To me, this movie is perfection.

Thanks for the memories!

Pretty Good

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

I saw Meru three days ago and still feel giddy with vicarious altitude sickness. Stunned with admiration for the three people who not only conquered The Shark's Fin but produced this film so other wimps like me could be blown away by its grandeur. I kept asking myself, "How are they filming these scenes and still climbing?" Getting one's body to the top of the Shark's Fin is astounding, let alone lugging cameras and setting up for shots. Any OMG, the scenes are to take one's breath away and they are succeeding at almost 20K feet up in the sky and at 20 degrees below zero at times. Adding footage about the death of fellow climbers really brings the deep soul motivation of these three men to the heart. Not to mention that Renan Ozturk pulled this off after crushing his skull and breaking his neck a half year prior to conquering Meru.

Wow, this is one of the greatest viewing experiences I've ever had. The whole film put yourself as one of the team climbers with these three great, stubborn, die-hard, totally obsessed mountain climbers. What a cathartic therapy viewing journey! The Meru is just part of the Himalaya but more pure and an absolutely non-commercial summit unlike the Everest. We didn't see any littered garbage like what we usually saw along the route to Everest. When I watched this film, I couldn't help thinking of those films related to the mountain climbing: K2, Into The Thin Air, Everest, Cliff Hanger, Vertical Limit, even a old thriller, The Elgar Sanction. But this particular film would stand out quite uniquely. A simple narration, not exaggerated, not pretentious, not self-important or self-promoted with strong commercial stink. And the camera work, my, so crystal sharp and beautiful. I think 'Everest 2015' is way off the chart if compares to this one, plain and simple.If you have the chance to watch this film, don't miss it, folks.

I am surprised by the high reviews of this film. I enjoyed this film, but it was good not great. The entire film heavily relies on the account of four interviews including the three climbers in what seems like a single interview with each. There were many dramatic moments that could and should have been captured on film, but were instead reenacted. In "Meru" the drama surrounding the endeavor to summit Meru is soft and the stakes are not clear. Better execution of storytelling and drama in the climb movie sub-genre can be found in films like "Touching the Void," "La Dura," and the TV series "Everest: Beyond the Limit." In those films the stakes of the endeavor are real, present, and apparent thought the storytelling. One of the reasons I think opportunities for drama in "Meru" are missed is because one of the climbers was also the director of the film. A few events that seemed important were somewhat glossed over. Although it is a documentary this film still has characters, and I am not a fan of a character that closes a long drawn out sub-plot with, "so yea, I survived." Again, the film is good, not great. Edit: I am told that the shot that are captured are what make this film great. If you say so, I'll watch again, I guess.

Be careful around the shark's fin. It's a warning that swimmers might utter – and mountain climbers too. The Shark's Fin is the most challenging route up the most challenging of the three peaks of Meru, which is part of the Himalayas of northern India. The documentary "Meru" (R, 1:27) traces two separate attempts by a trio of climbers trying to be the first to reach the top of Meru Peak, via the Shark's Fin.Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk are three of the most famous mountain climbers in the world, largely for their experiences on Meru Peak. Anker had become famous for his climbs in Antarctica and the Himalayas, one of which led to his discovery of 1920s' climber George Mallory's body on Mount Everest. Jimmy Chin had made a name for himself as both a climber and videographer who documented his climbs, as well as the expeditions of others. Anker and Chin were climbing partners for years when they took on Ozturk, a young but accomplished climber, for their 2008 expedition up the Shark's Fin.This film tells us about and shows us the trio's 2008 and 2011 Meru expeditions and the momentous events in between. Heading up the mountain with them in 2008, we learn about why the Shark's Fin is uniquely challenging, uniquely dangerous and an irresistible goal for serious climbers like these. When the men come heartbreakingly close to reaching their goal, but have to turn back, we feel for them, even as we hear them talking about making another attempt. Their bodies and minds have to recover before they go back to India to try again, and life has to be lived. There are other climbs and other jobs for each of the three men to do while they plan their second trip to the Shark's Fin. When two of the three men have near-death experiences on separate occasions, serious questions arise. Who will make up the team on a second attempt? Given what's happened, can they succeed this time? Will they? "Meru" uses interviews with the trio to explain how they got together and describe their experiences on Meru. Anker's friend and fellow climber, Jon Krakauer, who wrote "Into Thin Air" (which was made into the 2015 film "Everest") also sits for an interview which sheds a significant amount of light on the story of the three Shark's Fin climbers, their expeditions, and mountain climbing in general. Most of "Meru", however, is made up of video shot by Chin and Ozturk on Meru Peak. The interview clips are succinct and informative, but it's the on-site video which gives this documentary its drama and its immediacy. I would have liked to hear more about what makes them do what they do and a bit of what happened in each of their lives after their second attempt to climb the Shark's Fin, but few criticisms can take much away from this remarkable film – one of the most fascinating and engaging documentaries of 2015. "A-"