Tanya’s Score: Good*
Rated: PG
Starring: one thrill seeker with a possible death wish?
Plot: This documentary focusses on American rock climber Alex Honnold as he attempts to be the first person ever to free solo climb El Capitan (without any gear or equipment).
Tanya’s Verdict: From the start of the movie, there seems to be something a little bit off about Alex. He doesn’t come across as a thrill-seeker; he doesn’t appear to have an extreme sort of personality; making money doesn’t seem to be his life’s goal; he seems to be relatively stable and not have some sort of death wish. But even so – he’s odd. And in my opinion, it’s his quirkiness and the straight-forward way he comes across that make this movie enjoyable to watch.
At the same time, there are scenes that are intense – even more so for the climbers/camera men and directors as there was the very real possibility that Alex would be falling to his death at any point during filming – and their cameras would be capturing his demise in its entirety.
As much as I don’t recommend that my kids ever attempt any sort of free solo climbing except at our local community park – it never hurts for them to watch an inspirational (if not sometimes nerve-wracking) movie about a man who didn’t give up just because his goal had never been accomplished by anyone before.
*Four score descriptions: Sh**; Okay; Good; Great