Pan deng zhe

Wait, there is another action movie about mountain climbing. Move over, Vertical limit. Although this movie was far to overdramatized I must admit it made the action scenes far more suspenseful and exciting. They were done well, not well enough to truly justify the IMAX ticket, but it still kept me on the edge of my seat so that's good. Plus, having Jackie Chan do a cameo is almost like an action film's seal of approval. It's a wining score for me

Not a bad movie. Not great either. As a climber myself I took into consideration that in those days the gear was nowhere near as advanced and strong as the gear these days. Though on a couple of thigs I was laughing as the way the gear failure was portrayed was laughable. A good excuse for a bit of Kung Fu type gymnastics and action to be thrown in. The acting was wooden and we didn't really care about any particular character because they all blended into a mess of "Try your best to keep up". I think I fell asleep for 20 minutes but didn't miss anything when I rewound it. I give it a 5 because the action scenes were well done (though unbelievable). If it was a Hollywood film I'd give it 3 or 4.

I'm fine with the propaganda, it's blatant enough to ward off those who can't stand it.

However, the film still disappoints me. The romance is just too out of place during the whole story, and it weakens the courage and nationalistic pride that the film intended to convey. I felt thoroughly embarrassed during what was supposed to be the climax of the film. The characters are depicted badly, the music is tiring, and the plot is very predictable, but that's commonplace for most films I've seen of the same genre. Due to these, I found it hard to empathise with any of the characters. However, the performance of the actors is nice, the stirring of emotions is forced yet moving, so the film is somewhat enjoyable.

He can fly through the air over a vast crevasse and save his entire climbing team from surefire icy death, he can save the damsel in distress by using his manly back to block a ten ton ice shard from falling on his beloved princess, he can run the 3 minute assault course in 2 min 30 secs - Yes Fang Wuzhou is the Chinese superman - Fang Wuzhou is the man!!!

Ok so the film is more fantastical in some respects than one would expect in the West but I think that adds to the enjoyment of the movie and makes it more fantasy and fun and reminiscent of the days of movies like Sinbad & The Eye Of The Tiger and other gloriously over the top fantasy movies. Yes it is of course political and patriotic but that seems to be the Chinese way and to be honest as long as the movie entertains I am not too bothered with that.

The acting to me seems well over the top but I am not Chinese so can only judge from a western viewpoint; I am sure the Chinese viewers think it is perfectly a cinematic normal for them. I did find the romance angle very well done and even had a tear in my eye at the end but then again I am a bit of a big Jessie when it comes to these things. It is very different from what westerners perceive as romance ie The Chinese seem to veer more to the "treat em mean, keep em keen" and that is probably more realistic than our view of romance to be fair but it did still have me in Big Girls Blouse mode lol. Poor old Fang Wuzhou I did feel for him in the end and if a movie can elicit some emotion from the viewer then it cannot be half bad!

Unlike the recent Scifi disasters from China I actually did quite enjoy this. The special effects and CGI are quite realistic and thrilling in a different way than Vertical Limit was; I still prefer Vertical Limit, Cliffhanger or Everest but it is a decent nights viewing and certainly does not deserve less than an average 5/10. It almost gets an extra star for the Chinese Superman Fang Wuzhou! Long live Fang Wuzhou!!!!

"The Climbers" is an unashamedly nationalistic film. Indeed, I don't recall ever seeing so many flags in one feature.

Its focused on China's efforts to climb Mt Everest, conquering the North face. In terms of watch-ability its entertaining but hardly factual. A lot of the action is over the top, by any standards. That said, the cinematography is decent and the scenes, well choreographed.

In terms of story its once again, unsurprisingly, a patriotic affair. Lots of self sacrifice in the name of China's greater glory. Nothing too offensive but one I suspect, that was scripted predominantly with local audiences, in mind.

6/10.