Kilimanjaro - To the Roof of Africa (2002)

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Kilimanjaro is called the largest mountain, not the highest of course, but rising from the plains and rain forests which surround it this ancient volcano is huge. Even local Tanzanians only know it from afar but few ever get near its glaciers and its summit.The team that made this film wanted to make it identifiable by the viewing audience. So the expedition featured 6 hikers not much different from most of us, including an older woman, a 12-year-old girl from the USA, and a 12-year-old local boy who had never touched snow.The trek takes a week, and takes them from muddy rainforest to almost 20,000 feet. As they say in the film, it is like going from the Amazon to Antarctica.I am among those not acquainted with Kilimanjaro. For those of us who don't have the time and wealth to explore such places, this IMAX film is superb.

The movie, Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa, was excellent. Not only was the content of the movie intriguing and interesting, but seeing it on the giant screen transported you out of your seat and onto the mountain. I would recommend this to anyone looking to explore the terrain of a beautiful country, while sitting in the comfort of a movie theater.

Kilimanjaro, the newest David Breashears (Everest) Imax film, documents the journey of 7 individuals, from various backgrounds and ages, as they challenge themselves in hopes of summiting the largest free-standing mountain in the world. The Imax is a little like National Geographic meets Survivor. At first you're awed by the natural beauty of Kilimanjaro and then, slowly, the film weaves in the story of the adventurous group and their expedition, lending a more human aspect to the documentary. The film is beautifully photographed and scored and the editing is top-notch. As the stories unfold, a type of picture-in-picture is used to show the climber speaking (in the foreground) as he or she is hiking in the background, utilizing the giant dome of the Imax theatre. This is an interesting and creative feature that lends a hand to the narration of Kilimanjaro. Overall, this film is very inspiring to the average Joe, delivering the message that although the climb to Kilimanjaro's summit is no picnic, it is however, possible (50% success rate). Kilimanjaro is a great addition to Breashears' already impressive library. -Doug Emmett