Free Solo (2018) Reviews

• Powerful Inspiration

  doron-873942018-10-18

  No, I'm not inspired to free climb El Capitan or any slope. I'm an 84 year old retired businessman still trying to figure out how to best live my life, and I left the theater last night in awe of Alex Honnald's achievement -- climbing an almost vertical granite wall in a little over three hours when, in any second, the slightest mistake would result in death. Watching Alex do it -- watching the joy in his face when he got beyond some of the most difficult challenges as well as on the top,\; watching the intense focus and concentration as he sought safe holds; watching what I read as his quiet determination and confidence when he approached the wall for his solo climb -- these images will be with me for the balance of my life. They will return to me when I need focus and concentration in the moment to achieve something. They will return to me when I need to build confidence and determination to achieve a goal. They will return to me as I examine and release thoughts of fear that I conjure up (but I'm not blessed, as Alex is, with an amygdala that does not respond to fear inducing visions). Thank you, Alex, for the powerful inspiration.

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• Great bio-pic / climbing movie

  mtlott2018-10-06

  I've wanted to see this film since I first heard it was being made. Reading about the soloing of El Cap in the summer of 2017, I was riveted. The film is just as, if not more, powerful than the best articles at the time. Alex Honnold is, well, a bit of a weirdo, but I would not expect less from someone who has achieved something no other human being has. As he says at one point in the movie, "No one who is comfortable and cozy has ever achieved anything great." The sequences of him climbing are extraordinary, terrifying, emotional, moving and awe-inspiring. Not just the sequences of El Cap, but all around the world. But, there is so much more: his relationship with his family, his friends, and girlfriend are ... complicated. His recipe for potato-spinach-chili is sublime, and the method by which he consumes his food ... unique. Go see this movie now! Why don't distribution companies release movies like this wider? I had to drive 30 miles to see it instead of 2 miles to my local cinema. Not everyone wants to see CGI-heavy superhero movies, especially when real superheroes exist.

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• Absolute horror

  joninimaki2019-02-13

  By far one of the best horror films I have ever seen.

• The most amazing Human achievement I've ever witnessed

  jordanparton2018-10-07

  This movie shows the humanity, insanity, and personal struggle for perfection it takes to do things that no one else has done and few to none have tried to accomplish. Possible the best movie I have ever seen in terms of drawing you in, keeping a strangle hold on your attention, and not just rushing to the juicy parts but letting you savor the journey. Alex Honnold you are an inspiration to the world. Never stop. "What you are afraid to do is a clear indicator of the next thing you need to do." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

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• A masterpiece by directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

  johnfkitchen2018-11-12

  You had me at "Jimmy Chin", and "El Cap", so I checked out the trailer, and it looked pretty good. However I was unprepared for the reality. Trailers so often pick out some highlights and leave an expectation which is left unfulfilled. The trailer didn't prepare me for the way this doc is crafted, the sequencing, the steady relentless buildup of emotion. The trailer didn't prepare me for the visceral anxiety of the film crew, their inability to watch the viewfinder as Alex performed crux moves which could have resulted in him plummeting out of frame. The close ups of Alex's fingers on nubs if rock, his climbing shoes relying on tiny irregularities to retain grip, and his perfectly balanced moves displayed the craft of his skills. Non rock-climbers will learn an appreciation from watching this and climbers will revel. I had no idea that I'd have to will myself to breathe to survive this movie, despite knowing the successful outcome. I also had no expectation that I'd have to fight back tears during a documentary to stop them obscuring my vision. Alex's achievement is extraordinary, as is the crafting of this movie. A documentary like no other. I've pre-ordered it so I can repeat the experience as often as I can stand it. Incidentally, if you have the equipment to watch 360° video on YouTube, such as the PlayStation PSVR, there's a brief 360° promo called, I think, Free Solo 360. Experiencing hanging in space part way up El Cap is quite something.

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