Alive Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
They survived the impossible...by doing the unthinkable.
They were ordinary young men driven to the very limits of human endurance.
The triumph of the human spirit.
The amazing, true story of a Uruguayan rugby team's plane that crashed in the middle of the Andes mountains, and their immense will to survive and pull through alive, forced to do anything and everything they could to stay alive on meager rations and through the freezing cold. The only thing the team has riding on after losing so many of their good friends and family members is the slim chance of making it through alive and their faithfulness to God.
| Ethan Hawke | Nando Parrado |
| Vincent Spano | Antonio Balbi |
| Josh Hamilton | Roberto Canessa |
| Bruce Ramsay | Carlitos Páez |
| John Newton | Antonio 'Tintín' Vizintín |
| David Kriegel | Gustavo Zerbino |
| Kevin Breznahan | Roy Harley |
| Sam Behrens | Javier Methol |
| Illeana Douglas | Lilliana Methol |
| Jack Noseworthy | Bobby François |
| Christian J. Meoli | Federico Aranda |
| Jake Carpenter | Alberto Artuna |
| Michael DeLorenzo | Rafael Cano |
| José Zúñiga | Fraga, the Mechanic |
| Danny Nucci | Hugo Díaz |
| Frank Marshall |
6.90 out of 10 (10919 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Gut-wrenching story, poetic, somewhat weak acting. Worth a remake
posted on 15 Aug 2009Being a wilderness hiker, and fan of wilderness biographies and true stories, like "Into The Wild" and "Alone In The Wilderness", IMDb thought this would be a good fit for me. It was absolutely right.One of the must brutal and gut-wrenching drama documentaries I have seen, ALIVE delivers on most points. If the boys have told the truth about their deal with the Andes, this film is about 95% consistent with what actually occurred for real (just a couple of petty details dramatized; I have read the book as well).However, the acting is a bit weak. This story seriously deserved better. Ethan Hawke, who plays the important figure Parrado, does a good job, as well as Josh Hamilton (Canessa), but those two are exceptions. I'd actually go as far as saying that in some scenes, the dead people are the best actors. Also, the narrator who opens up the film does not fit in, feels emotionless and not at all believable.But all in all, it's a story worth to catch up on, fairly well told in its film format. Beautiful scenery, unbelievable courage, poetic, absolutely excellent soundtrack by James N. Howard. Simply put, see it. You might become very tempted to read the book afterwards. I am looking forward to a remake in HD with even better actors and graphics. 8/10
Very well done.
posted on 25 Jun 2009While most people criticize this film saying that it was missing a certain something to bring the true story to life, I enjoyed it very much.I think that the studio was smart in developing a film based on real stories from survivors and on a bizarre tale by itself. It seems impossible that anyone survived the crash through what is depicted in the film, but it shows how the Rugby team made it out of the Andes alive. I really loved how the film jumped right into the story and didn't delay the movie by including unnecessary information. We get a look at what kind of people the members of the team were in about the first four minutes. That is enough time to understand what is going to happen to them and to build up a little sympathy for them. I hate how movies have those huge intros with the credits and loud music working up to the first scene and that is probably why I liked this film, especially during the first ten minutes. The plane goes down and we have the remaining two hours or some to focus on who dies, how the survivors made it to Chile and what the emotions and feelings were inside the doomed airplane. The run time was good. In some parts the film seemed to drag with nothing going on but that was how it actually was. Making it shorter wouldn't have covered all of the information that was needed to be covered but making it longer would just have been too much. Most viewers comment on how the acting was so poorly done, but again I enjoyed almost everybody in 'Alive.' I absolutely love Ethan Hawke and Josh Hamilton. Hawke does an excellent job of portraying Nando Parrado. Hamilton is also terrific as Roberto Canessa. With these two in the lead roles, the film can't be bad. But hey, that's just my opinion. All of the actors were good in their own way. They all developed an atmosphere for the audience that really makes you feel sorry for them. Even the actors who didn't deliver a whole lot of lines added something special with what they had to work with. Re-creating the plane crash was nicely done. The special effects department didn't go overboard and ruin the film by throwing in all of those expensive, computerized animations that made it look like some kind of a space movie. I can't really comment on any certain part of the recreation of the plane crash because it was all terrific. The setting that was used to make it look like the freezing yet peaceful and calm Andes mountains was nicely designed. I think that another writer said that the film was in some way botched because the actors didn't act too well in the 'cold' scenes. An area where the temperature dropped so low didn't even leave these guys shivering or acting like they were in discomfort. Alright, I'll give you that much. While these scenes may need a little work on, I thought that they were minor. They were hardly noticeable and I don't think that they ruined the film in any way.Now you have those people who are going to turn their heads when the team finally settles on cannibalism. The film didn't show a whole lot and they didn't need to. I thought that the movie handled this subject decently.All in all, 'Alive' is an excellent movie that tells the story of a doomed airliner and how the passengers deal with the problems and eventually survive the awful crash. I haven't read the book and I really don't see the need. I understand what happened to the team members because the film described it in a certain way that most stories can't be told.
