Credit: Netflix

Looks like everyone’s gone mad for Apex, and fair enough! This Netflix movie has got that survival tension where one wrong move and you are done. But didn’t that leave you wanting something tougher? Because it sure did to us. And if you want something that doesn’t rely on a setup or a game, then Everest is where you go next. A real disaster where everything that could go wrong… does.

Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, it is based on the 1996 Everest tragedy, so you are not watching something made up for effect. You already know it won’t end well, which makes you question every decision the characters make in the movie.

The film follows two expedition leaders: Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) and Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal). These two are taking their teams up the mountain. Alongside them are climbers with different motivations. Doug Hansen (John Hawkes) is trying again after failing before. Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin) is pushing himself despite clear risks. Note it down if you have to, but no one is there by accident, and that’s the point you’ll remember when things start going wrong.

And if you are thinking that some sort of avalanche will arrive all at once, then hold your horses because in Everest, problems don’t arrive all at once. It starts with delays, and then oxygen becomes an issue. Before you know it, climbers start pushing beyond safe limits. Then the storm hits, and everything is on the line. There is no visibility, which makes the routes unclear, and people lose contact with each other. From that point on, it’s not about reaching the summit but about getting down alive.

But something to pay attention to here is how the decisions are handled. There is little to no drama because who has the time? People act on what they know in the moment, and sometimes that’s not enough. That’s where the tension comes from, and not sudden twists.

Now let’s talk about the cast because it is fabulous. Jason Clarke and Jake Gyllenhaal are in the lead, but it’s not built around one character. Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson, oh, so many great names, and they all contribute to the same situation.

And did you know that the filming of Everest wasn’t done on a soundstage either? Parts were shot in Nepal, the Alps and Italy, and the conditions show. Nothing in the film is glossy for the sake of filming. The storm sequence in particular is hard to follow at times, which matches what the real climbers were dealing with.

Everest also draws from real accounts, including Jon Krakauer’s writing, so it stays close to what actually happened. And nothing is simplified for the audience. You are left with the same uncertainty the people involved had.

Jake Gyllenhaal, particularly, actually spent time at high altitude during prep to get used to the conditions. Josh Brolin, who plays Beck Weathers, went on to meet the real Beck after filming wrapped, and Weathers himself survived the disaster despite being left for dead on the mountain.

And funnily enough, the film sparked a fresh wave of interest in Everest expeditions when it was released, with people suddenly wanting to take on the same climb, which is mad when you have just seen how badly it can go. Just some food for thought.

Bring all these things together, and you’ll know why the film did so well. Apex gives you survival as a setup, but Everest shows what it looks like when there’s no control at all.

If you’re picking one film this weekend after Apex, don’t overthink it. Everest is the one, just say yes!