Le sommet des dieux contains beautiful climbing scenes and is told smoothly, but is a bit schematic ★★★☆☆

In 1924, mountaineer George Mallory may or may not have been the first to reach the top of Mount Everest. He died a few hundred meters below the summit. Whether that was on the way there or back is unknown; the camera he had with him was never found.

In the French animation film Le sumt des dieux the possible discovery of Mallory’s camera is the starting point of a story about another fictional climber, the Japanese Habu. The film, based on a Japanese novel that has already been adapted into a popular manga, seems above all to be a quest for the sacred fire of climbers: what are they looking for on murderous mountain peaks? The answer is within reach in this effectively animated film, but just out of reach. The beautiful climbing scenes and the smooth narration with many flashbacks disguise the somewhat schematic, sometimes implausible scenario.