User reviews

Appreciate Meru, for it is rare that a documentary, or movie in general, able to bring audience in such inspiringly immersive journey. This is more than just a trip to the titular location, it's a private real life struggle of the climbers which we as viewers may not fully understand, yet it's presented with incredible honesty and amazing visual spectacle.

The documentary spans across many years of the climbers' lives, including all the trials and tribulations they must endure. There's myriad of behind-the-scene video making involved as well as testimony of friends and families. Everything is done with polished approach and this honest nature welcomes audience even if they're not into mountaineering.

What's great about this is how they talk about the darkest days in very professional manner. Having to describe one's own intimate fear and life altering experience can't be easy, however the filmmakers still present them with composure. It is rarely that they are emotional when delivering the narrative, even if it's involving a very personal subject, yet the appreciation for the extreme sport and the determination are highly riveting. It also displays the hazard strikingly well one can't help being absorbed in their excursion.

The rest of it doesn't even need words as the documentary captures beautifully taxing landscape. It offers so much clarity before and during the climb itself, from the preparation, trip in the cities before to the physically exhausting climb. There is no five minutes spent without scenery worthy of being wallpapers or posters.

Meru is a visually stunning journey accompanied by brave and inspiring fellows. It is more than most movies wish they could convey.

I went with my family to the ol' picture shows, since it was Friday and all, and they all went to see the new Transporter: Refueled. I told them that I was definitely not going to see something as poorly made, regardless of how much I loved the first three (as an effing kid). So, I was limited to a certain amount of movies since theirs started at 10:30 PM, I had to see one as well around 10:00. I looked up the show times; last viewing of Bloodsucking Bastards was at 9:00 so I thought I was screwed. Then suddenly, I came across a new film I haven't even heard of called MERU.

This film literally put me through a whole mountain-climbing experience. I LOVED it so much in fact! I could not decide at first if I was going to rate this with 3.5 stars or 4. Even at one point I got to thinking it might stoop down to a 2.5 (shh), but it had its comebacks and moments that will remain stuck in my mind for probably all eternity.

Meru is about a team of climbers who want to be the first to top off the great Mount Meru in India (I believe..). Guiding this mission is a man named Conrad Anker, who I think presents himself as a great leader. Though, he definitely has that crazy, adrenaline-junky-look in his eyes, he is also smarter than you think. To aid him are two of his longtime friends whom he has accompanied throughout his travels/expeditions. Their names are Jimmy Ching, who is the sort of younger, optimist of the group, and Renan Ozturk, who basically is the weakling in the group; // doesn't stop him though.

I actually noticed how this documentary was organized in three acts, and it's funny because whatever I thought the movie was going to be about was ALL in the first act. Silly me! This film has twists and turns and though you may not get the best of footage, the (true) story is what counts. // There is also breathtaking camera shots; I love seeing a wide open mountain range; makes me feel like I can finally breath.

One of my favorite aspects of this film was the character development. And I know, how can you say that about a documentary? Well, this one has it! Especially, Renan who started out as the most annoying/bitchy character and turns into... well I don't want to ruin it.

This adventure was UNPREDICTABLE and EDGY. Especially around the third act, you will be bitting your nails. This is the kind of story that makes you understand more of the human psychology - facing your fears - With FRIENDSHIP and FOLLOWING YOUR DREAMS. // Also, they speak highly of "praising to the teachers"; Learning from others and passing on the experience/skills. That is how things get done in this world. It also presents how many people come to finally accomplishing their dreams. // GOALS, PEOPLE! You gotta push yourself.

I liked how I had a point of view on things after walking out of the theater. I said to myself, "Huh, maybe FEAR is a good thing after-all."

-- Michael Mendez

Nothing like a good documentary about people doing spectacular things to inspire you to do great.

Three mountain climbers attempt to reach the top of an impossible mountain. Despite failing to reach the top their first time around, the impossible task does not stop them from trying again.

It's amazing insight about Mountain climbing as we watch these men doing what they love doing and were met to do. It's seems crazy what they are doing and the doc does not hide how crazy it is but it also makes you understand that they had to do it cause this is their passion.

The footage from Jimmy Chin was perfect at capturing the harsh conditions of the weather on top of Meru. One image that really got to me was when the mountain started to poor down hard ice. You could not even call it rain or hale. It seemed brutal.

