The Summit of the Gods

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.

What a movie! For me, this is one of the best I've watched this year.

This French animation is based on a Japanese manga of the same name, set in Nepal. Content like this makes you feel "Huh! Small World!" BTW, parts of the story are inspired from true events from 1924.

I went into the movie without knowing anything about it, so I'll spare the plot but the story - gripping, visuals-stunning, sound design-phenomenal, editing-incredible!

The "bUt aNImATiOn iS fOr kiDs" gang should watch this. While kids would surely enjoy this movie, but the way this poetic story of obsession/determination is told while balancing excitement, suspense and sadness - grownups would appreciate this because it's different from anything that you'd usually watch, regardless of if you watch animation or not.

Would highly recommend that you watch this, especially given the short runtime of only around 90 mins.

The Summit of the Gods: French animated film based on a Japanese Manga comic. About mountaineering and Everest in particular. A photo-journalist encounters a Japanese climber who has been missing for years, he seems to have Mallory's camera. This could answer the question: did Mallory and Irvine reach the summit of Mount Everest? The climber has a chequered past, tragedies as well as triumphs. After the death of a young climber he had a breakdown. A quest ensues, not just for the camera as the photographer realises that he has to accompany the climber on his attempt to climb Everest. A tale of derring-do and an exploration of what motivates people to risk their lives in pursuit of a dream. The animation makes the terror of avalanches, slips and hanging from a rope come to life but also the triumphs of achieving an objective. The story of Mallory and Irvine is intertwined with a fictional tale of obsession to good effect. Directed & co-written by Patrick Imbert. On Netflix. 7.5/10.

...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.