Motivation is the key element necessary to sympathize with characters in fiction (in film or otherwise). To enjoy characters, even though we may not like them, we must know that what they do has a legitimate purpose. There are a number of fatal flaws in this film surrounding mountaineering in general. Rather than mention them all, I'm merely going to mention one that reflects directly on character motivation.
The trapped climbers know the dangers of high-altitude pulmonary edema. This motivates them to take injections of 'dex' (short for dexamethasone) to ward off symptoms. The rescuers also know the dangers and know the victims' supply of dex is running out. This motivates them to race against time and adversity to rescue the trapped climbers. The problem? Dexamethasone has no effect on high-altitude pulmonary edema whatsoever. It's used only in the rare instances of cerebral edema where the primary symptom is denial of the condition, not a mad rush to acquire the medicine or administer it. For pulmonary edema, the proper medicine is nifedipine -- taken orally, not by injection.
You would think a major studio production where motivation centers around a medical condition would have a medical adviser on the payroll. Checking credits, I didn't see one. What a stupid (and preventable) disaster of a story ... and film.
The trapped climbers know the dangers of high-altitude pulmonary edema. This motivates them to take injections of 'dex' (short for dexamethasone) to ward off symptoms. The rescuers also know the dangers and know the victims' supply of dex is running out. This motivates them to race against time and adversity to rescue the trapped climbers. The problem? Dexamethasone has no effect on high-altitude pulmonary edema whatsoever. It's used only in the rare instances of cerebral edema where the primary symptom is denial of the condition, not a mad rush to acquire the medicine or administer it. For pulmonary edema, the proper medicine is nifedipine -- taken orally, not by injection.
You would think a major studio production where motivation centers around a medical condition would have a medical adviser on the payroll. Checking credits, I didn't see one. What a stupid (and preventable) disaster of a story ... and film.