Film Review: Everest

Everest. Rated M (mature themes). 121 minutes. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur. Screenplay by William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy.

‘Because it’s there!’, a chorus of mountain climbers exclaim when they are asked why they want to climb to the top the world’s highest mountain.

Whether this comparatively short-sighted motivation provides adequate reason for why they choose to take on the well-documented horrors that await them on the ascent and descent from heights ‘equal to the cruising altitude of a 747’ – as their Adventure Consultants tour guide Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) points out – remains a point of conjecture long after the experience of this terrifying film begins to fade.

For someone who finds it hard enough walking up a flight of stairs, Everest is a confronting experience. Armchair Adventurists will also find themselves nodding knowingly at every heavily sign-posted calamity that befalls the ill-fated expedition, which exists of enthusiastic amateurs who are happily escorted, at great expense, to the precipice of life and death.

Within an excellent ensemble, Clarke’s performance as the passionate but ultimately flawed hero is outstanding. When Doug (John Hawkes), a quietly spoken mailman from America who failed to make it to the summit on a previous attempt begs Hall to be allowed to continue, you can see the fear that he might be making the wrong decision written all over his face.

As the less-adventurous guide Guy, whom Hall mocks mercilessly for taking his group on less death-defying climbs, Sam Worthington delivers some of his best work to date. Guy’s conflict between wanting to rescue his close friend while knowing that such an attempt could cost him his own life, is a deeply personal one that lesser actors would struggle to communicate as effectively as Worthington does.

Technically, Everest is a spectacular achievement. Under Kormákur’s inspired direction, cinematographer Salvatore Totino captures every aspect and every angle of the brutally unforgiving environment, while Mick Audsley’s superb editing rarely allows you to draw breath.

This review was commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.

Film review: Clash of the Titans

Clash of the Titans. 106 minutes. Rated M. Directed by Louis Leterrier. Written by Travis Beacham, Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. Based on the screenplay Clash of the Titans (1981) by Beverley Cross

Today, the original Clash of the Titans (1981) is fondly remembered as a curious romp concerning the Greek Gods of Mount Olympus and their attempts to win back the respect and obedience of the mortals below who have begun to tire of the mistreatment they're receiving from above. Its blue-ribbon cast includes greats of the British stage and screen such as the late Laurence Olivier and the still very much alive Maggie Smith (Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang). Harry Hamlin (who would enjoy international success as lawyer Michael Kuzak in the television series LA Law), plays the toga-clad demigod (half man, half god) Perseus, whose destiny is to take on the gods and win back the right to self-determination for the good people of Argos.

The original also featured the work of legendary stop motion special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen (who retired shortly after it was completed); and it is for this reason that Clash of the Titans remains an inspirational film amongst our generation of filmmakers who appear to be becoming utterly obsessed with the all mighty possibilities of computer-generated special effects. Peter Jackson, for example, refers to his remake of King Kong as "my Harryhausen film", and now self-confessed Harryhausen devotee Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk and an on-set production assistant on Alien: Resurrection), has jumped to the head of the queue and fashioned a high-energy retelling of the story that is as truly fabulous as it is truly awful.

Blissfully unaware that he is, in fact, the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), Perseus (Sam Worthington) lives a simple and uncomplicated life as a fisherman with his adopted family. When they are killed by Hades (Ralph Fiennes), the spiteful god of the underworld, Perseus has no choice but to depart on an epic journey to discover how he can restore power to Zeus and prevent Hades from unleashing hell on earth.

There is a huge amount to enjoy about this whizz-bang remake – especially if you're looking for a big-budget adventure flick with more computer-generated action sequences than a film (and its audience) should reasonably be expected to endure. The 'acting' is generally terrible, with Neeson and Fiennes, especially, hamming it up as though they're actually in some kind of never-ending Benny Hill skit. Worthington (who, somewhat delightfully, makes no attempt whatsoever to disguise his Australian accent), is a perfect fit for the cavalier Perseus, and, when he's not leaping around all over the place fighting off mythical beasts, his scenes with his spiritual guide 'Io' (the beautiful Gemma Arterton) are among the film's most heartfelt.

But Clash of the Titans is all about the special effects, and they are sensational. The magnificent beasts (including a beautiful Pegasus, some seriously massive and angry scorpions, and an especially slippery Medusa) are all brilliantly realised and flawlessly incorporated into the action. But just when you think you've seen it all, the gigantic Kraken is summoned from the underworld for the film's spectacular climactic sequence. Ultimately though, perhaps we should just take Mr Worthington's advice: go, arm yourself with some popcorn, and just enjoy it for what it is – because what it's not just isn't worth thinking about.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspapers Group and an edited version of it was published in the print edition of the Midwest Times.

Review: Avatar

Avatar. 162 minutes. Rated M. Written and Directed by James Cameron; Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox; Cast includes Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldana and Sigourney Weaver.

As a genre, science-fiction has contributed to the cinema in a host of inspirational ways. Ultimately, it all comes down to Fear, Faith, Fate, and Trust: big emotional journey states which underpin the great work in the genre – of which James Cameron’s Avatar is a perfect example.

The year is 2154. On the planet of Pandora, the Resources Development Administration (RDA) is spending billions to mine the mineral 'Unobtainium' – a key to solving a dilapidated Earth's energy crisis. Home to the indigenous Na’vi, Pandora’s atmosphere is lethal to humans, so the RDA's scientists have created the Avatar Program (led by Dr Grace Augustine – a magnificent Sigourney Weaver), in which humans have their consciousness linked remotely to a genetically-engineered Avatar. Grace and her colleagues have little time to encourage the Na'vi to peacefully relocate before Col. Miles Quaritch's (Stephen Lang) security forces are permitted to use military force to "shock and awe" them into submission. As the mining giant's administrator Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) tells us with potent, contemporaneous efficiency: “One thing the RDA stockholders hate worse than bad press is a bad quarterly statement”.

Self-belief in the face of immense odds is a common thread in Mr Cameron's work, and here he has created a sweeping story of engrossing emotional, cultural and spiritual conflict set within an environment of epic beauty. But while Avatar is an astonishing display of technical genius, it is the rite of passage allegory that powers the story: no more beautifully realised than the dazzling 'Banshees' – dragon-like beasts which the Na’vi must tame before they become their ‘wings’ for life.

Avatar is anchored by revelatory performances from Sam Worthington (Jake Sully) and Zoë Saldana (Neytiri). The success of how instantly we accept the remarkable computer-generated characters is achieved not only in Mr Worthington's exhilaration when he inhabits his Avatar for the first time, but entirely throughout his and Ms Saldana's extraordinary performances.

Ms Weaver's 'Grace', Ms Saldana's 'Neytiri' and a red-hot cameo from Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon, a feisty tilt-rotor pilot, also contribute to the grand Cameron tradition of powerful female action heroines (The Terminator’s Sarah Connor and Titanic’s Rose). What is new territory for Cameron devotees (quite apart from the state-of-the-art performance capture technology he has developed for this film), is the fascinating and vast spiritual world that nourishes, guides and informs the Na'vi's existence. The highpoint is the stunning 'Tree of Souls', which, even for the most cynical non-believer, will give pause to the concept of a life-enhancing, faith-based connection that exists beyond our messy, Earth-bound religious contradictions.

Avatar is a unique cinematic experience, and one you should rush to share in – because one viewing will not be enough.

Pictured: Sam Worthington and Zoë Saldana in Avatar.

This review was commissioned by The Geraldton Guardian and published in the print edition on Wednesday, 30 December 2009.