Honest, unsensationalized treatment of a true story.
posted on 22 Oct 2008Based on the true story of a rugby team that crashed in the Andes and had to resort to cannibalism in order to survive, having gotten that subject out of the way they chose to show the "cutting up" of the corpses in a most tasteful and respectful manner as to not sensationalize the potential "gore" factor, just as was done in Survive!.Well done, even if sometimes the acting is a little wooden, of interest to see a young, Danny Nucci, Illeana Douglas, Ethan Hawke and others.A little slow paced at times, but they were stranded for over a month, and the director has to convey that, not a flawless masterpiece, but a good film nonetheless.Previously made in México as Survive! (1976), but on a shoestring budget and it showed, needless to say it hasn't aged well.
The best that could have been done.
posted on 31 May 2008Critics often fault Alive with petty complaints: Gee, wasn't the avalanche a convenient plot device? Why didn't the plane have signal flares? How come the survivors were all those pretty boys? Why don't we see the dramatic search? In doing so, they're faulting reality: The avalanche really did happen when and how it was portrayed. The wreckage really did lack signal flares. The plane really was chartered by a bunch of ruggedly handsome young men -- what else do you expect from a rugby team? And yes, the search was dramatic (the moment when Roberta Cannessa's father learned that his son is alive is one of those stranger-than-fiction moments), but it was enough of a task to compress the survivors' story into a feature film. The search would have comprised another film entirely on its own.How do you compress nearly three months of terror and tedium into less than two hours while still holding the attention of the audience? It's a daunting task, and Alive manages quite nicely. With technical consulting provided by crash survivor Nando Parrado, Alive captures the look and mood of the crash site, and sketches in the relationships among the passengers of the ill-fated flight.It leaves many strange questions hanging (Where, in this plane full of mostly unmarried adults, does Nando come up with two tiny red sneakers?) and those questions are best answered by reading the book. And watch Alive again. Things become clearer with multiple viewings.
Harrowing, but heartfelt.
