Jon Krakauer did a good job of describing the Everest climb in which he participated and which was a fatal disaster for a dozen of those who were with his team.
The book was probably the most popular and best-selling mountaineering tale of all time. Readers of the book who watch this made-for-TV movie should be forewarned that the movie not only attempts to chronicle the disaster but is, in itself, a disaster. The movie is perhaps a greater disaster for those who never read Krakauer's book - the editing leaves one wishing for a guide, the acting leaves one wishing for a dinner theatre musical, and the overly trite 'messages' that the movie pounds into the viewer ("be prepared", "you can't always be prepared for disaster", "respect the mountain") left me wishing for a quick ice axe to the forehead.
The book was probably the most popular and best-selling mountaineering tale of all time. Readers of the book who watch this made-for-TV movie should be forewarned that the movie not only attempts to chronicle the disaster but is, in itself, a disaster. The movie is perhaps a greater disaster for those who never read Krakauer's book - the editing leaves one wishing for a guide, the acting leaves one wishing for a dinner theatre musical, and the overly trite 'messages' that the movie pounds into the viewer ("be prepared", "you can't always be prepared for disaster", "respect the mountain") left me wishing for a quick ice axe to the forehead.