The Alpinist
Universal Pictures Content Group | Release Date: September 10, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeOct 14, 2021
A portrait of a man who, as one of his contemporaries remarked, feels almost too comfortable on the side of a mountain. Read full review
80
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeSep 27, 2021
A fine yarn that arcs towards a memorable denouement. Read full review
80
CineVueChristopher MachellSep 23, 2021
The footage of Leclerc ascending sheer, near-featureless sheets of rock is so defiant of physics that it is easy to forget just how mind-bogglingly dangerous it is. Read full review
80
VarietyLisa KennedySep 11, 2021
The images here are often dizzying and dazzling. Read full review
80
Time OutPhil de SemlyenAug 31, 2021
As a piece of watch-through-your-fingers outdoors filmmaking, The Alpinist stands right up alongside the Oscar-winning Free Solo. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comIsaac FeldbergSep 10, 2021
Ultimately, Mortimer and Rosen’s film succeeds most as a sincere, wonderstruck tribute to a fellow climber. And if glorifying a sport as lethal as alpinism itself runs a kind of risk, there’s no denying the heart-in-mouth thrill of watching Leclerc in the zone, following an impossible dream and, on his own terms, touching the sublime. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanSep 8, 2021
There is a revealing narrative here: a conflict, a climax and a denouement that you may not expect. The Alpinist has built-in drama, simply by virtue of who and what it sets out to document. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleTrace SauveurSep 1, 2021
The Alpinist works as a moving testament to Leclerc’s incredible life and the art of alpinism itself, while even finding time to tactfully wrestle with the difficult reconciliation of the reckless danger versus the peerless beauty of such an undertaking. Read full review
60
Little White LiesMarina AshiotiOct 4, 2021
It’s the enigma of Marc-André that makes this such a compelling documentary. Read full review
60
The GuardianLeslie FelperinSep 23, 2021
The film-makers’ enthusiasm for his clarity of purpose is all well and good, but it does leave the film prone to hyperbole, and perhaps a more measured, sideways look at the weird dropout culture around climbing would have been more interesting. Read full review
60
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergSep 9, 2021
The movie could stand to demystify how some of its most terrifying early shots were filmed. (Later on, we’re told Leclerc agreed to carry a small camera himself to shoot part of a conquest in Patagonia.) But it does capture its subject’s philosophy. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterDaniel FienbergSep 8, 2021
Leclerc’s lack of introspection — you never forget his youth — puts a lot of pressure on the other talking heads. Fortunately, The Alpinist can always count on Harrington for amusing or poignant beats. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloSep 8, 2021
This is a movie, not a book or feature article. And having a subject who largely refuses to cooperate, thereby forcing the filmmakers to sit around at home and relate much of what happens indirectly, doesn’t exactly make for a classic. Read full review
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