posted on 26 Mar 2008Considering the fact that this movie never really made a mark at the box office and certainly didn't gather much critical attention, it's surprisingly well known. There are many true life stories of survival that have been put on the big screen, but this has to be one of the most harrowing & disturbing. The film tells the story of an American rugby team becoming stranded in the Andes. At first it seems to be a straight forward matter of waiting to be rescued, but when supplies run out the survivors resort to eating their dead. This is indeed the major shock value of the movie, but the viewer soon finds themself accepting the situation.There are two major flaws to this movie. Firstly, for first half of the film the people simply await a rescue, thus there is an extremely sombre atmosphere to the story, with nothing to lighten it. Secondly, there is little character development, and no identifiable bonds between any of the characters, something essential to making a story like this become more than just true. Later on, the mood is lifted somewhat, and by the end of the film there is an enormous sense of hope and expectance that is truly exhilarating.If you can sit through the first half of "Alive", then you will be rewarded somewhat. The majority of the film is far too down beat to be entertaining, but if you want to see what is probably the most harrowing survival story put on the big screen.****
One of Top 10 BEST Stories of Pathos, more sweet than sour
posted on 08 Mar 2008Unlike the gratuitously disgusting and in a sense pornographic film "Hannibal" which caused me to loose respect for A. Hopkins choice of scripts, "Cannibalism" is more of an adjunct than the theme to this one. Tastefully, ethically, and spiritually argued for only a few minutes and invites the viewer to consider what you would do in their shoes. The real story is about a diverse group of personality types interactions while finding themselves in horrific circumstances and forced to make difficult choices in order to survive. The over all tone is sensitive and moving, with a large but balanced focus on spiritual values. The soundtrack is perfection for the scenes, the end tune will move you to the edge of joyful tears if you are a person of faith. The cinematography in difficult low contrast exterior and low lux interior scenes is literally award winning and to be studied by any Video/Cine aspirant. To the viewer, completely non distracting, unlike other limited budget productions. There is a distracting amount of lack of annunciation in the dialogue which makes some phrases though naturally delivered emotionally, sound mumbled or slurred almost to the point of unintelligibility. Turn up the volume to solve this. There is a liberal sprinkling of humor (sometimes macabre) to counterpose the severity of their plight. As well as a couple of "cliffhanger" incidents not mentioned in the book. Conversational profanity is also liberal. The location set is awesome, and the special effects are superb, though NOT RECOMMENDED if you fear flying. Mostly true to the book other than a few name changes, and misappropriations of events to different persons than those stated in the book. The book is far more detailed on all aspects of the story, and if first read, better illuminates a few scenes where the viewer otherwise is scratching their head wondering "what's that about?" The film makes better sense and continuity immediately after reading the book. On whole an uplifting heroic film that I enjoy viewing at least once a year. The casting is good with many attractive unknowns and "where are they nows". The acting with only a brief exception or two is excellent. Not for children under "thinking" teens, squeamish, or aerophobics. A true Classic that will encourage "lazy readers" to learn what sitting down with a good book is all about. The book, while more comprehensive is more of a documentary tone. Whereas the film captures the drama well and does not come across as a documentary. A "must have" for the DVD collection, as well as bookshelf. If you get the DVD version watch the Bonus Material. In the included documentary story ALIVE: 20 YEARS LATER there is a brief moment where the real life Nando comforts the real life Carlitos, in front of the actor portraying Carlitos (Bruce Ramsay). It says everything in an instant about their ordeal and bonding, and how possibly the others also unspokenly felt about Nando, and literally looked to him for courage. No acting there at all. Pure reality. A very touching moment. If you want to see the awesome starkness of the afterwards named "Glacier of Tears" on the flanks of the Tinguiririca Volcano where they actually crashed in the Andes watch the RETURN TO THE ANDES bonus.All in all: a highly entertaining and masterfully scored and cine'd 2 hour trailer that will induce you to go out and buy the book. That's when the entire story falls into place. Not a criticism of the film really, as it is impossible to squeeze the vast anecdotes, character backgrounds, family search efforts, and after rescue decompression found in the book into just two hours. The film does an excellent job of getting the pathos of the actual "on mountain" experience across.<><><><><><><><><> POSSIBLE SPOILER FOLLOWS <><><><><><><><><><><><><Splitting Hairs: FYI on the "Goofs" portion of the film outline page here at IMDb, whoever posted that "goofed" in saying the altimeter reads 2000 feet. Any pilot can confirm that the Altimeter is the gauge in the top left of the last scene showing gauges. It reads 12,500 feet. The short hand points to the 1 for 10,000 ft., the middle length hand points between the 2 and 3 (like a clock moves) for an additional 2,000 ft., and the long hand points to the 5 for 500 ft., add all together for 12,500 feet. The height of the ridge they first impacted on in reality. If you single frame you see that the altimeter actually climbs about 20 feet right before they had impact, as would be expected and is accurately portrayed in the final pitching up of the plane trying to clear the ridge. This is exactly as Nando Parrado has said it happened. The top right gauge is an analog multi-revolution airspeed indicator with a digital Mach meter only found on military aircraft, It is able to be calibrated for local barometric pressure by the knob in its lower left which may lead the unwary to think it was an altimeter. As the actual Fairchild that crashed in the saga was also a military variant, that is real internal continuity, even though there are many other errors between the screenplay and the book. HOWEVER, there is a genuine "Goof" in the opening John Malkovich as older Carlitos narrative. In the pause after he says ". . . how you'll behave", a highlight plays across his face and stops on his nose, then continues, only to whip across again a second later. Maybe they had a bet as to how many takes it would take, and someone was trying to get John to break form. Didn't work, not even the slightest squint or flinch from him there. That's stoic discipline! Why they didn't retake??? Maybe John's cameo was billed by the minute and they couldn't afford another $5,000 to retake. That's Hollywood!!! LOL just kidding John. Luv ya
A True Survival Film...and Very Accurate.
