09-09-2020, 03:35 PM
Free Solo (2018)
This documentary about climber Alex Honnold's goal to "free solo" El Capitan (so no ropes and climbing gear... or Spock in rocket boots there to catch you
) didn't quite live up to the hype for me. The pacing was a bit off, slow in the middle and takes too long to get to the actual climb and then rushes right through it. I'd almost have preferred to watch the 4-hour climb in real time, instead of the exhilarating but short 7-minute highlights reel. Honnold's complex personality and chosen way of life is fascinating but the film didn't dig enough to get answers. Is he the way he is because he free solos, or does he free solo because of the way he is? The choice to document the difficulties of documenting his endeavour was a wise one but again it didn't go into enough technical detail for me. Still, despite some nitpicks this is often edge-of-the-seat viewing.
Thankfully, there are some youtube videos to be found that cover some of the making-of details that I thought were glossed over:
This documentary about climber Alex Honnold's goal to "free solo" El Capitan (so no ropes and climbing gear... or Spock in rocket boots there to catch you
) didn't quite live up to the hype for me. The pacing was a bit off, slow in the middle and takes too long to get to the actual climb and then rushes right through it. I'd almost have preferred to watch the 4-hour climb in real time, instead of the exhilarating but short 7-minute highlights reel. Honnold's complex personality and chosen way of life is fascinating but the film didn't dig enough to get answers. Is he the way he is because he free solos, or does he free solo because of the way he is? The choice to document the difficulties of documenting his endeavour was a wise one but again it didn't go into enough technical detail for me. Still, despite some nitpicks this is often edge-of-the-seat viewing.Thankfully, there are some youtube videos to be found that cover some of the making-of details that I thought were glossed over:
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