okilloran An amazing documentary about three extreme alpine climbers attempting to summit Mount Meru in the Indian Himalayas This film records their second attempt at conquering the impossible Shark's Fin peak, hoping to be the first team in recorded history to do so). The climbing scenes are as terrifying as they are gorgeous (how did they film this thing anyway?!), but it is the personal stories of the climbers that engaged me the most. These are some of the best climbers in the world - their skill, persistence, determination, risk-taking, and obsessiveness about climbing are difficult for most to understand. For example, one of the team, Renan Ozturk, sustained a depressed skull fracture / broken neck / vertebral artery injury in a skiing accident just five months prior to summitting. People! Most doctors would advise patients with even a concussion to not fly for a period of time. Yet, Renan fought back and just five months later was on the side of Meru. In a heart-stopping and heart-breaking turn of bad luck, he had a mild stroke - at nearly 18,000 feet up the mountain. And insisted on continuing the next morning - even though he could not speak, he was physically OK. Still...who does that?! Another climber, cinematographer Jimmy Chin, almost died four days after Renan's injury in an avalanche - on the same mountain where he and Renan had been filming together. It was Jimmy who found Renan injured, lying facedown in the snow. The leader of the team, Conrad Anken, lost his best friend Alex Lowe while on a climb together - and ended up marrying Alex Lowe's wife and adopting their three boys. And that is just a little bit about these incredible men.You couldn't write a more compelling story - and yet this is real life! Superbly filmed, beautifully written, and emotionally wrenching bu5 ultimately deeply inspiring. If you don't get choked up along with these guys at the surprising end to their impossible dream...check your pulse!

inioi First of all, as climber I will say that I will not detract the climbing in itself, which would be remarkable. The same applies to photography and music which are at a good level.When I see this documentary, instead of seeing a story about a more or less objective climbing, i find quite self-glorification:For instance"High mountaineering is very risky, it is the Most Dangerous professional sport". "Meru definitely had a reputation as impossible climb". "this is the mountain That everyone's tried and failed on". "This climb has seen more Attempts and more failures than any route of Himalaya" "some of the best climbers in the world Have tried and failed on" ...etc, etc....It's a shame because the climbing is good by itself, and all the gimmicky stuff does anything but to take away the credibility.i have the feeling that someone tries to sell me something, namely: "we are heroes", "Our families are suffering because of our climbing"... is this really necessary...?It is clear that this movie is intended for the general public (who is not into climbing).

BasicLogic 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.

CleveMan66 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-"