Then they would switch it up with beautiful shoots of climbers going up the hill in such a beautiful atmosphere. I could feel the crisp air.

It helps a lot how close the filmmakers are to the subject matter. Though the narration could be dull at times overall it's a beautiful picture.

The inherent drama of men and mountains has spurred in recent years a glut of TV and film that has blossomed with the technological advancements of our time and the "look at me" attitude pervading society so that everyone with a Go-Pro can film their adventures for the world to see. From Youtube channels of independent climbers filming their routes to big money TV shows that bring the adventurers' lives to our living rooms, the world of mountain climbing and adventure sports in general seems caught in contradictions. Always underlying the contradictions is the simple question of why? Do these individuals risk life and limb for their fame, for sponsors, for a TV deal or out of a unique personal desire and will that drives them into the wild.

The British climber George Mallory who died while attempting Everest back in the 1920s famously responded to the question of Why? with "because it is there". For the next 100 years, many climbers have tried to give better answers, and in Meru, we have a compelling combination of narrative and visual imagery that may result in the best answer of all.

The narrative stands apart from other films and documentaries in that it is not completely linear and veers off course to give the viewers appropriate back stories to inject meaning and under currents to the climbers' motivations. You get to know the climbers as people, and with that understanding, I think it becomes easier for anyone, including people who have never set foot on a snowy ledge, to understand why these people climb mountains.

The technical climbing is filmed by Jimmy Chin (both climber and film director) in a way that I have simply never seen before. As a climbing enthusiast, the shots of these guys on the walls of ice and rock are astounding, gut-wrenching and for me, completely inspiring. The organic relationship of the climbing team, their histories and ultimately their trials on the snow and rock of Meru expand on many common mountaineering themes - mentors, sponsors, risk analysis and contemplating death both yours and your friends.

Jon Krakauer is not my favorite voice in this world, but he is a voice that is adept at translating the mountaineering world to laymen, and his role in this film is served well. In the end, I strongly recommend this film for everyone. For those that can understand the motivation to be the first to stand atop a peak, you will not be disappointed. For those that can not understand the motivation, you might walk away finally getting it.

Elite climbers on a previously unattainable peak are just one level of this film which digs deeply into dreams, goals, dedication and hardship made all the more inspirational when the viewer realizes the insanely remote, high altitude, and technical location that this story was shot in. Watching the climbing on MERU is as foreign to most of us as landing on another planet yet the film has all of the human elements that we crave, portrayed in powerful honesty. During the final scenes, I realized that each of the three main characters had their own well-developed back story filled with intense personal struggles yet the three characters were equally compelling and developed to the point that I was filled with flash-backs of the film that I carry with me to this day, nearly 6 months after my first viewing. There has never been another climbing genre documentary like MERU.

Wow, this is one of the greatest viewing experiences I've ever had. The whole film put yourself as one of the team climbers with these three great, stubborn, die-hard, totally obsessed mountain climbers. What a cathartic therapy viewing journey! The Meru is just part of the Himalaya but more pure and an absolutely non-commercial summit unlike the Everest. We didn't see any littered garbage like what we usually saw along the route to Everest. When I watched this film, I couldn't help thinking of those films related to the mountain climbing: K2, Into The Thin Air, Everest, Cliff Hanger, Vertical Limit, even a old thriller, The Elgar Sanction. But this particular film would stand out quite uniquely. A simple narration, not exaggerated, not pretentious, not self-important or self-promoted with strong commercial stink. And the camera work, my, so crystal sharp and beautiful. I think 'Everest 2015' is way off the chart if compares to this one, plain and simple.

If you have the chance to watch this film, don't miss it, folks.

People always talk about Everest as the ultimate mountain to climb but that hasn't been true for a long time. On Everest you can hire Sherpas to carry your stuff , to fix your ropes for you and to take most of the risks. Most climbers worth their sorts have climbed it many times , some have even skied off of it. Mount Meru is a whole different ball game. This is documentary about three climbers who attempt to climb the unchartered "Shark Fin" summit of Meru and it tells their story along the way. In a way I enjoyed this more than the film Everest because this is real footage and of mountain I wasn't aware of before. You have to admire these people for their determination but on the other hand you can't help but think they have a death wish. I only wish I had an ounce of their determination and drive.

