AnhartLinkin
This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Claire Dunne
One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
Ezmae Chang
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
climbingtiger957
if we are talking bad films this very nearly ranks at the top ,swiping scenes and scenarios from cliffhanger ,vertical limit ,its awful. it was so bad i didn't really follow it at all,some Russian terrorists dropped a detonator type lump of plastic in the snowy mountains ,this crack team has to climb up and get it .unless i missed somet ,why didn't they take a helicopter up,the weather wasn't that bad !!and what was that bloke from saw in it for ,he's a decent actor.the worst bit in a film i've ever seen -the chick is trapped on the side of the mountain and her rope is breaking ,so one of our numerous hero's climbs down a vertical ice pillar with no ropes just gripping on like spiderman ,she stamps all over his head to safety and he decides to let go when there's a rope two feet in front of him ,"above the frayed bit ",hero 2 offers to throw a rope down ,well why didn't they throw the rope down to the chick ,and because he's spiderman why didn't he just climb back up.then to top it all they find the device which bloody self destructs anyway ,at which point hero 2 jumps of the cliff with the chick "luckily he's been carrying a parachute about with him"they then take off for a sight - see across the mountains ,obviously it doubles up as a glider !awful film i really wouldn't bother ,there should be warning signs on this type of trash.
Amy Adler
John (Costas Mandylar) is one of the earth's top mountain climbers. He and a team which includes Kelli (Nia Peeples) love to scale whatever is hardest in the world. Yet, even he is not prepared for the US government to come calling for his help. It seems a Siberian "power cube" has been stolen and its destructive potential is enormous. Entire cities can be leveled by a push of a button. Fortunately, a plane that was carrying the cube out of the Russian wilderness was shot down in the sky. Now, guess what? The glowing golden cube is on top of K2 and its winter in the Himalayas. You guessed it, the USA leaders want John and his team to scale K2 under dangerous conditions and retrieve it before more damage can be done. Already, Havana is dust and rubble. Despite the tremendous danger, the team decides they will risk it for humankind. Will they be successful? Many viewers will probably agree with other critics, that this is a cheesy, low-budget, far-fetched thriller. OK, they are somewhat right. But, I still watched the enthralling climb to get this nasty little cube. Mandylar, Peeples and the others do quite well in somewhat stilted roles. This viewer especially liked Michael Ryan who played a cool, intelligent major. Naturally, the scenery is breathtakingly gorgeous while I found the story and production values more than adequate. Are you an armchair wannabe mountain climber who wouldn't risk the sport in the flesh? Sub Zero has some big vicarious thrills for YOU!
ver_steeg
Yes, this movie was truly pathetic. As another viewer points out, the mountain did an excellent job. Other than that, embarrassing. Terrible and inconsistent Russian accents, not to mention offensive stereotyping. A doctor who can diagnose "internal hemorrhaging" by touching the outside of an injured climber's parka. The female Russian climber actually looks like she is wearing jeans. The impossibly implausible position of the cube. The RIDICULOUS final climb with the cube--what is he holding on to? It is so clearly shot with them lying down horizontally. Flying effects that looked like a SNL skit.Nevertheless, it was still rather fun to watch how this train wreck of a movie would get worse.
helenebarrette
The picture of a climber on the DVD box is what made me rent the movie. I was expecting something no worse than Cliff Hanger or Vertical Limits (both of which were ludicrous). But I knew within the first 2 minutes that this was oh-so-much-worse... The special effects are bad, the acting is bad, the script is pathetic, and the climbing... beyond laughable. Another reviewer already commented on the "crawling along the snow", the missing crampons in the crevasse, and the poor ice axe technique of the "climbers". I'll add to that: 1) the fact that the climbers go from D.C. to K2 base camp at about 20,000ft with no acclimatization (close to instant death...); 2) they carry big, heavy non-expedition tents to Camp 1; 3) there are tire tracks all around Camp 1 (!!!); 4) they never rope up properly, and walk too close together; 5) it's windy outside, but quiet and calm inside the tent (no wind); 6) they carry Coleman gas lanterns to Camp 1 and no one has a headlamp (what real climbers use); 7) their packs and equipment are all new, and yet, all these climbers are "the world's best" with loads of experience; 8) they're not dressed like climbers (furry hood); 9) they keep referring to the fact that it's suicide to climb K2 "in this season" (winter?), yet, it's mostly sunny and apparently not very cold on the mountain (no visible "breath"). And no one - I don't care how good they are - would ever sign up to reach 23,000ft on the north face of K2, within 72 hours of sitting in an office in Washington, D.C. Not even for large sums of money.If you're going to write a movie about climbing, wouldn't you learn SOMETHING about the sport first?For good climbing movies, Everest (IMAX) by David Brashears, and Touching the Void (the Joe Simpson story) --- much, much, much better, even without the fake Russians and glowing Rubik's cubes...
