Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-25 10:48:18

Thrilling, entertaining, yet predictable

I work at a movie theater, so I had seen the preview many times beforewatching the movie. I went into it expecting mediocre acting yet awesomespecial effects. The acting turned out to be better than I expected. Thespecial effects were cool, yet I was disappointed because most of them wereincluded in the trailer, so I had basically seen all of the jaw droppingstuff. This movie is a typical disaster/rescue predictable type movie, so Iwas intrigues when a plot began to emerge (an issue involving a characternamed Montgomery Wick.)I thought that the emerged plot was far toounderdeveloped. Over all, if you're in the mood to be on the edge of yourseat, go see this movie. I give it 8.5 out of 10

Chris Brown 2012-05-24 15:45:22

Vertical Limit had a lot of great action sequences but a weak story line and some very un-interesting characters, but overall had enough entertainment value to make it worthwhile.

Three years after a tragedy that cost them their father's life, AnnieGarrett (Robin Tunney) and Peter Garrett (Chris O'Donnell) meet at the baseof K2. He's there taking pictures for National Geographic, while she's partof a team created by billionaire Elliot Vaughn (Bill Paxton) to head to thesummit as part of a publicity stunt for his new airline. When they near thetop, the weather takes a turn for the worse, and just when they decide tohead back down the mountain, Annie falls into a crevice, followed by Elliotand lead climber Tom McLaren, while an avalanche takes out most of the team.Peter decides to risk a quick climb up the mountain to save his sister, andtakes along Mongomery Wick (Scott Glenn), an old time climber, and friend ofhis father. Along with 4 other team members, the 6 of them must risk theirown lives, to save the others, with time not on their side. The action sequences in the film were amazing. Very realistic looking, andvery dangerous. The biggest problem I had was that every time somethingexciting would happen, the director would cut away to another story linewhich slowed down the pace. It was very stop and go for most of the movie.The opening sequence was very poor in my opinion. It reminded me a lot ofthe opening to Mission: Impossible 2, just not as well done. And we all knewtheir father was going to die, but was it really necessary to show himhitting the ground? The entire opening just didn't feel right. Then themovie got very slow as got to meet the rest of the characters. I didn'treally care for any of them, since we really never got to know any of them.We were just introduced to them, then they went on their business. Once theystarted the rescue mission however, at about an hour into the film, thingsstarted to pick up. Watching the three teams of two climb the mountain, andall the pitfalls that occurred, was very exciting. It's hard to describeaction sequences, but rest assured, they all looked and felt very real. Andthere were a lot of explosions to keep things interesting. But as I saidearlier, for every exciting action moment, they would cut back to the threetrapped in the mountain, where most of the time they would be coughing. Itslowed down the pace of the movie tremendously. While it is necessary to goback and 'check up on' the rest of the characters, it needs to be pacedbetter, so the movie doesn't slow down as much as it did.The characters weren't very interesting, other than Paxton's billionaire whohad his moments. Peter and Annie I didn't care for too much, while Wick wasjust another strange guy who enjoyed climbing mountains. His story linedealing with his wife and her death upon the mountain didn't move me toomuch. Vaughn on the other hand was interesting. He had this look of madnessin his eyes that I wish had come out more. He did snap on one occasion, butother than that, it was more of a fury in his eyes. Some of the supportingcharacters were OK, like the two brothers who enjoyed sunbathing nude on themountain, but they weren't explored very well. And sometimes you couldn'tunderstand what they were saying. Then there was the strange romance betweenPeter and Monique (Izabella Scorupco). Where the hell did that come from?So overall, if you're looking for some really good action, take a look atVertical Limit. But if you're looking for a good story, don't bother.

wes-connors 2012-05-18 23:42:20

Chivalry Is Not Dead

The first ten minutes, or thereabouts, of Martin Campbell's "VerticalLimit" are very engrossing. You get the feeling you're about to see oneterrific movie. Now, there are many more great minutes to be enjoyed;but, the story never gets any further off the ground. The openingintroduces the film's leading man and woman, handsome Chris O'Donnell(as Peter Garrett) and winsome sister Robin Tunney (as Annie Garrett).A mountain climbing mishap results in the death of their father.The story would have worked better if quickly expiring father StuartWilson (as Royce Garrett) had persuaded Ms. Tunney to "cut the rope",and save Mr. O'Donnell. This would have matched their later careerchoices; note, survivalist Tunney continues mountain climbing, whilebrother O'Donnell becomes a photographer. The gender reversal wouldhave given an otherwise painfully ordinary script some realdistinction, and it matches up with later events well.Still, you have a lot of excellent visual effects; and, extraordinaryphotography and location shooting by Mr. Campbell, with cinematographerDavid Tattersall. The film is set in New Zealand (as Pakistan). Immoralbillionaire Bill Paxton (as Elliot Vaughn) and vengeful veteran ScottGlenn (as Montgomery Wick) try to give the story some weight. The "K2"mountain is a central, inanimate "character"; but, like the humans, itis underdeveloped. "Vertical Limit" is not Chekhov, and it's notMelville… but it's okay.****** Vertical Limit (12/3/00) Martin Campbell ~ Chris O'Donnell,Robin Tunney, Bill Paxton, Scott Glenn

