Free Solo

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2:27

Free Solo

PG-13

Released Sep 28, 2018

1h 40m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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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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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

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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

Bianca Garner

Filmotomy

The last act of this film is so tense, that it is almost hard to describe. The theatre was silent, as all of the audience held their breath, watching in awe as Honnold began his climb.

Oct 11, 2024

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

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akira b

Excellent doco about Alex, a fascinating character obsessed with free solo climbing and achieving excellence. His father was also an obsessive character and taught Alex climbing.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/05/24

Full Review

Daniel N

An incredible and awe-inspiring film about an incredible and awe-inspiring feat. Wow!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/04/24

Full Review

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

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Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

Director

Jimmy Chin

Director

Alex Honnold

Self

Tommy Caldwell

Self

Sanni McCandless

Self

Jimmy Chin

Self

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Free Solo: Trailer 1

2:27

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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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