2002’s The Climb is about two mountain climbers who begin as rivals and end up as friends.
Derrick Williams (Jason George) is an arrogant and cocky climber, the type who enjoys conquering mountains for his own personal glory. (See where this heading?) Even though his girlfriend’s father (Clifton Davis) does not approve of him, Derrick still says that he’s planning on marrying her. Or at least, he does until he finds out that she’s pregnant and he realizes that being a father will require him to take on a lot of new responsibilities.
Michael Harris (Ned Vaughn) is a selfless climber who sees every climb as a team effort and who does everything for the Glory of God. (Again …. see where this heading?)
Businessman Mack (Dabney Coleman, bringing a villainous edge to a character who I don’t necessarily think was meant to come across as being villainous) hires Derrick and Michael to climb a notorious mountain, all as a way to promote his business. At first, Derrick doesn’t want to climb with anyone else but when his girlfriend tells him that she’s pregnant, he decides that he could use some time away from her and promptly heads off to the mountain. Michael, on the other hand, is reluctant to climb because he doesn’t trust Mack’s company to keep all of their promises. Michael feels that climbing the mountain for Mack would be the same as endorsing the company and telling people that the company is an honest company.
You can probably guess what happens. Michael and Derrick climb the mountain. They talk. They bond. They discuss they’re differing views on religion. And then one of them tragically dies and the survivor is forced to reconsider his life. It’s not a surprise when one of them dies because a movie like this can only really work if one of the two friends has tragically passed away before the end credits. And it’s not really a surprise as to who passes away because it’s not like a faith-based movie is going to kill the guy who needs to learn a lesson about taking responsibility and being a father. From the start, it’s obvious who among the two is doomed and, as such, there’s not much suspense to be found in The Climb.
On the plus side — and yes, I realize that I do always go out of my way to find something positive to say about nearly every movie I review but that’s just because I think every movie has something about it that can be appreciated — some of the climbing sequences are visually impressive. It’s obvious that the film’s producers decided to spend a little money on the mountain scenes and, as a result, the scenery is nice to look at. I’m a fan of nice scenery and I’ve sat through more than a few bad films just to see a pretty mountain.
Personally, and this won’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows me, I’ve never felt the need to climb a mountain. If I can see what the top looks like from the ground, that’s enough for me.
Through the Shattered Lens 