Le sommet des dieux

As' "The Summit of the Gods" (2021 release from France; 95 min.), we watch 2 guys from a distant past climbing up Mount Everest. We are then introduced to Makato Fukamuchi, a Japanese journalist-photographer who is in Nepal covering another Mount Everest expedition. Later that day, he is offered what is described as George Mallory's original camera from his doomed 1924 expedition. It seems that a climber named Habu Joji got his hands on that camera somehow. Makato needs to track down Habu and get to the bottom of this... At this point we are less than 10 min. Into the animated film.

Couple of comments: let me preface my comments by saying that I had never heard of (or read) this manga before seeing the film, and hence I cannot comment how closely the film adaptation sticks to the original manga, both in story and in spirit. But I will say this: while it took me a little bit to figure out what was going on plot-wise in the film, before I fully realized it I was drawn into this story and this film, hook, line and sinker. Indeed the strong story telling is key, but there is more to it than that: the animation is fantastic, with an incredible attention to detail, and the original score is equally superb. As for the movie's audio: even though the movie is set in today's (meaning 1990's) Japan (with flashbacks to earlier side stories in Nepal), all characters speak in French. Do yourself a favor and be sure to change the movie's settings to French audio with English subtitles, rather than the default setting of English dubbed. It makes a significant difference (I watched the first 5 minutes in dubbed English, and then changed the audio setting to French with English subtitles, restarting the movie from scratch). Bottom ,line: I found myself almost transfixed by the whole experience, and was sorry to see the movie come to its end.

"The Summit of the Gods" premiered at this year's Cannes film festival to critical acclaim. Some European countries were lucky enough to see this released in theaters. In the US, we had no such luck. The movie premiered on Netflix over the long Thanksgiving weekend, and almost immediately was trending on Netflix. I haven't read the original manga that the movie is based on and hence watched this as a stand-alone experience. If you love animated films, or are into extreme sports, I'd readily suggest you check this out on Netflix, and draw your own conclusion.

A beautifully intricate and simple story about taking that step forward.

This film is going to have a short review. A very beautiful piece of art that I recommend everyone to see. A simple story with realistic consequences and surreal sequences. It shows both the danger of climbing and the unexplainable passion behind the journey to the top. Such a magnificent tale.

...in every way. Excellent story, breathtaking visuals, superb sounds and score. Easily the best film in 2021 though it hasn't been a real competition with a bunch of crap movies released in this year. Sometimes I couldn't believe it was an animation. The story is so heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. A hidden gem on Netflix, absolutely worth watching it.

This movie delivers an intense atmospheric tale of substantial heft in its limited run time The best compliment I can pay to this feature is that it made me forget that I was watching an animated movie. The narrative says a lot without using too many words. The characters feel close to you without being intrusive. The tale, though limited in its scope, is not just engaging but also satisfying.

The direction is impeccable. The animation is great without being exceptional. The climbing scenes are realistic and exceptionally choreographed. The narrative never lags but doesn't feel rushed either.

Very Impressive! I recommend it without any hesitation.

Excellent!

...that chronicles the tragedies and triumphs of obsession and ambition like no other film I've ever seen.

The hand-drawn animation is among the most gorgeous ever put to screen, emphasising the sheer beastly size of the landscapes that these mountaineers attempt to scale. It really makes the futility of their goals all the more tangible.

Yet at the same time, the rich emotion experienced by these characters' successes and failures is also on full display, and it serves as a reminder that our physical insignificance easily pales in comparison to the passions and persistence in our humanity.

This is easily among the top 5 best films of 2021.