Free Solo

The National Geographic has been providing scientific/educational content since its founding in 1888 and it expanded to the local screening content to various screens globally since 1964. My experience with it mostly stems from memories in middle school and high school where either the science or substitute teacher would play some documentaries in regards to a topic that might be part of a homework assignment. In addition, I actually saw one of their feature films March of the Penguins , which covers the journey of emperor penguins of Antarctica. Outside of that, it’s been on and off when I have watched something from the National Geographic. This brings us here to Free Solo, a new documentary that was co-produced and distributed by a subsidiary of National Geographic. It premiered at film festivals at the end of August and was released into theaters late September to positive critical reviews. I took a break from the Oscars season contenders and went to watch this completely blind. Without any knowledge of the subject matter being feature here, I ended up being very impressed with this adrenaline rush of this film.

Content: The events follows rock climber Alex Honnold's efforts to free solo climb El Capitan in Yosemite Park (climbing alone without any rope). It shows his collaborations with other professionals he has worked with before as they plan out the best path to safely achieve this feat. It covers his background in terms of family history as well as mentioning some of his past achievements. The manner in which he approaches these types of risks in his life is very fascinating to watch along with how it affects those around him. What helps gives this an adrenaline rush are the camera shots being displayed whenever he's on any rock climb since the close up views on his ledge grabs (from either his hands or legs) adds intense pressure. The combinations of preparations and learning more about Alex as a person through his background and interactions make the entire watching experience worthwhile.

Overall Consensus: Free Solo showcases a great athletic feat that's accompanied by intense camera shots, which is made compelling by depicting the subject matter in a grounded manner along. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4🎟🍿 Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes PG

Reasons to watch it: You aren't afraid of heights and like the adrenaline rush from rock climbing. You enjoy watching documentaries featuring athletic feats. You have been to Yosemite Park and love seeing its mountains up close.

Reasons to avoid it: You are afraid of heights and dislike rock climbing. You aren't a fan of documentaries.