Susan Stark 2012-05-18 11:20:53

This is a movie that means to keep you involved and, preferably, gasping from start to finish . At that, it certainly does succeed.

jonmon 2012-05-11 07:27:18

Jon Monsarrat review: for action buffs only, but great

"Vertical Limit" is pure and simple, for action buffs only. But there'splenty of action, and it's quite original and interesting in thatregard.The plot twists are clever, the acting's fine.They make a pretty good stab at characterization and plot, consideringthe genre.I think what got me the most was the thrill of the mountaineersthemselves. Similar to "Drop Zone", which features skydivers, there areextras including real-life climbers, whose zeal for the sport iscontagious.Who should see this film:-- action film buffs-- outdoorsy types who see the occasional action filmI'll give "Vertical Limit" a 9 out of 10.

hppg 2012-05-10 08:12:12

Ghastly film

When it comes to writing about how bad this film is, I have no ideawhere to start. The whole film is a giant extended piece of crap fromstart to finish. Whole bunches of people set off rather stupidly toclimb a large mountain the Himalayas. They have various relationshipsbetween them, and various domestic disputes, and I'm sure there wereheaps of reasons behind it, but all the sequences involving thesepeople bored me to tears because of the terrible actors and the stupidlines they were forced to say. Once they reach their mountain, and allseem to split up and go separately, they discover it wasn't as easy asthey'd previously thought. They also seem somewhat unprepared; even ifthey had been prepared, many of the disasters that befall them couldn'thave been avoided. The body count starts to mount, as do the soppyscenes, unrealistic disasters and crazy stunts. It's fair enough totake dramatic licence in a film, but this takes it too far, it becomesalmost funny. All of the characters were so terribly unlovable,however, that I didn't miss any of the ones that had unfortunate fatalaccidents. The direction was amateurish. Oh, and just watching thisfilm will make you feel cold! Roll on the ending!

btpirotte 2012-05-09 16:59:49

Wow. Terrible.

This is truly a film with no redeeming characteristics. The story isterrible, the acting is worse, the dramatics come across in a decidedlycomical fashion, and, despite the fact that it was made recently enough tohave at least had an impressive display of special effects, they too arequite pathetic. I can recall several instances from the movie in whichtheyactually used archive avalanche footage. The picture was grainy, themountains were obviously not the same ones we had been seeing during therest of the movie, and the presence of this ridiculous shortcut on aproductthat already had so little to offer just ruined it further. I find itdifficult to believe that anyone could watch this movie and come away withany other thought in their head aside from, "What the *$@! was that?!"It'smovies like these that cause me to fear for the future of ourcivilization.

dkleinm 2012-05-09 03:16:40

Predictable, yet I was glued to my seat.

This movie's flaws were so obvious (acting, suspension of disbelief,character development) that I let them slide and just savored the gutwretching action....The plot left me with more questions thananswers:1)If Vaughn almost died on his last summit attempt, why would he keep goingback? Couldn't he climb Mt. Whitney or something?2)Why did the pakistani army have nitro-glycerin and why would they give itto civilians to blow up k-2?

Bob-45 2012-04-30 15:11:19

Exciting, "till the landslide brings it down"

"Vertical Limit" is an exciting, if somewhat overplotted action film, withsome absolutely terrific mountain climbing scenes. Chris O'Donnell plays aguilt-ridden former climber who assembles a team torescue his sister (Robin Tunney)and a "billionaire" (Bill Paxton), who havebeen stranded by a severe storm near the top of K2, theworld'smost dangerous mountain. Director Martin Campbell ("Goldeneye,") has done a terrific jobwith"Vertical Limit," which is only occasionally marred by less than stellar setdecoration. Far more serious is an overdeveloped revenge subplot involvingScott Glenn and Bill Paxton. This subplot wouldhave been far more affecting (and convincing) had Glenn simplytoldthe story. As it is, a "secret" uncovered by and avalanche is so absurdlycoincidental, it threatens to bury the whole movie.Nevertheless, "Vertical Limit" boasts colorful performancesandjaw-dropping action scenes). It's a "keeper."

