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Free Solo

PG-13 Released Sep 28, 2018 1h 40m Documentary TRAILER for List
97% Tomatometer 159 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Alex Honnold completes the first free solo climb of famed El Capitan's 3,000-foot vertical rock face at Yosemite National Park.
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Free Solo

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Critics Consensus

Free Solo depicts athletic feats that many viewers will find beyond reason - and grounds the attempts in passions that are all but universal.

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Critics Reviews

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Andrea Gronvall Chicago Reader This awe-inspiring National Geographic documentary is as much a celebration of U.S. parks and wilderness as it is a record of one of the most audacious feats in the history of mountaineering. Mar 3, 2020 Full Review Melanie McFarland Salon.com The visuals are stunning, offering head-spinning views with the comfort of total safety. Mar 5, 2019 Full Review John Doyle Globe and Mail Free Solo...is a jaw-dropper, both in what is documented and its visual impact. Mar 4, 2019 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies Alex Honnald is as fascinating as he is enigmatic and soaking up his story proves to be a satisfying experience. Yet despite the amount of time we spend with him it’s hard to get into his headspace. Rated: 3.5/5 Aug 20, 2022 Full Review M.N. Miller Ready Steady Cut An exhilarating, immersive achievement. Free Solo is simply the best sports documentary ever made if you had to categorize it. Rated: 5/5 Aug 17, 2022 Full Review Josh Parham Next Best Picture Directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi provide an incredible amount of tension in every step that is taken and every crevasse that is reached for. Rated: 8/10 May 29, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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lola m I just watched this for the third time. I can't get enough of this guy Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/24/24 Full Review Lars N On second viewing you realize it's not as perfect as it seemed - there's an amazing girlfriend that never quit amount to more than that, and a weird shift in tone at the end - but nitpicking aside I don't think I will ever forget this film. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/14/24 Full Review Nitsan F The climb was condensed into 12 minutes and during that 12 minutes barely any of the shots showed what he's actually doing. Most of it was stupid shots of the cameramen on the ground filming themselves filming him (oh my god SO many of those) and things like ultra close ups, ultra wide shots, shots angled to show the rocks where it's impossible to see what he's actually doing, etc. And all the shots where you CAN actually see what he's doing were VERY quick and then cut away to some dumb useless artsy angle again. They had drones to get close but used them terribly. Basically this hypes up a climb for an hour then barely shows the climb. No offense to the guy climbing who did a great job, but this documentary failed to actually show it. Though I'm sure this is great for people who want to watch nothing for 90 minutes. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/08/24 Full Review Richard B One of my favourite documentaries of all time. I've seen it 3 times and it still has me on the edge of my seat everytime. Incredible. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/11/24 Full Review Carter C Although I’m rating this a five stars because this is the best documentary I’ve ever seen and not the best movie period, it’s filled with suspense, perfect commentary, and the amazing talent that Alex holds which can definitely keep you on your toes the whole movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/31/24 Full Review Brian D 77%. Alex is a pretty strange dude. So is his gf. The history of Alex and then bringing in his gf isn't very exciting. The planning of the climb is pretty cool. Overall the first 3/4 of the film is pretty slow and then the actual ascent is riveting. 2/5 rewatch. Would really just skip to the end. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/15/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Alex Honnold completes the first free solo climb of famed El Capitan's 3,000-foot vertical rock face at Yosemite National Park.
Director
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin
Producer
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes, Shannon Dill
Distributor
National Geographic Documentary Films
Production Co
Little Monster Films, Itinerant Media
Rating
PG-13 (Brief Strong Language)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 28, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 12, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$17.5M
Runtime
1h 40m
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