11 Years Ago Today: Jake Gyllenhaal Starred In A Survival Movie Based On A Terrifying True Story
by Joe Roberts · /FilmAdd SlashFilm on Google:
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These days, in order to bring crowds to the multiplex, studios need to deliver an event movie — an unmissable spectacle that either features a pop culture icon (just look at how "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" dominated the box office), brings together a shared universe (the "Avengers" movies), or is simply the latest blockbuster epic from a revered director. Universal Pictures knows a thing or two about that, having unleashed Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" in 2026 only to watch the box office profits roll in. But that was hardly the first designed-with-IMAX-in-mind big-screen event movie the studio ever released.
Back in 2015, Universal delivered "Everest," a massive IMAX 3D affair that ostensibly starred Jake Gyllenhaal. But not only was he merely part of an expansive ensemble; the movie was really a showcase for the titular mountain and its harsh, unforgiving landscape, which had claimed many a life by the time Gyllenhaal and co. attempted their ascent. In fact, the film was based on a tragic true story.
"Everest" was directed by Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur, who began his career in 1996 with "Go LazyTown." He then oversaw multiple films in his homeland before making his English-language directorial debut with the Forest Whitaker and Jeremy Renner-led "A Little Trip to Heaven" in 2005. He went on to direct Mark Wahlberg in 2012's "Contraband" before re-teaming with the star and Denzel Washington for the 2013 action comedy "2 Guns." At this point, he was ready for a much more grandiose challenge. So, he assembled an all-star cast to take on Mount Everest in a movie that, while not anywhere near as successful as "The Odyssey," ended up being an IMAX-level big-screen hit for Kormákur and Universal.
Everest is an intense survival thriller from the guys that brought you Gladiator and The Full Monty
"Everest" was written by William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy. The former previously contributed to "Gladiator," the 2012 film adaptation of "Les Misérables," and Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken." Beaufoy, meanwhile, earned an Academy Award nomination for writing "The Full Monty" in 1997, before winning the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for 2008's "Slumdog Millionaire." He also helped adapt Aron Ralston's autobiography "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" for the film "127 Hours." By the time he came to "Everest," Beaufoy knew how to successfully adapt material for the big screen.
With "Everest," however, he and Nicholson weren't working from a book. The film is based on the real-life 1996 Mount Everest disaster, which occurred between May 10 and 11, 1996, and saw eight climbers perish after being caught in a ferocious storm while trying to descend from the world's highest peak. Director Baltasar Kormákur tried to emphasize the film's real-world basis by capturing as much in-camera as much as possible. As he told Variety prior to production, "We will work on ways to digitally enhance Everest, matching it with Dolomites and Everest, but I'll do everything physically first. If there's no other way, then I'll go to CGI." Christopher Nolan would approve.
Kormákur ended up shooting the film on location in Nepal and the foothills of Everest itself, as well as in the Italian Alps and at Rome's Cinecittà Studios and the United Kingdom's Pinewood Studios. It made for a great survival thriller and an impressive big-screen experience that proved to be a hit with both critics and audiences, even if those audiences had to watch Jake Gyllenhaal and his fellow A-listers perish in a terrifying blizzard.
Everest is an effective survival thriller that did justice to a tragic true story
"Everest" follows an expedition group led by Jason Clarke's Rob Hall. That group includes Josh Brolin's amateur climber Beck Weathers, John Hawkes' Doug Hansen, Naoko Mori's Yasuko Namba, and Michael Kelly's Jon Krakauer. Emily Watson plays Rob's base camp manager Helen Wilton, and Robin Wright portrays Weathers' wife, Peach Weathers. Jake Gyllenhaal co-stars as fellow expedition group leader Scott Fischer, who encounters Hall and co. after they experience problems descending from the peak of Mount Everest. Soon, a massive blizzard strikes the mountain, and the climbers are forced to endure the most perilous conditions imaginable.
"Everest" debuted at the 2015 Venice International Film Festival before being released exclusively in IMAX 3D on September 18 of that year. The film was then given a wide release on September 25, 2015, and ended up grossing almost $221.3 million worldwide on a $65 million budget. Critics were generally impressed, too. The film maintains a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes today, with Max Weiss of Baltimore Magazine praising the film's "uncanny realism" and its ability to keep audiences engaged. Writing for the Tribune News Service, Katie Walsh similarly described "Everest" as "an achievement of production" that captured the landscape "in striking IMAX cinematography." Baltasar Kormákur's on-location shooting turned out to be a good call.
As successful as it was, "Everest" wasn't exactly a phenomenon and isn't all that well remembered today. "Everest" did top the Netflix charts in March 2025, though. Perhaps in the wake of Christopher Nolan's IMAX 70mm boosterism, it might have been even more of a hit. Regardless, it remains a well-made survival thriller that does justice to a harrowing true story.