Just got back from seeing the documentary film "Meru" in the theater. I will probably write more on it later, as there's just too many thoughts swirling now 'round me head. And perhaps none of you will see the writing (I'll stick it on IMDb. But the short story is it's truly a marvel. And not just one of the best docs I've seen but one of the greatest movies I've seen in a VERY long time. There's such an immersing story there, and the 3 principle characters are fleshed out so impressively that by the end you really are emotionally invested in each and feel you understand deeply what motivates and scares each of them. It's a film which really shines a light on big ideas of motivation, inspiration, brotherhood, insane, I mean INSANE perseverance and really broad almost sports movie clichés territory. But they nailed it! Honestly this film takes on such subjects in such a way as to put to shame most of the "feel-good", "overcome the impossible", "overcome so much to follow your dream" - type films. And the fact that it's a true story is just all the more awe inspiring.

And yeah, can't stress it enough, each of the three climbers' back stories are just so dramatic, and interesting. Any one of the three could have a nice documentary film made about them. It actually is crazy how many awesome story lines exist here, how many twists and back stories exist in this documentary and how nicely they tie all three of their lives together so beautifully.

Oh and it's about climbing a mountain, what more beautiful built-in cinematography can you ask for? And what better built-in metaphor can you want for any goddamn goal you may have in life?

It's astounding. If you can see it, I highly recommend it. It is just about the most purely INSPIRING film I've ever seen.

(Flash Review)

Yes, these are some amazing mountain climbers. Highly skilled, smart, obsessive, no fear and a bit crazy...you have to be. Seeing their helmet cam footage while they climb is breathtaking. The film itself is not quite as impressive as the snow-covered peaks they ascend. Their back stories are fairly stereotypical for die hard mountain climbers and many risk losing their family if tragedy should occur yet they press on. There weren't any mind blowing unique facts about Meru and I didn't really learn anything beyond the climber's personal lives which would have magnified their efforts even more. So this is good at purely presenting good footage of some daring climbs.

"Meru" (2015 release; 90 min.) brings the story of three guys attempting to peak the top of Meru, an ultra-difficult mountain in the Himalayas that is considered as possible the toughest climb in the world. As the movie opens, we see the three guys in a hanging cod on the side of the mountain, looking utterly exhausted. We then go "3 Years Earlier", where we get to know Conrad Aker, fearless climber for whom "Meru is the culmination of everything I've wanted to accomplish as a climber (we later learn that he's summited Everest a number of times, but failed to summit Meru in one previous attempt). We also get to know Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk. Will they succeed and conquer Meru? To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: first, I pretty much knew going in that I would like this documentary as I am a sucker for these types of "you gotta see it to believe it" type documentaries. This one may top them all. If you think Everst is hard, just wait until you see Meru's Shark's Fin towards the top of the mountain, a 4,000 ft climb straight up of solid rock. Second, Jimmy Chin decided to catch everything on camera, and hence is a co-director (along with his wife), co-editor and co-producer. The footage that we get to see is nothing short of jaw-dropping. At times, I felt dizzy just looking at the screen. Can you imagine what it must've been like to actually do the climb? But wait! there is more! Just as you think that the documentary is all about the quest for Meru, we get a couple of side stories that filled in the human aspects and as a result made the movie even that much more compelling to watch. Third, there are a number of talking heads giving further insights on what we are seeing, and by far the most interesting of them is Jon Krakauer, author of "Into Thin Air". Last, there is some great music in the documentary, including from J. Ralph, Explosions In the Sky and others.

"Meru" recently opened at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati without any pre-release fanfare or advertising. I couldn't wait to see it. The early evening week day screening where I saw this at was not attended very well, I am sorry to say. I love documentaries, and I love watching extreme sports (emphasis on watching, ha!). "Meru" is a riveting documentary that will make your heart skip a beat or two. HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

How can human beings watch other human beings risk their lives in death defying feats? The Spanish bullfighter and Roman gladiator come to mind.

