release year: 2000
genre: mountain-climbing adventure
viewing setting: theater, 12/22/2000
what I expected: colder version of Cliffhanger
what I got: yet more reminders about why I don't climb mountains
synopsis: A guy who swore off mountain-climbing ends up going to rescue his sister and her expedition after an avalanche traps them way, way up on a mountain.
impressions: Fairly entertaining. I was not aware that, above a certain altitude, the human body automatically begins to die and there's no way to stop it. Now I'm sure that I'll never take up mountain climbing. The plot was fairly well-laid out, and generally, people got what they deserved. One gripe: there were times when a situation would just be resolved without us seeing HOW it got resolved. Example: two people hanging from rope, while a third can't seem to pull them up. A fourth comes to help, then falls down into the hole and gets into a fight while everyone else watches. A short time later, we're left with the exact same situation - #3 needing to pull up #2 and #1. Now, if she couldn't do it the first time, how the hell is she going to do it this time, after everyone's even wearier? No answer - the next scene shows them all safe and sound.
acting: Fine. Nobody did a really deep job here, but enough groundwork was laid for the plot to make good sense.
final word: Entertaining, and among the best of the high-altitude mountain-climbing movies.
rating: C+