Summit Fever

SUMMIT FEVER is one of the more disappointing mountaineering films out there, mainly because it has no real plot. At least thrillers like CLIFFHANGER and A LONELY PLACE TO DIE (which director Julian Gilbey also made) had thriller plots with a mountaineering backdrop, which gave them drive and narrative coherency. Here, we just get a group of dull young friends (and added Hollywood star Ryan Philippe for name value) who decide to go climb a few mountains. Tragedy strikes on occasion, but it's not very thrilling or indeed involving. Gilbey obviously has a real-life passion for mountaineering but I do wonder if this would have just worked better as a documentary.

I really like climbing/mountain films generally. K2, everest, touching the void etc.

This film is very similar so if you enjoyed those you'll likely enjoy this.

Typical kinda story where you have 2 friends who like to climb together. One starts to grow up getting into an apprenticeship while the other continues on his adventures. Cue lots of luring and next min they're back together with a bunch of other climbers to take on some challenging (once in a lifetime opportunity) mountains.

Things inevitably take a turn for the worse and drama ensues!

You'd think the story ends there but nope! Get back on the horse and all that jazz, next min they're climbing another mountain. And guess what? Things take an inevitable turn for the worse and drama ensues!!

The acting was a mix, some good some not so much but nothing super terrible.

I enjoyed it and would watch it again for sure.

In my opinion, the most glaring part of this movie is the one black character, Rudi, that appears in the beginning of the movie as part of the group, but then suddenly disappears, appearing only in the background until the last half of the film, and then disappears again. He's the only character whose story never gets fleshed out in any way, and never gets an official ending. Sad to see tokenism is still alive and well.

Other than that, it's an engaging film, the climbing scenes are done very well, and I found the lead actor particularly talented. However, one other oddity of this film were the touches of old school nods such as the disposable camera, the film camera, the 1950s looking radio, etc.. If you enjoy films about climbing and climbers, you'll probably enjoy this film.

Mountain climbing has been one of my great lifelong passions, therefore I rate this film highly. It captures the beautiful romantic but sometimes tragic obsession of the mountaineer for climbing higher. And it recognizes their sacrifices - of their personal relationships and often of their very lives. Climbing can be an aesthetic madness, an unquenchable fever that drives one to the very heights of extreme sport. It's not for everyone.

The photography of the Alps is simply breathtaking, highlighting the sharp, impossibly rugged summits in every direction. The technical climbing details portrayed are very accurate - the filmmakers here obviously know the climbing arts very well.

A couple of times a year, this film is shown on a local TV movie channel, and I always watch for it and never miss it. I love its homage to heroic mountaineering, and I appreciate it more each time I see it.

If you liked EVEREST (2015), FREE SOLO (2018), THE ALPINIST (2021), you will probably like this too. It's not as good as the aforementioned movie and documentaries, it's a low budget production and acting is mediocre, however, it's better than i thought it would be.

There are some impressive mountain shots, tension, acting is not bad and the ending is good. It is not much intense, your heart is not gonna beat faster, but these are 2 hours well spent, providing that you like these activities, i mean mountain climbing. If you are interested in this way of life (climbing and other dangerous activities), there is a kinda accurate depiction of it in this movie, and you will find it interesting.

It's not a great movie, probably it's not a good either, but i enjoy it. Read the plot and you will know what this is about. If you think it is interesting, watch it, you will not get disappointed. 4.9/10 is not a fair rating.