Mount Everest is literally the physical pinnacle of Earth. It makes sense that climbing it for the first time on record is considered one of the pinnacles of human achievement. Tenzing is the first narrative feature from Sherpa and Mountain director Jennifer Peedom, who beautifully captures both the dangers of Sherpa life alongside the sacred beauty of Mountain peaks. It’s a tense and gorgeous showcase of the human drive to succeed, as well as the cross-cultural interactions that drove and impacted excursions to Mount Everest. It doesn’t exactly break the mold for biopics about record-setting physical endeavors, but it’s nonetheless an inspiring chronicle of great human endeavors.
Tenzing follows the successful ascent of Sir Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston) and his Sherpa/friend/climbing companion Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok), focusing largely on the latter’s lifelong desire to ascend the mountain’s peak ever since he was a boy. Abandoned by his parents and shunned by the traditional Sherpa community as an outsider, it was (sorry in advance) an uphill battle for Tenzing to be able to join the excursions that paved the way for Hillary’s ascent. We spend considerable time tracing that journey into his boarding John Hunt’s attempt to achieve the climb for Great Britain.
Genden Phunsok and Tom Hiddleston Achieve Beautiful Heights
Tenzing has at least one extremely smart element baked into its script: the centering of the Sherpa who also ascended Everest’s historic peak. The accomplishments of Sir Edmund Hillary are widely known in the Western world, but the equal accomplishments of his companion, later friend, are less well known. Ironically, that isn’t the case for Hillary himself, who maintained a lifelong friendship with Tenzing. It’s a worthy lens that shines a light on an under-illuminated part of global history, as well as adding complexity to this story of towering human achievement.
Tenzing may not reinvent the wheel, but it’s a beautiful exploration of dreams and willpower.
Genden Phunsok is excellent as the titular determined Sherpa-turned-exhibition-member, exhibiting strong will and resoluteness alongside a joyful demeanor. It’s a well-rounded exhibition of a historical figure who overcame much and accomplished even more. He boasts strong chemistry with Tom Hiddleston’s Hillary, another outsider (from New Zealand) in a mostly British team. Hiddleston’s charm showcases a Hillary who balances warmth and the ability to contend with deadly adversity. As expedition leader John Hunt, Willem Dafoe delivers an exemplary demonstration of the no-nonsense soldier driven by patriotic sentiment. It’s a fine cast overall, who mesh well and believably suffer against the elements.
Tenzing Hits Familiar Beats, But Surprises In Its Depth
Tenzing is a fantastic testament to the human drive to achieve, whether it be for the British team’s desire for national glory, Hillary’s quest for excellence, or Tenzing’s feeling of spiritual attachment to the magnificent mountain. The film spends considerable time exploring Tenzing Norgay’s interior life, giving voice to the other Sherpas and the formal expedition members alike. It’s an inspiring and complex tale, though some characters (like the other members of the British expedition) could be granted a little more proportional depth.
While the focus on Tenzing Norgay is a welcome departure from prior retellings of this ascent, there is a notable neglect of backgrounds and details of other members of the team. What makes Hillary the unique person that he is, overcoming the era’s prejudices and driven to achieve a monumental feat? The film’s exploration would benefit from a little greater depth. While the other historical figures are given a lighter or shallower treatment, the greater focus on the other characters largely balances it out.
Tenzing does not reinvent the wheel for films about human accomplishment, whether it’s the first to fly, land on the moon, climb Everest, or so on. There’s a set of typical beats that regularly characterize such projects, and those elements fail to surprise here. What does exceed typical expectations here is the apt dedication to centering Tenzing Norgay’s story, which is fascinating in its own right. Tenzing may not reinvent the wheel, but it’s a beautiful exploration of dreams and willpower that shines a light on a great, undersung figure of history.
Tenzing heads to theaters October 9, 2026 before debuting on Apple TV+ October 16, 2026.
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