Beyond the Comfort Zone: 13 Countries to K2 (2018) User Reviews

Car Advertisement

[cullenkori · 5/10 · 30 August 2020]

Some of the cinematography was beautiful, the story was good, but it felt like a lot of the travel scenes could have been an advertisement for their vehicles.

Sometimes the sound level is very low for no apparent reason.

Some beautiful views, some fun times, a bit of a mess.

[rake2204-701-897158 · 5/10 · 23 August 2020]

I'll start with the rough stuff, including a potentially major spoiler.

First, the road trip journey from Europe to the Himalayas feels a bit slapped together from an editing perspective. Virtually all of Europe is skipped and for most areas we see only brief snapshots. It's like the film couldn't decide whether it was a road trip movie or a mountain climbing movie and ended up not really being either.

Second, there were a number of times where I felt like I was just watching an extended promotional release for Mercedes SUVs. There were some cool car moments (sand dunes, passage over water, perilous cliffs) but there was often little context behind these moments and all that's generally conveyed is, "Look at this Mercedes go!"

Next, the climbers' stories and motivations were relatively uninteresting or unknown. There was frequently a feeling that we were watching a group of elder gents with a lot of money or a killer sponsorship (or both) going to Pakistan just because they could. More power to them for attacking life, but it didn't make for a compelling storyline.

Perhaps most importantly, I must object to the ending. To be clear, from what I've learned about extreme climbs, it's often not your choice whether you reach the summit. The mountain's going to decide that for you. So, I don't object to these guys not reaching the top.

What I DO object to is the rapid and sudden ending to the film after it's revealed that they're not going to reach the top. One moment you're knee-deep in the experience, anticipating the ultimate conclusion. The next moment, you're more or less treated to, "Oh, nope, it's not in the cards this year. Anyway, that's the film."

Generally speaking, this felt a bit like a film that was made out of obligation to justify the journey.

On the bright side, there were some excellent visuals throughout and it was enjoyable to see various cultures and unfamiliar locations, even if was only for a brief moment.

Bunch of Clowns

[JeremyPPP · 5/10 · 3 December 2021]

A bit jumbled, although some nice visuals and cinematography at times. The guys come across as absolute morons, hamming it up for the camera. There isn't much climbing content, and a large portion is dedicated to car sponsorship/advertisements.

Boring

[mccue-8848 · 2/10 · 1 March 2022]

Well that was boring, just a bunch of rich business men in Expensive cars driving around carrying on like morons. The film is more about some bloke sitting on a rock quoting something more from a book then anything .. don't watch it if your into climbing because there isn't much of it..

Still amateurish

[thomaswily-198-772133 · 7/10 · 17 December 2019]

I thoroughly enjoyed this geriatric jack ass. Rich men having fun as they should. Photography wasn't half bad either

Just watch the last 20 minutes

[mrbb-1 · 4/10 · 15 August 2020]

I'm usually rather forgiving with my ratings, but I'm sorry, this was pretty much a waste of time. I only gave it a "4" and not less because there is some beautiful videography. If you skip to the last 20 minutes (and stop 5 minutes before the end) you'll see about all the mountain climbing there is in the movie. (The last 5 minutes are a failed attempt to philosophize, and a redux of uninspiring clips.) The editing is horrible. I do a better job with my home videos. Ineffective use of slow motion, uninteresting "B Roll", and the biggest problem being the subtitles. There are several different languages spoken, so the subtitles are an important part of this film. As another reviewer also mentioned, some genius made the decision to have white subtitles when snow is the most prominent background feature! Yellow would have been a better choice, and also add a 25% opacity black background. They are also too small to read easily. All in all this is a movie that shouldn't have been made, but it was likely necessary to finance the expedition. For a thrilling documentary done right watch The Dawn Wall or Free Solo, both of which I rated 8/10.

Deathwish

[seblivingston · 3/10 · 30 November 2019]

How these guys did not experience a gut-wrenching death is beyond me. Half of the documentary is of them acting like prepubescent kids, one runs in front of a car giggling like a moron, countless scenes of them all scurrying about the many cities they traverse literally acting like fools. They do not even climb K2 due to weather. Complete crapshoot.

Very anticlimactic

[nayrn-06225 · 1/10 · 13 June 2023]

If you are hoping this movie involves someone actually climbing K2, or even attempting to climb, you will be sorely disappointed. It was actually a bit comedic because the "climbers" spend so much of the hour and a half dropping not so subtle hints that they are in fact not going to make the summit. However, it stopped being funny when I continued to watch until the end only to find they don't get any farther than the lowest part if the mountain. However, it does have some interesting interviews with the people who live around the mountain thus as a cultural documentary it has some redeeming value.

Positive vibes and shared adventure

[tom_australia · 10/10 · 11 April 2021]

Great story of adventure shared between three friends. Travelling the world while overcoming obstacle always having a smile and positive attitude. Really enjoyed the story telling of the people they met along their journey. Impressive cinematography all the way through!

Unreadable subtitles

[Bercana · 5/10 · 14 August 2020]

Who's idea was it to have white subtitles without a background in a documentary full of snow? 80% of the subtitles were almost impossible to read. I gave up after 25 minutes. Turned it off.