Movie Review: Free Solo

While you won’t find Luke Skywalker or Chewbacca in National Geographic’s ‘Free Solo’, you will find a real-life Spiderman in Alex Honnold. Packed with amazing shots, excitement, anticipation, and insight into the mind of Alex, Free Solo will have you cheering for Honnold to conquer the beast that is El Capitan and leave you in amazement of his superhuman-like skills.

Alex is a professional climber and an official The North Face® athlete. He is known as the most accomplished rock climber of our time and of course, his favorite type of climb is called a “Free solo,” meaning the climb is executed without the use of ropes or safety restraints. Honnold is a humble, hard-working, free spirit who has lived in a van for over 9 years because he prefers to live as simply as possible. He has a captivating personality and a machine-like mind that knows exactly how far he can push the limits when it comes to climbing.

Following Alex around throughout the documentary and getting those breath-taking shots are the cameramen, and most of them are his climbing buddies. Throughout the documentary, emphasis is placed on the risk involved, “one wrong slip and it’s over.” The film does a great job of showing us just how difficult this climb is and will leave you in awe of what can be accomplished when a man has a dream!

Congratulations to Alex on his outstanding accomplishment, and to everyone on the team that made the film happen. Free Solo has won 19 awards, including an Oscar for Best Documentary. The award was presented to the Directors, Producers, and Honnold who wore a custom The North Face® tuxedo, by his friend and fellow climber, Jason Momoa. Even if you’re not a climber, Free Solo is still a must see! We give it 5 out of 5 carabiners.

Feeling inspired by Alex and want to learn how to rock climb? Check out our basic guide to get started! Gear up for adventure with Ramsey Outdoor!