A borderline hagiography of New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary, one of two men to achieve the first recorded summit of Mount Everest in 1953, Beyond the Edge is a flawed, but still engaging documentary. It fails to deeply explore interesting political and social dynamics, such as the outsider status of Kiwi Hillary and his Nepalese climbing partner Tenzing Norgay among a largely British group dead-set on conquering Everest as a final act of glory for the fading British Empire, but excels in other areas. The photography (an elegant intertwining of archival footage and sweeping, newly shot recreations) is often awe-inspiring, and it nicely illustrates the geography of Everest and the step-by-step, day-by-day procedures of such an ambitious climb.

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