Meru
Music Box Films | Release Date: August 14, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
77
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinAug 20, 2015
Meru is a packed 90 minutes. And I guess it is inspiring, in the sense that if human beings can endure this kind of risk and punishment, they could colonize Mars or breed a super-race to carry our species to the ends of the galaxy. All the familiar critical adjectives (harrowing, etc.) sound especially lame in this context. The movie is sick. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterNeil YoungSep 3, 2015
Meru is an engaging and cumulatively exhilarating debut from wife-and-husband team Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. Read full review
90
VarietyDennis HarveySep 3, 2015
Harrowing and ultimately moving. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperSep 2, 2015
The climbing sequences, the storms, the drama of broken equipment and nearly broken men — all great stuff, made even more compelling because the film does a wonderful job of letting us get to know and like each of the three adventurers. Read full review
83
The PlaylistNicholas LaskinSep 3, 2015
Meru is a flawed but deeply riveting account of what happens when men walk right up to the edge of madness. Read full review
80
EmpireSimon CrookFeb 10, 2016
The sheer terror of Meru Peak, the mountain-climber’s ultimate nemesis, is confronted in a vertiginous, breath-stealing video diary. Book a back seat at the big screen, and don’t look down. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzSep 3, 2015
So what drives these men? “Because it’s there” merely scratches the surface. Meru may not answer the question completely — likely nothing can — but it is a thrilling, harrowing attempt. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranAug 13, 2015
Though the Meru climbing and outdoor footage is spectacular, it is the personal struggle of each of the climbers, and the candid way they talk about them on camera, that give this film its considerable impact. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisAug 13, 2015
Blindingly beautiful and meticulously assembled by the award-winning editor Bob Eisenhardt, Meru easily makes you forget that what you are watching is completely bananas. Read full review
75
Boston GlobePeter KeoughAug 27, 2015
Much of Meru is about that second attempt, filmed with such grandeur and intimacy that sometimes attempting to figure out how they made the incredible shots almost spoils them. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyChristian HolubAug 19, 2015
Meru the film, then, might be the anti-Everest. There are no expensive special effects, but there is a lot of authentic climbing footage. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisSep 2, 2015
A remarkable documentary in its own right. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloAug 12, 2015
How one responds to Meru will largely depend on whether its three subjects come across as heroically courageous or suicidally reckless. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoAug 14, 2015
It’s a story that speaks for itself, and so the emphasis on talking heads explaining it to us is dispiriting. Read full review
60
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlAug 11, 2015
This is a crowd-pleaser, and it's no surprise it snagged the audience award for documentaries at Sundance last winter. Getting to these moments is a bit of a climb itself, though. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineCarson LundAug 12, 2015
Its expositional crutch proves most inadequate when the team ascends the final pitch to the top after years of preparation in no more than a minute of screen time. Read full review
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