posted on 22 Feb 2008I've seen the movie and I've read the book, and I must say that thefilm does portray the events as they really happened, ofcourse thetime frame is utterly shortened to a mere two hours, when in realitythese people left on that plane for a rugby game in early Octoberand weren't found until two days before Christmas. I think that theactors who portrayed the people did them justice. Ethan Hawke,Josh Hamiltion, Illeana Douglas, Vincent Spano, and thecountless other actors portrayed their true life characters extremelyaccurately. The plane crash, as has been mentioned previously, is extremelyfrightening and gruesome, and it all really happened, every lastterrifying second. People can mock this film all they want, butthat's only because they haven't read the book from cover to cover.You MUST read the book in order to understand why all of thesepeople are the way they are and each of their individualcircumstances. Believe me, the movie will come across muchmore clearly. The cannibalism in this movie was done on thelighter aspect, believe me, because in reality they were forced todevour everything from the genitals to the bone marrow. This isreal survival people, and if you can't handle it, then I wouldn'tsuggest this movie. If you are intrigued by the human dynamicsand personal struggles that come with the onthrust of survival,than this is definitely a movie to watch.The book does provide a much more detailed description of theentire 72 day ordeal, particularly parts that the movie skips over buteludes to. It's EXTREMELY sad and even more disheartening tolearn that their own families back home couldn't handle the factthat the survivors were forced to eat their beloved friends andcome just short of eating their own family members who perished,in order to survive. The movie did the situation justice, and it alsoreally makes you think about taking a flight over a mountain rangeor the ocean. It does even more than that though, it makes youthink about what you would do yourself if you were in their shoes,and how would your family members and friends act. This is avery good movie for those who can handle it....and I'm telling you,READ the book--and you won't be bored with the film.
The Rugby team struggle
posted on 07 Feb 2008I wanted to make a note about Chrissie's comment that critics complained about not showing the search. I think this would have detracted from the experience the Rugby team had, the total isolation they felt, wondering if they would ever be found or would ever get out of the Andes. Showing the search for the Fairchild would lead viewers, especially those unfamiliar with the story, to believe that those who survived did so because they were found. Since, Nando and Roberto were ultimately the ones who got helped and saved the rest, showing efforts made by parents and rescue teams would be a bit unnecessary. It is inspiring to read the book "Alive" and to see the lengths the parents of Carlitos and Roberto, and other friends and relatives went through to find their children. Their hope even through hopelessness was inspiring. Talking more about the film, the crash scene was realistic, some but not all of the acting shoddy, but that didn't matter. What a great ending scene with Aaron Neville singing "Ave Maria" as the camera pans over a cross set in the rocks of the Andes. "Miracle in the Andes" by Nando Parrado is a good read as well, gives you the perspective on the survivor who, along with Canessa made it out of the mountains and saved his friends.
