I've seen besides this, and I've had the chance to sit through quite a few. I've always felt taken after spending $8.50 to see a movie that lasts 45 minutes or so, not to mention contains barely watchable acting and a flat plot. They've either been boring ("Wings Of Courage"), or incredibly silly ("T-Rex: Back To The Cretacious").
The first time I was able to catch "Everest" was on home video(yes, VHS), and I found the experience entertaining, although not terribly memorable. The story itself is told in an interesting fashion and narrated well by Liam Neeson, but the flaw that I felt with some of this picture was that it's simply a little too beautiful looking at times, and becomes more about the visuals than the story. There are moments, such as when the climbers cross a giant ice valley, or a shot looking down as a climber hangs over water, that really give a feeling of awe and fear. When I finally did get a chance to see this picture on the IMAX screen, "Everest" is a completely different experience. Walking over that valley of ice on a ladder and looking down is an experience that is simply breathtaking on the big screen. While it may not capture the terror that these people faced throughout, I think that the film certainly captures the sadness that the group felt as they find that some of their friends did not make it through the climb.
Although occasionally a little slow, the majority of "Everest" remains a very interesting and visually stunning tale. "Everest" was really the first "breakout" hit in the IMAX format, and for the simple reason that it's the best film that's been released to the format, providing a fascinating look at a place on this Earth that few people will ever be able to go to and with a few exceptions, does an exceptional job at telling its story. The thought of carrying IMAX cameras that weigh a ton up to what is practically the top of the world is an amazing task. The DVD edition of course doesn't come close to watching the film on a 3-d 5 story tall IMAX screen, but for the most part, it certainly does do a good job at bringing the experience of this film home.
The DVD
VIDEO:
Like all IMAX films that I've seen at home, "Everest" comes to DVD in a "full-frame" edition(1.33:1). Apparently, this is how all IMAX films are transfered to video. The results on this DVD edition have their pros and cons. A lot of the DVD captures the goregous imagry well, in an image that although not always razor sharp, is certainly very crisp and nicely defined. Colors are very sharp and enjoyably vibrant, especially the reds and yellows of the coats of the group. Flesh tones remain natural throughout.
The problem that appears most on this disc is shimmering. Although it doesn't occur throughout the length of the picture, occasionally it does become distracting. Other than that, I was generally pleased with the way that this DVD captured the stunning visuals of this film. Not perfect, but an adequate edition.
SOUND: "Everest" provides a very strong experience in terms of audio on this DVD. The score by Steve Wood and Daniel May is certainly the highlight for a lot of the movie, flooding the room with beautiful sound for a great deal of the movie,coming from all sides of the viewer. There is of course an occasional instance where you feel as if you're being hit with the forces of nature, such as when an avalanche comes blasting towards the screen. Whether music or action, the audio on this DVD certainly provides an enveloping experience that I found very enjoyable. The narration by Neeson and others remains very clear throughout, as well.
MENUS:: Like all other Disney/Miramax DVDs, this one does not include animated menus and I think that making the menus bolder and animated with scenes from the movie, etc, would have been a nice way to bring viewers into the movie.
EXTRAS: Again, after coming up short with the edition of "Life Is Beautiful", Miramax does a better job at providing extra material for this IMAX film.
"The Making Of Everest": This 37 minute documentary really goes in-depth into the making of this IMAX film, showing what these climbers had to go through the capture this footage. While the begining of the documentary seems like a bit much about the detail of the past films the company has produced, this documentary quickly goes into some details about the IMAX format and the making of this film that I found quite interesting, such as the fact that new IMAX cameras were developed for filming on this movie which weighed 40 pounds loaded(the original cameras weigh over 100 pounds loaded).
The documentary does a fine job at not only providing technical details about IMAX filming, but providing tidbits about the history of the mountain, such as notes about previous climbers, such as Ed Hillary. The documentary also contains a lot of interviews with the climbers and crew involved, and they go into more detail about their feelings about working with the cameras, the history of the mountain, and most heartbreaking, their feelings about hearing that their friends were in trouble and some had not made it through the climb.
All of the film's scenes and stories are gone into in a more in-depth fashion on this documentary, and I think it's certainly a excellent documentary that stands on it's own, right next to the film that it's taking a look at. There have been a handful of great documentaries that I've had the pleasure to watch this year that have been included on various DVDs, and "The Making Of Everest" is one of the very best.
3D MAP: I have to be honest, this feature is really pretty cool! Fairly suprising on a DVD from Miramax. Anyways, this feature is a 3D interactive map that takes the viewer up the mountain and stops at each of the camps that the climbers stopped at. At the camp, you can choose to either find out more information about the camp, stop and take a look outward from the climber's perspective (when you reach the summit, you get a 360 degree view) or continue climbing. An elevation meter on the screen shows how high this point is in the climb. Very cool, indeed.
Deleted Scenes: About six minutes of deleted footage, mainly shots of the mountain and the surrounding area. They would have only added more length onto the movie itself, but they are visually goregous and are nice additions to this DVD. The 6 minutes plays out in full, and is not seperated into different pieces that can be selected from the menu.
Beck Weathers Interview: This is a 36 minute interview with the climber that goes into great detail about his thoughts on climbing and what happened to him during his climb. Listening to him talk about the injuries he suffered on the climb and what happened to him during the night he was hurt is very saddening to listen to. The details that he goes into about what he went through while finding his way back and fighting off death is incredible to listen to and being able to listen to his comments in this interview is nothing short of incredible.
Also: 6-minute video journals from Ed Viesturs, Aracelli Segarra and Jamling Norgay. Each provides a more detailed look at the experiences of each along the way; the trailer for the other Miramax IMAX film "Titanica" and of course, what Disney/Miramax DVD wouldn't be complete without their goofy "Film Recommendations"(which, on this DVD, only includes "Titanica").
Additional Thoughts: Yes, I think that $39.99 is expensive for any DVD, and certainly a lot for a movie that's not even an hour in length. I think that the extras though provide such as wealth of detail and information about the story that is presented in the feature film that I think they make this DVD worth recommending, at least for people who enjoyed the movie. Even if you're considering it, at least rent it. The only thing that struck me as odd was not including the trailer for "Everest."
Final Thoughts Yes, it's still priced high at $39.99, but if you can find it online for less, it's certainly worth a look.
The Film 90/A- = (450/500 possible points)
Video 84/B = (336/400 possible points)
Audio: 90/A- = (360/400 possible points)
Extras: 88/B = (264/300 possible points)
Menus 70/C- = (140/200 possible points)
Value: 75/C = (225/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1775/2100
Average:84%/B
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