Be careful around the shark's fin. It's a warning that swimmers might utter – and mountain climbers too. The Shark's Fin is the most challenging route up the most challenging of the three peaks of Meru, which is part of the Himalayas of northern India. The documentary "Meru" (R, 1:27) traces two separate attempts by a trio of climbers trying to be the first to reach the top of Meru Peak, via the Shark's Fin.

Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk are three of the most famous mountain climbers in the world, largely for their experiences on Meru Peak. Anker had become famous for his climbs in Antarctica and the Himalayas, one of which led to his discovery of 1920s' climber George Mallory's body on Mount Everest. Jimmy Chin had made a name for himself as both a climber and videographer who documented his climbs, as well as the expeditions of others. Anker and Chin were climbing partners for years when they took on Ozturk, a young but accomplished climber, for their 2008 expedition up the Shark's Fin.

This film tells us about and shows us the trio's 2008 and 2011 Meru expeditions and the momentous events in between. Heading up the mountain with them in 2008, we learn about why the Shark's Fin is uniquely challenging, uniquely dangerous and an irresistible goal for serious climbers like these. When the men come heartbreakingly close to reaching their goal, but have to turn back, we feel for them, even as we hear them talking about making another attempt. Their bodies and minds have to recover before they go back to India to try again, and life has to be lived. There are other climbs and other jobs for each of the three men to do while they plan their second trip to the Shark's Fin. When two of the three men have near-death experiences on separate occasions, serious questions arise. Who will make up the team on a second attempt? Given what's happened, can they succeed this time? Will they? "Meru" uses interviews with the trio to explain how they got together and describe their experiences on Meru. Anker's friend and fellow climber, Jon Krakauer, who wrote "Into Thin Air" (which was made into the 2015 film "Everest") also sits for an interview which sheds a significant amount of light on the story of the three Shark's Fin climbers, their expeditions, and mountain climbing in general. Most of "Meru", however, is made up of video shot by Chin and Ozturk on Meru Peak. The interview clips are succinct and informative, but it's the on-site video which gives this documentary its drama and its immediacy. I would have liked to hear more about what makes them do what they do and a bit of what happened in each of their lives after their second attempt to climb the Shark's Fin, but few criticisms can take much away from this remarkable film – one of the most fascinating and engaging documentaries of 2015. "A-"

First of all, as climber I will say that I will not detract the climbing in itself, which would be remarkable. The same applies to photography and music which are at a good level.

When I see this documentary, instead of seeing a story about a more or less objective climbing, i find quite self-glorification:

For instance

"High mountaineering is very risky, it is the Most Dangerous professional sport". "Meru definitely had a reputation as impossible climb". "this is the mountain That everyone's tried and failed on". "This climb has seen more Attempts and more failures than any route of Himalaya" "some of the best climbers in the world Have tried and failed on" ...etc, etc....

It's a shame because the climbing is good by itself, and all the gimmicky stuff does anything but to take away the credibility.

i have the feeling that someone tries to sell me something, namely: "we are heroes", "Our families are suffering because of our climbing"... is this really necessary...?

It is clear that this movie is intended for the general public (who is not into climbing).

I'm not a climber, but we all have the impossible mountains in our lives. This film to me was the story that all of us have in our own lives. Don't expect people to understand your path if they haven't been given your vision. Never give up on your dreams, prepare yourself to the fullest, and as long as you never give up you will succeed. NEVER NEVER QUIT!

Must watch! Incredible achievement of 3 driven and humble guys. They are breath-takingly skilled and inteligent when it comes to risk-taking.

And there is so so much at risk. Oh boy.

Camera work is amazing, especially since the same guy climbed and recorded the movie. I can't even understand how someone can climb that crazy peak, let alone climb and record it at the same time. This gives it a higher dose of authenticity and a sense of being there, isolated with them, feeling afraid and excited at the same time.

For a dumb few who wrote in comments that movie should have been recorded by a film crew or someone else: These 3 climbers are the only ones that ever managed to climb this path! It's impossible to get film-crew there. It's like space mission. There is no movie crew on ISS space station, becase they lack skills and resources needed to get/be there. That's why we mostly see selfies of astronauts.

Many scenes are authentically scary. Everything is very real and raw, with no boring nor long scenes. Great edit.