Average. Spectacularly so in fact.
posted on 30 Dec 2007As average films go, this is up there. A tale of a plane crash, human survival, 2 survivors scaling the Andes to save their colleagues and cannibalism has a lot of scope for a good film, but this does not deliver.A decidedly poor performance from Ethan Hawke in which he is often particularly cheesey is only saved by in what some cases are very good special effects.
Wholesome
posted on 03 Dec 2007Alive is a modest film about triumph of spirits but this story should have not been filmed in any other way. Eating a dead corpse of your mate is a grim idea so luckily Alive handles the topic with a substance. This is probably the most ethic film I´ve ever seen. These young guys have a unfazed trust in God and when they have their hairs and facial hairs growing they are like the apostles of mountains. Unfortunately they are all dress alike so it becomes impossible to say who is who. I´m not personally a religious kind but there is so many jaded films out there so I find it refreshing to have a fair minded little survival story on my screen.
Read the book
posted on 02 Aug 2007There's no way they can put in enough of any of the details to make it a decent movie. But it still seems like they could have done better than they did. The book is absolutely riveting, goes into each person's character in depth and gives lots of amazing details. I have read the book several times, and each time I find it fascinating all over again. The movie is just purely superficial. And, after reading the book, the movie seems stupid. I haven't seen the movie in several years, so I can't get much more specific than that, but I saw it after having read the book and was terribly disappointed. I read the book again just recently, and it is a masterpiece. But the movie has rightfully become largely forgotten.
On of the best films I know
posted on 28 Apr 2007I zapped in this movie when I watched TV some night, and it gripped me so much I had to watch it till the end. After it, I sat there thinking about it because it fascinated me. So I went on the Internet and looked up some informations and I found out that it is based on real facts. I came across a Spanish homepage about the real crash as well as the film and read through it. All of it gave me some time thinking, I was so fascinated about it I couldn't get it off my mind. I bought the DVD and watched the film from the beginning and it impressed me so much I can't even put it into words... All the feelings are so well transferred, and the actors do a really good job. One absolutely has to have watched that movie!
Some good dramatic moments, but mostly a shallow treatment.
posted on 28 Apr 2007I have seen this film after having read "Alive",by Piers Paul Read. I found the scene portraying the crash quite dramatic. However, I found the portrayal of the solidarity among the survivors to be rather shallow. In fact, some of the portrayals of individual characters were lacking depth or understanding. A notable example is the depiction of Roberto Canessa,who,in the book "Alive" is a complex and slightly volatile character. The very duality of Canessa who is both aggressive and bullying and at the same time frightened and vulnerable,physically and emotionally, makes him compelling and memorable. I also felt the film trivialized the bravery and heroics of Parrado and Canessa's astonishing trek out of the mountains. The film shows us nothing of the ten day journey which made the rescue occur. Face it, the film is a rather flimsy vehicle for Ethan Hawke. The depth of emotion so lyrically described in the book is absent in this film. If you want a film version of this story, watch "Alive,20 Years Later".This documentary makes a much better attempt to portray the survivors as unique and interesting people.
This is the type of movie that can change your outlook on life....
posted on 22 Apr 2007This movie is one of the most inspirational movies I have ever seen. I have been through some hard times in my life and still when I watch this, everything I have to deal with gets put into perspective. The book "Alive" is even better than the movie.I don't know how I'd react if I were in that plane crash stuck in the Andes for 72 days, but I know for sure that I am a survivor and would do anything to help my friends in such a situation.I have the DVD for this movie and the extra content "Making of Alive" is amazing. What many people don't know that the shivering actors were not acting. They actually filmed this on a mountainside high up in the Canadian Rockies at around 10,500 feet on a glacier. The weather there on set was all too real and so was the snow. I have done quite a few alpine mountaineering trips in my life and even with modern warm gear, the weather up that high can get ridiculously nasty and cold in the blink of an eye.With that in mind, I take my hat off the actors and crew who made this. The actors were not spoiled with warm hotel rooms and room service. They all had tents and sometimes filming stopped due to bad weather. I especially admire the original survivors who helped consult with the making of the movie. Looking at an exact replica of the crash site, must have brought back some hard memories for them.If you like encouraging movies, also consider watching National Geographic's "The Height of Courage: A Norman Vaughn Story".On an interesting side note, the search plane they show in the movie is a Cessna 310T (twin prop). I know because I used to fly them in Alaska.:-)
Good but too long
posted on 17 Nov 2006I enjoyed the film. At the end of this true story i felt curiously myself. l´m still wondering how the rugby players could survive so long time in the freeze. They were very courageous. The movie scenes were sometimes too extended but the special effects were well done and there were many emotional moments. I gave 6/10.