2012-04-30 07:39:02

An Edge Of Your Seat Adventurous Ride!

Cute mountain climber Peter (Chris O'Donnell) is on a mission to rescue his siter Anne (The Craft's Robin Tunney), who is stranded on the world's highest peak. Years earlier, Peter and Anne survived a horrible climbing accident that killed their father. Now, Anne, a professional climber, is trapped at 26,000 feet - a dangerous death zone - and Peter, who has given up the sport, must save her. The bond between siblings is tested by the harshest of conditions. With the seconds counting down, will they survive?

Marty Mapes 2012-04-25 08:33:05

Caffeine and nitroglycerine power this special effects thriller.

2012-04-24 17:49:27

Take it to the LIMIT!!!

Vertical Limit is the story of two siblings (Chris O'Donnell- Batman and Robin), (Robin Tunney- End of Days) who have a tradgic past three years ago involving their father's death. Now, Peter's (O'Donnell) sister (Tunney) is leading an expedition climb up K2. But after a sudden death roaring storm at 26,000 feet high, three climbers are trapped and have no way out. Now Peter joins five other climbers to go and make one of the most daring rescue missions ever! Hold your breath as you climb higher and higher to the the VERTICAL LIMIT!MY REVIEW:"This movie rocks! The effects and rip-roaring action-adventure is powerful and stunning! Unbelievable, mind blowing stunts make VERTICAL LIMIT the biggest and best action film of 2000! A must see for a guaranteed good time!"- ...

Annette Dasey 2012-04-22 23:32:59

This rockumentary leaves Vertical Limit and Cliffhanger in the powder snow. The men's versions of the events are fascinating, often amusing and blatantly honest.

2012-04-22 15:02:47

An enjoyable escapist romp.

It's not about logic. It's not about realism. It's about action ... with enough human interest thrown in.It's not deep or artsy ... it's fun. Go see it.

JohnRouseMerriottChard 2012-04-21 07:17:12

If you are prepared to cling on till the end....

The scene is set, hot shot mountain climbing siblings Peter {ChrisO'Donnell} & Annie Garrett {Robin Tunney} are witness to an horrendousmountainside tragedy involving their father. Annie continues on in themountaineering way of life, Peter, somewhat understandably consideringwhat happened, loses his nerve and sulks away as a normal mortal doingphotography for a living. But Annie, whilst on an expedition up K2 withrich egotist Elliot Vaughn {Bill Paxton} gets trapped during anavalanche. Enter Peter who must get over his personal woes and go savehis sister from impending death.Martin Campbell {GoldenEye, No Escape, Casino Royale & The Mask ofZorro ) directs and David Tattersall is in charge of thecinematography. Overlong at two hours, and at times too talky, VerticalLimit just about manages to rise above its sign posted formula toproduce an effective popcorn thriller. The action sequences, once theyarrive in the second half, come in rapid fire succession and are verywell constructed by Campbell and his team. While Tattersall's work atMonument Valley, Pakistan and New Zealand is worthy of the rentalalone. The question is if viewers can get past the first hour,? whereloads of base campers ponder dangers and personal complexities, orperhaps more importantly,? if the barely adequate acting of Tunney &O'Donnell can stop you from wanting to free-fall off of your localcliff face? The inadequacies of the pair is more noticeable due to thepresence of Paxton {reliable as ever} and Scott Glenn in the supportcast. Glenn is the best thing in the movie, his grizzled, hurt, manwith a mission climber, Montgomery Wick, holds the attention and offersup a more interesting emotional thread than the telegraphed oneinvolving the siblings.A mixed bag but certainly an entertaining enough one if you hang on inthere. 5.5/10

2012-04-20 20:25:00

Corny

Peter (Chris O'Donnell) and Annie (Robin Tunney) are brother and sister who once shared a tragic mountain climbing experience. Since then, Peter has refused to climb but Annie gets lured into climbing K-2 with a novice billionaire. (Of course) they need rescuing and (of course) Peter leads the way.This movie uses every mountain climbing cliché in the book and is so predictable, it's pathetic. After just minutes we know where the story is going and sure enough, it goes there. There are a few exciting disaster scenes, but even they were by-the-book, right on cue, no surprises. The Extras feature on the making of the movie was the best part of the DVD. I had assumed the actors were acting in front of blue screens with stock mountain footage in the background, but to my surprise they actually filmed it atop snowy and icy (New Zealand) peaks and the actors did a lot of their own stunts. If I had known that, I might have been more patient with the movie, but it really was a connect-the-dots climbing movie, complete with dastardly businessmen, noble climbers, a surprise avalanche, and deadly crevasses. Disappointing.