Climbing Meru looks much scarier than climbing Everest. You can't pay sherpas to carry your bags to the top. And there are way more things to carry to Shark's fin than to Everest, and it's much more difficult to carry or set up equipment as the route is completely vertical, like a wall. You sleep in a tent that is hanging in the air 6000m high. Unlike Everest, you can't bring tourists on Shark's fin central route.

An amazing documentary about three extreme alpine climbers attempting to summit Mount Meru in the Indian Himalayas This film records their second attempt at conquering the impossible Shark's Fin peak, hoping to be the first team in recorded history to do so). The climbing scenes are as terrifying as they are gorgeous (how did they film this thing anyway?!), but it is the personal stories of the climbers that engaged me the most. These are some of the best climbers in the world - their skill, persistence, determination, risk-taking, and obsessiveness about climbing are difficult for most to understand.

For example, one of the team, Renan Ozturk, sustained a depressed skull fracture / broken neck / vertebral artery injury in a skiing accident just five months prior to summitting. People! Most doctors would advise patients with even a concussion to not fly for a period of time. Yet, Renan fought back and just five months later was on the side of Meru. In a heart-stopping and heart-breaking turn of bad luck, he had a mild stroke - at nearly 18,000 feet up the mountain. And insisted on continuing the next morning - even though he could not speak, he was physically OK. Still...who does that?!

Another climber, cinematographer Jimmy Chin, almost died four days after Renan's injury in an avalanche - on the same mountain where he and Renan had been filming together. It was Jimmy who found Renan injured, lying facedown in the snow. The leader of the team, Conrad Anken, lost his best friend Alex Lowe while on a climb together - and ended up marrying Alex Lowe's wife and adopting their three boys. And that is just a little bit about these incredible men.

You couldn't write a more compelling story - and yet this is real life! Superbly filmed, beautifully written, and emotionally wrenching bu5 ultimately deeply inspiring. If you don't get choked up along with these guys at the surprising end to their impossible dream...check your pulse!

Absolutely riveting movie. Be prepared to grab your seat many times, there are some really scary moments! I found the beginning quite meaningful as the climbers passed various Indian Holy men praying and meditating. What the 3 climbers were about to do really required divine protection. The photography is stunning, especially with the stars whirling around over Meru. What comes across to me is the supreme team work and total trust in your partners. Conrad puts together the team and sets the objective. His partners Jimmy and Renan add their enormous set of diverse skills to enable the successful completion of the climb. Conrad has the wisdom accumulated over many years of climbing to know when to pull the plug and when to push on. We are introduced to each climber and the serious setbacks that they all have but they still push on. Marvelous.

Meru, a 2015 film that documents the intense first ascent of Meru Peak's "Shark's Fin" route, beautifully combines stunning frames of the Himalayas with the personal struggles of mountaineering. Conrad Anker, a well decorated climber who has already been the first to conquer many other impossible feats on mountains around the world, assembles a three-person team to make an attempt at the impossible mission. Meru chronicles the issues that world-class mountain men face as they approach, and often cross, the limits of possibility for the human body. After narrowly missing the summit on their first attempt, in 2008, the team plans a return in 2011. Within months of their departure, however, they were cursed with a string of awful luck, leaving team member Renan Ozturk hospitalized, in life threatening condition. Weeks later, the other third of the team, Jimmy Chin, miraculously survives a massive avalanche, but it leaves him battling the metal trauma that an event like this causes. Still, though, they are able to fight through all of this and make another attempt at the summit soon after. All of the expedition footage in Meru is shot by the team themselves, adding a very personal feeling to the film, seeming somewhat like an extremely overproduced vlog for YouTube, a nice contrast to the much more heavily documented climbing movies that have become more prevalent in recent years. Much of the movie's narration aims to explain why people risk their lives time and time again just to reach the peaks of the world. Many climbers describe it as something they absolutely need to do, a kind of addiction that they cannot stay away from. This provides interesting context into the minds of Conrad, Jimmy and Renan, showing why they were so determined to conquer Meru. This helps me more clearly understand why these elite athletes choose to risk their lives as a hobby. Without pushing their own bodies to further the limit of what a human can do, climbers like these three will always feel unfulfilled. After Conrad witnessed his best friend and climbing partner, Alex Lowe, die in an avalanche that Conrad himself narrowly avoided, he swore off climbing for good. Lowe's widow, Jennifer, who later married Conrad, knew this was impossible for him. Picking a fight with the powers of Mother Nature obviously comes with immeasurable risk, but that is part of what mountaineers love. Winning a battle against some of the strongest forces we know, like avalanches, blizzards, or just the paralyzing mental state that miles of altitude forces unto someone is glorious. Conquering all of these restrictions has to be one of the proudest achievable feelings. It makes climbers champions, both in their own mind, and in the community around them. Before the ascent of Meru, Conrad was the only climber from the group with any notoriety, but since then, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk have become more relevant, household names within the climbing community. As a short side note, the one part of the movie that bothered me was the scene discussing the avalanche that Jimmy survived. Instead of using footage from the actual one that he experienced, they showed a much larger avalanche that I recognized to be from Alaska, not the Himalayas. I was confused at this choice, as it was clear that there was plenty of video to show his actual experience, but instead the producers decided to embellish the event and mislead the viewers. The rest of the film seemed much more genuine than this, but my limited knowledge of climbing makes me wonder whether or not there were other scenes that I was tricked into believing were from the same expedition. Meru is a fantastic film to watch, whether or not you have any interest or knowledge in mountaineering. The cinematography is beautiful as it pans over the magical peaks of the Himalayas, and extremely genuine during footage added by the climbers. The constant narration from the team, their family and friends, as well as notable guests, like the decorated author Jon Krakauer, keeps the scenes that lack action engaging, and provide insight into aspects of the complex climb that most viewers would be unable to notice. Aside from the one clear negative previously discussed, I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of this film.

