Film never looked so good (Vertical Limit (DVD))

Member Name: itsonlyme

Product:	Vertical Limit (DVD)
Date:	02/07/01 (23 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stunning visuals, Great settings, Sounds magnificent

Disadvantages: Average acting, A plot FULL of holes

Vertical Limit was a film when released in the UK cinema's, I quite fancied going to see, but never got round to actually going, so when it got a DVD release, I bought a copy so I could finally see it.

Being a Columbia pictures release, the film has all the Hollywood pizzazz and gloss surrounding it, which was duly reflected in the promotion of the film. The promotional slogan of "hold your breath" was a clever tie in with the nature if the high altitude basis of the film, coupled with the claimed 'breathtaking' action/thriller this film was dubbed to be.

Directed my Martin Campbell, so called 'celebrated' director of The Mask of Zorro, Golden eye and a few others, Campbell also co-produced the film along with Lloyd Phillips and Robert King. With a storyline and screenplay also derived by Robert King, it was clear that this film was a closely knit tem of production - usually a sign of a quality title, although not always!

Described as a "Hair raising, high altitude adventure", vertical limit focuses on a climbing team's expedition up the great Kilimanjaro Mountain (otherwise known as K2) - widely regarded as the toughest mountain in the word to scale. The film kicks off with a family (of father and two grown children) rock climbing, when things start to go wrong. Suddenly, the safety harness/equipment holding them in place becomes unstable, and the three relatives soon find themselves hanging literally by the thread and about to fall. In an act of unselfish sacrifice, the father orders his son to cut the rope, clearly not strong enough to hold the three adults, and sacrifice his life to save his children. Much to the despair of his sister, he obliges, causing his father to fall thousands of feet to his death. All this within the first five minutes!
This traumatic and harrowing experience cased the brother Peter to shy away from climbing for the next three years, which is where the film skips
too.

We they discover that Annie is planning to ascend K2 as part of a 'promotional' challenge to scale the heights in time to meet a maiden flight of a billionaire's new airline (who incidentally is climbing with them). As they set off, the weather conditions deteriorate to the position of making it a dangerous and quite stupid idea to continue. However, the large backing and publicity relying upon the successful climb ensures they continue, with only one outcome possible. As the weather gets drastically worse, and avalanche causes then to be buried in a large underground ice crevice that means they are trapped, and with only 26hours worth of supplies, time if on to save their lives!
Cue Peter and a group of climbers (who reluctantly join the team) splitting into three groups of two each carrying explosives with the view to reaching the trapped team and freeing then by blasting them out.

Columbia did a very good job promoting this film, and as a result I really wanted to see it. When I did I wasn't that disappointed, but didn't find it to be the action extravaganza that I had hoped.
The film is quite inconsistent in many respects, and there are fundaments flaws that will limit the viewers enjoyment. There are holes in the plot large enough to drive a bus through, and the acting at times is laughable! For example the early scenes where the decision of cutting the rope or not was dire, and many other examples could follow.
The landscapes and visuals of the film are beautiful. Simply stunning to look at, the views of the Pakistani Karakoram mountain range (where K2 is located) is one of the strongest points of the film, and visuals such as this are rarely seen is such idyllic location on the big screen. Seamless CGI effects including loud and luscious explosions, breathtaking avalanches and landslides all work with the films setting to produce a top quality optical extravagance.
Audio wise, the film sounds superb t
oo. Choppers frequently fly overhead and snow falling and adverse weather conditions are all stunningly re-created ensuring the viewer sounds like they are on the mountainside with the actors.

The film is highly predictable, and you can call the next half hours of the film at any point in the movie, but that's not too big an issue, as action 'fests' such as this have been flogged to death so much in the movies recently, that ideas are running out.
The film tries to create too much tension at times, and while it occasionally manages to achieve the odd moment of anxiety for the viewer, its not as much as the writers would have wishes, with supposedly 'gripping' scenes such as the jump from the chopper on the commencement of the rescue mission one such example.

Comparisons with the likes of Cliffhanger were always inevitable, not helped by an almost identical start to the film, and numerous sequences through that closely resemble the film - almost to the point one could say vertical limit was based upon Cliffhanger. However, I'm not sating that was such a bad thin, as I enjoyed Cliffhanger very much, and as a result enjoyed Vertical Limit.

Cast in the film include Chris O'Donnell (peter), Bill Paxton, Robert Tunney, Scott Glenn and a few others with varying roles through the film.

On reflection of this film, I would have to really give it an average score. The film is enjoyable, and I do not regret getting this film at all. Whether I would watch it again I'm not too sure, but it was certain worth seeing the once. Holes in the plot, average acting and a lack of originality all count against this film, and thus a rather average three stars is a fair score (IMO) for this film.

Summary: