The Climbers

Lee balances vertiginous, windswept set-pieces with satisfying character beats.

Impressive sound design, which makes every carabiner clink and boulder impact seem monumental, and Lee's skilled use of close-up photography (combined with fast-cut montage editing) make The Climbers worth seeing on a big screen.

None of the relationships transcend narrative function, and so death, rage and reconciliations ring hollow.

While emphasizing spectacle over substance, this true-life adventure about Chinese mountaineers trying to climb Mount Everest is only sporadically stirring.

The Climbers had the potential to be a gripping drama-thriller and project China's soft power while doing so, but instead the overt focus on fighting for national pride makes the film a flop.

This account of the Chinese Mount Everest expeditions in 1960 and 1975 is a nationalistic spectacle that, curiously, often also allows personal sentiment to get in the way of the greater good.