I have a love for watching rock climbing films and documentaries. The intensity of the feats they tackle are unreal to me.

Meru was just as great as it was hyped up to be. The drama of the obstacle that these men faced was as wild as the obstacle itself.

It was fascinating and crazy to seem them work through their own emotions to traversing the climb of Meru.

Breathtaking rock climbing documentary as usual.

I suspect that for mountain climbers and wannabes, this is a 10 star film, so I'll give it stars for them. And it certainly is beautiful.

However, no matter how many climbing films I watch, I never get a good answer to the question in my mind which is, why do this incredibly dangerous thing? Jon Krakauer says, "he had to," but that is patently false. Nobody has to!

And so I am left at the end of this film with the same judgments I always have. I think, these men are bad sons, bad brothers, then bad boyfriends, then bad husbands, then bad fathers. I can't honor them. I suspect they are a little bit stupider than the average person. I suspect a psychiatrist could diagnose them with some mental illness. I'm struggling here to come to a kinder place, but I cannot.

And if you don't want people to make judgments of you for doing a stupid, risky, suicidal thing, then you either shouldn't do this thing at all or you shouldn't make movies bragging about it.

This is one of the finest films about extreme sport I have ever seen. It takes you into the mind of a climber, and what you find is spirituality and madness in equal measure.

It is a pleasure to spend time in the company of the three main climbers, who each overcome the most testing adversity to achieve something which to my eyes looks humanly impossible.

The film is also beautifully shot, a number of times I found myself wondering how it could be possible to get a particular angle? Or who would leave the relative comfort of the bivouac in the middle of a storm to get an exterior shot of all the gear hanging off a wall at 20,000ft.

Simply astonishing.

Watched it after reading the good reviews on IMDb. The reviews are right in many ways, at least the positive ones.

First this is not a movie . This is real life with real drama , tragedy , courage , hope and a celebration of human spirit.

The documentary captures the eerie beauty and loneliness of the most amazing mountain range in the world. There is cracking footage of 3 courageous men slowly inching up to the summit 20000 ft above land.

At times the viewer will feel the very real vertigo , the absolute silence , the sheer complexity of the climb. It is said that this route to Meru is the most difficult in the list of mountaineering challenges.

The night sky looks like you are in space literally. I guess the climbers had the fortune of good weather resulting in beautiful cinematography .

What some may find equally moving and beautiful is the story of each of their struggles and how they use the climb to the top as a catharsis of sorts.

Best documentary in a long long time.

It displays the actual skill ability and courage of Conrad Jimmy and Renan. They are professionals and made it look easy and gives you the sense that you were there with them. Congratulations to their accomplishment and that's why I rated it a ten.