Himalaya

This is the third film about mountain climbing I've seen in little under a year. First a documentary called Meru, then the Imax exclusive release called Everest. Now the Koreans tackle the subject.

Interesting enough, story wise I feel the Himalayas is a mix of both movies. The best Korean mountaineer goes up a mountain to find the remains of his student who froze to death.

Based on true events the story focus on mountaineer, Hong-Gil Um, a family man who loves to climb mountains. The movie has a lot to it as we go over Hong-Gil Um preparing for mountain climbing, training others for it, and what happens after it's all over.

The Himalayas tries to be a tear jerker. It does have it's moments, but overall it tries hard and gets nothing.

It's effective in making you not want to go up the mountain. The harsh weather was oh too real, and the visuals sometimes due what the story itself is unable.

the movie is Just OK, no where near outstanding.

1st hour of this movie is so good, it has all things that can make this movie reach the top.

However, after 1st hour, the plot try to make more drama, yes it too too much, till this movie gone bad.

If it can keep the 1st hour pace, it could have become over 7.5/10.

Compelling, emotional rollercoaster with best possible scenery. The main character is silent, huge killer covered with ice, snow and great expectations...

Less exploitative than 2015's Everest, this is impressively photographed, and it tells an interesting story (Sherpas searching for the body of their friend, following an accident which took his life), but it is uneven (largely a buddy movie) and it's so depressing to know that it is about a real death, and more people risking their own lives out of respect for their dead friend's remains. The filmmakers tried to counter that with humorous scenes of them bonding, unsuccessfully.

Film is not *bad*, just mediocre, and depressing. Surprisingly, this Korean release made considerably more money in Korea than the new Star Wars did.

http://m.themalaymailonline.com/showbiz/article/Himalayas-beats-star- wars-the-force-awakens-in-korean-Christmas-box-office Survival drama "The Himalayas" remained on top of the Korean box office during the three-day Christmas holiday weekend.

SEOUL, Dec 29 — The South Korean movie "Himalayas" has broken national box office records and held onto the top spot at the box office, warding off competition from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Survival movie "Himalayas" has become Korea's most successful Christmas-period movie, earning US$12.2 million (RM52.37 million) between Friday, December 25 and Sunday, December 27. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" remains in second place with US$7.01 million over the same weekend.

Those Korean men must be the most emotional males on Earth! That's how they are depicted in this Korean epic where just about every male actor cries! It would come as no surprise if Kleenex had sponsored the film. It's just a shame that these brave, intrepid explorers are reduced to a quivering, sobbing mess as it undermines their courage and tenacity to conquer mountains. If it's melodrama you want then this serves it up by the bucketloads.

Hong-Gil Um (Jeong-min Hwang) and Moo-Taek Park (Jung Woo) first meet in the early 1990s when they endure a grueling climb up Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world. They become friends and later that decade, become the 14th team to scale the Himalayas. However, Hong-Gil is forced to retire after sustaining a serious injury. Several years later, Hong-Gil is a renowned lecturer and Moo-Taek takes up an assignment to climb Mount Everest. Disaster strikes and Hong-Gil must come out of retirement to again face the challenges of the world's highest mountain.

This is probably Korean drama at its best but would be considered excessive melodrama for English speaking audiences. The not-so- subtle acting just doesn't cross the cultural divide. There's no doubting that all the actors inject their emotions wholeheartedly into their roles but a sobfest is not the answer. I wouldn't know how other moviegoers reacted as I was the only person in the cinema. When the actors are not crying uncontrollably, it's quite an enjoyable film. I just don't want my emotions to be manipulated like this.

Although Sang-joon Hwang's music score is beautiful to listen to, it is clear that it has been designed to contribute to the melodrama. On its own, it's musical brilliance but when it is accompanied with the images it is overly sympathetic and manipulative.

The cinematography, particularly of the mountainous regions, is grand and spectacular. No expense has been spared in filming the climbs and the outdoor locations. The visual and sound effects also bring to life the treacherous conditions the climbers had to face.

Based on true events, "The Himalayas" wears its heart on its sleeve. There's nothing wrong with that in small doses but when it's close to two hours of everyone crying then it becomes repetitive. It is still an enjoyable film at times that will be appreciated by those viewers who are not fussed with excessive melodrama. http://mlaimlai2.wix.com/magical-movie-review