Name: The Summit of the Gods
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Mystery
Released: 2021-09-22T00:00:00+00:00
Cast: Éric Herson-Macarel, Damien Boisseau, Elisabeth Ventura, Lazare Herson-Macarel, Kylian Rehlinger

The opening shot of The Summit of the Gods lingers on a camera lens covered in frost, its glass cracked but still capturing light. This is our first hint at the film’s obsession with perspective—both literal and metaphorical—and it sets the tone for Patrick Imbert’s adaptation of Jirô Taniguchi and Baku Yumemakura’s manga.

At its core, The Summit of the Gods is a mystery wrapped in an adventure, driven by Makoto Fukamachi’s relentless pursuit of truth about George Mallory’s 1924 disappearance on Everest. The film alternates between Fukamachi’s present-day investigation and flashbacks to the climbs of Jōji Habu, a legendary but reclusive mountaineer who may hold the key to the mystery. Imbert’s direction, informed by Éric Valli’s direction of Himalaya, grounds these sequences in visceral realism, from the bone-chilling cold of high-altitude camps to the vertiginous panic of a climbing fall.

The animation, handled by French studio Xebo, is where the film truly shines. The watercolor-like textures and soft lines evoke Taniguchi’s delicate manga style, but Imbert and his team push further, using dynamic camera movements and stark contrasts to emphasize the isolation and grandeur of the mountains. A standout sequence follows Habu’s solo ascent of an unnamed peak, where the absence of dialogue and the slow, deliberate pacing mirror the climber’s solitary focus. The sound design amplifies this immersion, with every labored breath and crunch of ice underfoot heightening the tension.

The film’s narrative structure—jumping between timelines and characters—can feel fragmented at times. While the parallel stories deepen the themes of obsession and legacy, some transitions are jarring, and Fukamachi’s emotional journey occasionally gets lost in the shuffle. The supporting cast, particularly Elisabeth Ventura as Ryoko and Kylian Rehlinger as Kishi, deliver nuanced performances that add depth to Habu’s backstory, but their screen time is limited.

The film’s philosophical musings on human ambition and the cost of glory are compelling, but they occasionally slow the pacing. A subplot involving Fukamachi’s personal life feels underdeveloped, and some of the dialogue-heavy scenes in Kathmandu lack the visual poetry that makes the climbing sequences so arresting.

The Summit of the Gods is a visually stunning and thematically rich adaptation that honors its source material while carving out its own identity. It will appeal most to fans of meticulously crafted animation and mountaineering dramas, but its broader themes of obsession and legacy give it universal resonance. The film’s strengths lie in its breathtaking visuals and the emotional weight of Habu’s story, but its narrative fragmentation and pacing issues prevent it from reaching its full potential.

The voice performances are a mixed bag. Éric Herson-Macarel brings gravitas to the role of Old Habu, capturing the weary wisdom of a man who has seen too much. Damien Boisseau as Fukamachi is convincing in his determination, but his character’s internal struggle feels underserved by the script. Lazare Herson-Macarel shines as Young Habu, embodying the reckless ambition of youth with palpable energy.

Imbert’s direction is mostly restrained, allowing the animation and sound design to take center stage. However, some of the more dialogue-driven scenes suffer from static framing and a lack of visual dynamism. The film’s pacing is another hurdle; while the climbing sequences are gripping, the investigative segments in Kathmandu drag at times.

The Summit of the Gods stands out in the crowded field of animated features with its unique blend of adventure, mystery, and philosophical introspection. It joins a lineage of mountaineering films like Touching the Void and Everest, but its animated medium allows for a more subjective and poetic exploration of the theme. The film’s strengths lie in its visual artistry and emotional depth, but its narrative structure and pacing issues hold it back from greatness.

Ultimately, The Summit of the Gods is a film that demands patience and rewards attentiveness. Its themes of obsession, legacy, and the human cost of ambition are timely and universal, even if the execution isn’t flawless.