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THE WILDEST DREAM: CONQUEST OF EVERESTMovie Reviews
Biographical documentary in which George Mallory's historic 1924 ascent of Mount Everest (he disappeared just shy of the summit) is replicated by the contemporary climber Conrad Anker who discovered Mallory's frozen copse. Cast:Liam Neeson, Conrad Anker, Ralph Fiennes, Leo HouldingDirector:Anthony GeffenRelease Date:August 6, 2010DVD Release:September 14, 2010From:National GeographicRating:PGLength:1 hr. 34 min.
SEPTEMBER 14, 2010
The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest, Good (Not Great) Reviews (Doc) Limited
The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest played in limited release to good not great reviews. • Tirdad Derakhshani wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "...awe-inspiring, nail-biting... less about the epic struggle of human vs. nature, or the soaring ambitions of the human spirit than about obsession." • And Gerald Peary wrote in the Boston Phoenix, "...stiff, but eventually the excitement of being on Everest wins the day." More Reviews Below...
The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest Positive Reviews (18 Reviews, reviews below)
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Liam Neeson -- as the film's narrator -- and his late wife, Richardson, inevitably add to the project's poignance.... the honestly awesome and the dubiously finessed."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 171 words, 08/06/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (7 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: WEAK "You may not believe it's possible to bore people to death with a film about risking your life, but 'The Wildest Dream' comes shockingly close.... stodgy..."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 08/06/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...keeps us on our toes by melding drama and recreations, as well as past and present. Worth the hike for its multiple levels."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 160 words, 08/06/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD "...includes contemporary interviews, fascinating vintage newsreels, beautiful and exciting color footage shot on Everest and discreet re-creations of historical events..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 724 words, 08/06/10
Mike Thomas, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Anker, a seasoned climber, knows he's toying with fate. One false move, and it's curtains. (And there's at least one false move.) But then, that's all part of the thrill."(See all of Mike Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 686 words, 08/06/10
Brian Miller, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...one dubious narrative.... a somewhat ridiculous costume show with two trudging figures in tweed, filmed in sepia tones, set to the epistolary drama."(See all of Brian Miller's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 244 words, 08/04/10
KEY CITIES (6 Reviews)
Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The movie excels not in the plentiful shots of Everest's majesty, but in its nuanced depiction of Mallory through interviews, archival footage and letters."(See all of Stephanie Merry's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 461 words, 08/06/10
Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...awe-inspiring, nail-biting... less about the epic struggle of human vs. nature, or the soaring ambitions of the human spirit than about obsession."(See all of Tirdad Derakhshani's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 425 words, 08/06/10
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...builds a new melodrama around Mallory's then-impossible dream. Anker wants to reach Everest's summit in Mallory's name."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 448 words, 08/13/10
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...doesn't explore its central mystery deeply enough... but the thrilling camera work does a lot to make up for the movie's few shortcomings."(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 466 words, 08/06/10
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...there's plenty of suspense, along with some breathtaking photography as Anker and climbing partner Leo Houlding attempt a seemingly impossible feat..."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 431 words, 08/06/10
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the world-class adventure footage documents Anker's attempt to climb Everest with the rudimentary equipment of the 1920s and thus give Mallory his overdue credit."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 276 words, 08/27/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
Brian Miller, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...one dubious narrative.... a somewhat ridiculous costume show with two trudging figures in tweed, filmed in sepia tones, set to the epistolary drama."(See all of Brian Miller's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 244 words, 08/04/10
Tasha Robinson, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "...simplistic, intrusive music crashes or whimpers to dictate each new wave of overwrought sentiment. The film doesn't need any of these awkward trappings..."(See all of Tasha Robinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 411 words, 08/05/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: WEAK "You may not believe it's possible to bore people to death with a film about risking your life, but 'The Wildest Dream' comes shockingly close.... stodgy..."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 08/06/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...includes contemporary interviews, fascinating vintage newsreels, beautiful and exciting color footage shot on Everest and discreet re-creations of historical events..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 724 words, 08/06/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Andrew Barker, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...contains a number of awe-inspiring shots and a wonderful, computer-generated guided illustration of the entire path the explorers took up the mountain..."(See all of Andrew Barker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 621 words, 06/21/10
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...a little prone to overdramatize... But, hey, when a filmmaker manages to get as high as 26,000 feet on Everest he's entitled to yodel a bit."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 816 words, 01/12/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...includes contemporary interviews, fascinating vintage newsreels, beautiful and exciting color footage shot on Everest and discreet re-creations of historical events..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 724 words, 08/06/10
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: WEAK "You may not believe it's possible to bore people to death with a film about risking your life, but 'The Wildest Dream' comes shockingly close.... stodgy..."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 08/06/10
18.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest's reviews are separated by an average 18.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest (18 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest's reviews cover 22.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 7,451 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 414 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest Coverage, Volume & Length (18 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 5 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest's reviews on average broke 5 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest (18 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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