Anything is possible . . .
posted on 21 Oct 2006While I agree that this movie deserves a better rating, any movie of this sort, however moving or well-crafted, is still limited by its roots in reality, and in my opinion great works of art use reality as only a touchstone.Having said that, and having read the book and watched the film, "Alive" is one of the most remarkable movies of any generation. The script is lucid and intelligent; the cinematography is both beautiful and horrendous in its detail; and it addresses one of the oldest taboos in Western culture.From the breath-taking crash sequence until the final scenes (made even more poignant by the fact that they did go the wrong way) where the expedition finally reaches a green, warm valley, this is a gripping cinematic experience.
One of my favourite movies!!!!!
posted on 09 Oct 2006I read the Piers Paul Read book in the early 80's and was fascinated with the story. Of course when the movie came out I was very interested to compare the two. The movie lives up to the book in almost every way. The only disappointment was the fact that the actual rescue of Nando and Cannessa was not in the film. Ethan Hawke and in fact all the cast are fantastic and resemble the actual survivors which made the movie all the more realistic. I would recommend both the book and the movie to anyone with enough imagination to appreciate them.
Rock bottom production values highlight of tedious actioner
posted on 31 Aug 2006Alive is one of those movies that you try so hard to finish watching, but you never can, solely because of it's sheer badness. It's obvious that the movie was trying to get across an important message, and inform us of a little known event, but the actual movie is unbearable and nearly impossible to watch. The acting is relatively mediocre. It's nothing more than passable, boring, with little interest on the part of the actors. It's not all their fault, however, as the script and weak direction likely were the determining factors on whether the performances would sustain our interest, or not. The only bright spot is the relatively standard scenery which stands out and looks magnificent because of the other aspects. When put up against the cinematography in a film like 'Titanic', the scenery in 'Alive' would look horrendous, but here it works on at least one level, attempting to fix the movie, but it never quite reaches that. The special effects (during the crash) are also simple, not at all remarkable and at times almost laughable. It's as if whoever was in charge of the fx department didn't care enough to put much time into the project. Save yourself two hours of wasted time and skip out on this stinker, rent 'The Edge' or even 'Cliffhanger' instead. Even if you were paid to watch it, it might not be worth the effort.0.5/10
Awful
posted on 24 Aug 2009I saw this movie when it was released to theaters, and once again recently. In the fewest words, this movie is horrible. Not just for the paper-thin characterizations and stilted and hammy dialogue, but also for the general tone of the movie. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about - 20+ people are killed in the plane crash, and the survivors forced to watch their loved ones die, then consume their dead flesh. Yet every other minute some character is ticking off some lengthy speech about how wonderful life is and how "god" has blessed them. An avalanche buries them, and five seconds later they're talking about how great "god" is again. It's tiresome. I understand that the people in the crash were very religious, but that doesn't mean they were always happy with their lot in life. It would have been nice to see some real reactions to the tragedies, rather than Hollywood feel-good-ism.The screenwriter (John Patrick Shanley) insults his viewers with the characters. Most egregious is the "agnostic" character, who repeatedly is asked to pray with the group and is laughed at when he states his beliefs - and then we have the hilarious scene after the avalanche where he declares he won't pray. Of course, there is a distant rumble, and he immediately looks scared and starts to pray to that "merciful god". Oh, comedy!The only thing worth seeing in this movie is the spectacular plane crash effect. The rest is terrible. Skip it.