FlickJunkie-2 2012-04-16 03:01:46

An adrenaline rush

Most films require a good story to be successful. This film is one of theexceptions. `Vertical Limit' is a film that has such outstanding action,suspense and photography that its hackneyed story is barely a factor. Thestory is about an improbable rescue mission on K2, the second highestmountain on the planet. While writer Robert King tries weakly to throw somehuman interest into the screenplay, this film is all Martin Campbell. Director Campbell is no stranger to the action adventure genre having hitwith `Goldeneye' and `Mask of Zorro'. From a directorial standpoint, thisfilm exceeds both of his previous successes.Filmed in Campbell's native New Zealand, he gives us majestic backdrops andgenerally beautiful photography. The action sequences are exciting and theclimbing authentic. All the actors went to climbing school and did most oftheir own climbing in the film despite never having climbed before. Thefilm was a logistical nightmare, with equipment and crew having to be flowndaily to the mountaintop locations. Weather constantly trumped the filmingschedule and the film ultimate cost a whopping $75 million. The fact thatCampbell was able to complete the film at all was close tomiraculous.The acting was solid all around. I have always liked Scott Glenn. While hedoesn't have leading man looks or dynamism, he is one of the most compellingand solid actors around, like a block of granite supporting the leads withthe unassuming power of his performances. He gives another strongperformance here as the reclusive guide who leads the rescue mission. RobinTunney also did a fine job as the veteran climber who is one of thosetrapped in the avalanche. Bill Paxton has always flirted with leading manstatus, but never really gets the lead. Here he does a fabulous jobrendering a Darwinian character with a malicious coldness befitting theclimate on the mountain. Chris O'Donnell, while adequate in the lead, isreally outshined by the rest of the rugged cast. There is something abouthim that is just too whiney and cute to qualify him as an actionhero.Overall, this is a highly entertaining film with little reason for existenceother than the gut wrenching action and suspense. I rated it a 7/10. Don'tbother bringing your thinking caps to this one, but be prepared for anadrenaline rush.

dango-7 2012-04-15 17:12:44

Everything you expect

What is wrong with these people who want every movie to be like gone withthe wind? or Titanic? When I went to the theater to see Vertical Limit, igot everything i wanted to see, great action sequences, great special FX, afew funny moments, and not a bad story. Sure some of the scenes were prettyincredible and unbelievable, but if you want a movie about reality, orbelievability, watch your home movies!! I really enjoyed this movie and Iam telling everyone to see it, but to see it for what it is, a great actionflick. Some people are just too picky about everything andshould just relax and try to enjoy a movie once in a while instead of tryingto pick it apart.

BroadswordCallinDannyBoy 2012-04-14 09:15:45

Ridiculous, but the tension makes it fun

On the infamous peak K2, a climbing expedition gets trapped in a cavernafter an avalanche. A rescue is mounted to help save them. Thank Godfor nitroglycerin!From the get-go this is one very silly movie. Even the goofs sectionseems to suggests that not even the film makers knew what they heckthey were doing as apparently everything about K2 and mountaineering iswrong. That doesn't really limit the audience too much, though itprobably made some people cringe or laugh out loud."Logic" aside this is actually a pretty fun movie. There are good tensemoments of peril along with some cool stunts and action, which isreally all a movie like this needs. Don't ask me why one can ofnitroglycerin can make a huge fireball hundreds of feet high, while awhole storage shed barely damages a mountain side upon destruction.Don't ask me why this movie was even made let alone funded. Just sitback for two hours and enjoy, but be sure not to think too hard. 6/10Rated PG-13 for intense scenes of action/peril

penseur 2012-04-13 22:47:05

Impressive action outweighs flaws

The stunningly beautiful scenery of New Zealand's Southern Alps (heremasquerading as Pakistan) provides a good basis to achieve a rich visualexperience, provided you have a good cinematographer - and this filmdelivers on that. In other aspects there are plenty of shortcomings - characters are flat,poorly developed and unconvincing; many incidents seem simply to be thrownin for gratuitous effect (I found the cliched obsession of Hollywood filmdirectors with explosions particularly irritating) and there are gaps in theplot development - but the tight packing of thrills provided by climbersfacing sudden natural hazards of very high mountains is in total enough toovercome these otherwise fatal problems.