No classic, but pretty good (Vertical Limit (DVD))

Member Name: Welshlad

Product:	Vertical Limit (DVD)
Date:	11/03/01 (29 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good action movie

Disadvantages: not a classic at all

Vertical limit is a film that I was expecting to be more annoying than enjoying, but I must admit I was pleasantly surprised.
Little in the way of a plot, and plenty in the way of action, this film is not for the purists who like intelligent films, but for those who like a decent action flick to pass the time.
Starting with a bang, this movie makes good use of the special effects and the obvious digital processing will hopefully not spoil your enjoyment of a pretty decent film.
Its all been done numerous times before, and very little is original let alone accurate. I knew something was wrong with the script when the bad guy is getting ready to climb K2, and says, "I'm leaving Monday and hope to be back here by Wednesday”. This is obviously a hugely optimistic and un-achievable target that could easily have been rectified with a SLIGHT bit of research on the mater, which obviously never took place. Three days up and back. Oh well. K2 and climbing enthusiasts will get a chuckle from the bonehead moves and idiot script lines, but they didn't make this movie for climbers, they made it for regular folk.
Chris O'Donnell (batman forever) plays a photographer from the National Geographic Magazine. His sister is a world famous rock climber (is there such a thing?) who is about to scale K2. One of her partners, played by Bill Paxton (titanic, twister, u-571 and more), wants to reach the top in a stupidly low amount of time. When a storm develops 3/4 up the slope, the whole team falls in a crack on the mountain with very little food and water…Cue the obligatory rescue and hero acts, which is about as predictable as night follows day, but while you know what’s going to happen, it rarely effects the enjoyment of this pretty decent movie.
A strong cats does a good job with some very difficult script and acting propositions, and all things considered, this film is not as bad as some people made out. At times this film tried to
be more intelligent than it really is, and this is the point at which the story starts to get a little boring, but is never more than a few minutes away from the next big action sequence to liven things up and bring the movie back into line with what it is – a brainless action flick that will never win any Oscars.

If I had to give thumbs up or thumbs down, it would certainly be thumbs up, and I would advise people to go see this (or buy the DVD when released), but don’t go expecting to see a classic film you will remember for the rest of your life.

Summary: