Mile... Mile & a Half (2013) User Reviews

Very true to the experience of hiking the JMT

[JohnLadd · 8/10 · 23 September 2013]

I've hiked the JMT for years, usually as a solo but sometimes in groups. This movie is very true to the crazy, collective experience of the trail. It catches the exhaustion, the exhilaration, the inevitable problems that arise, the feeling that the trail is going on forever. Every JMT hiker who has seen it has been very, very impressed with how well the experience has been captured.

I am not the movie expert that many reviewers here are, but I at least think it holds its own as a documentary. Good humor, great visuals, and the sound recording is awesome and really adds to the film. I bought the DVD after viewing the film in a preview session and I plan to show it to anyone who asks me about the experience.

Nice, breezy little doc

[LawnBoy-4 · 8/10 · 6 April 2015]

Filled with great cinematography and light-hearted stories/accounts, this doc is an enjoyable look at a 25-day hike along the JMT by a group of film professionals who also happen to be friends. Is it an Errol Morris-level documentary? No, but it is quite entertaining nonetheless, especially for the novice outdoor enthusiast or someone who is simply seeking to live vicariously through a group that is hiking through beautiful country.

There are no hiking tips or technical discussions here because such is not the point. This is simply a film designed to provide the viewer with a pleasant "vacation" in the form of a hike that most will never have the time to complete.

My recommendation is to just dispense with any cynicism and enjoy the journey.

I REALLY LOVE this film. MMAAH is for anyone who loves the outdoors and the beauty of the mountains. It might even inspire you to hike the JMT as well.

[jeff-hester-767-773433 · 10/10 · 17 August 2013]

Hiking the 211 mile John Muir Trail is an epic adventure. It's also one of the great hiking trails that can be experienced without quitting your job and devoting five months of your life. The JMT is an adventure that lies within reach.

I've thru-hiked the JMT twice. The first time was in 1980. I was young and fit, and loved every mile. It was the experience of a lifetime. Three decades later — almost to the day — I hiked the JMT once again. I was older, wiser, and while no longer the strapping lad I once was, I still completed the trail three days faster. Another experience of a lifetime.

Sharing the JMT experience is a challenge. When you return from the mountain, you want to share this experience, but words alone cannot express the grandeur. Photos can delight, but they don't capture the majesty of the soaring crags or the ache in your bones after descending from Silver Pass. How do you share the magnificence of sunrise over Thousand Island Lake? How do you convey the real and perceived highs and lows as you climb over Forester Pass? How can you describe the physical and mental challenges, and the sheer triumphant joy of hiking the John Muir Trail? This is the challenge a team of creative artists took on.

The MMAAH team began their JMT trek in July 2011–a year notable for a 200% snow pack. What does this mean? Twice as much snow as usual. Higher water crossings. A challenging trail, made even more challenging. Which at least in part, led to the film's name. As in, "How much further 'til we reach camp today?" "Oh, about a mile…mile and a half."

The film follows the team on their southbound hike, from Yosemite Valley, up and over 10 passes, over 80,000 feet of elevation change, resupply points, meeting friends — both old and new — on the trail, and ultimately reaching the highest point in the contiguous United States — 14,505 feet tall Mt. Whitney.

"People are amazing. That was the biggest impression this experience left on me." – Hiroshi, a Japanese solo hiker who joined the team for the trek up Mt. Whitney

After both of my JMT hikes, I had a sense of sharing this experience with those who hiked these trails before me, and those who will hike them after. I longed to share the experience. Mile… Mile and a Half gives you a very real sense of what it's like to hike the John Muir Trail. The film expresses the beauty, the challenge, and the joy of this beautiful trail better than anything short of hiking it yourself.

Mile…Mile and a Half is beautifully filmed, scored and edited. It features fantastic titles illustrated by trail journal extraordinaire Kolby "Condor" Kirk. MMAAH is not a dramatization. It's the real deal–real people doing something amazing, and sharing the journey. As their story unfolds, you feel like you're there with them. It grips you, and inspires you.

"You don't need to go to the Himalayas. You don't need to climb Mt. Everest or go to the deepest jungles of Africa to find adventure. You can find it in your own backyard." – Jason Fitzpatrick

You can probably tell, I love this film. I REALLY LOVE this film. Should you see it? Hell yeah! Mile…Mile and a Half is for anyone who loves the outdoors and the beauty of the mountains. It might even inspire you to lace up your boots and hike the JMT as well.

Best film on the John Muir Trail

[blueklister · 9/10 · 17 August 2013]

This is a really well put together film. Before it was released, I was only hoping for a really good documentary on the Muir Trail, but after seeing it, I realize it's about the people that visit the Muir Trail and as one of the participants put it, it's not about the places you go, it's the people you choose to do them with. Everything about this film is well done, from the cinematography, to the great music written by Opus Orange, to the great sound, to the storyline. The original intent was to come back from the hike and create a short, 3 minute feature, but upon their return they discover they have over 30 hours of footage. Raising over $80,000 for post-production on Kickstarter, they create more than a collection of footage, they make a real movie. It is inspiring and enlightening and makes you want to go hike the Muir Trail. This is 90 minutes well spent.

Makes You Want to go Hike the JMT Tomorrow!

[randysxe · 10/10 · 17 September 2013]

I first heard about Mile...Mile & A Half on Facebook. They had a screening in San Diego in August 2013! What an amazing movie by some amazing people. My wife and I just got married in July 2013 and The JMT is our honeymoon for June/July 2014! This movie just made us more excited than we were. Such a beautiful movie, well put together, and absolutely stunning and hilarious. I loved it so much I saw it a second time earlier this month in the actual movie theater screenings! I would recommend this to any one. If you love to hike and backpack and love the Sierras, this movie will blow your mind! GO SEE IT!!! Bring the entire family! I bought the Blu Ray copy to show all my family and friends. Do yourself a favor, don't miss a screening in your town!

Inspiring film for backpackers and outdoor enthusiasts

[trenton-knapp · 10/10 · 17 September 2013]

The "Range of Light" piece in the extra features is enough to inspire, but the film does an even better job of bringing to life the beauty of the world around us, a world described in the film as "in our own backyard."

The passion the film-makers have for their work is evidenced by their dedication - carrying pounds and pounds of extra gear through 211 grueling miles. They are not actors, they are film-makers who love the outdoors. This fact rings true throughout the film.

While so many of us don't have the ability to leave our lives for a month and take on such a venture, this film brings that experience, as best it can, to your living room. However, I believe their goal is accomplished -- inspire you to get out and do it yourself.

The soundtrack to the film is beautiful and perfectly accompanies the beautiful scenery.

Five stars!

I cannot see why you'd get out in the middle of no where and focus mostly on people instead of the gorgeous setting.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 29 January 2016]

This documentary is about a group of friends who walk from Yosimite to Mt. Whitney along the John Muir Trail. To me, the reason to hike is to enjoy the solitude...the peace and quiet of the great outdoors. Because of this, it really makes watching this documentary difficult, as it is NEVER quiet...never. Instead of focusing on the glorious natural settings, the film always goes back to the relatively uninteresting group of friends so they can talk...and talk...and talk. It reminds me of most every reality TV show where the camera MUST periodically come back to the 'stars' to hear their thoughts about the trek--even if these thoughts are mostly irrelevant. In hindsight, I would have MUCH rather seen a ton of footage with only minimal narration to let you know what you're seeing. Plus, isn't it better to just get out and hike instead of watching people hike (a little) and talk a lot? A boring and rather pointless and thoroughly pretentious and self-absorbed film that folks either adore or totally hate....as you can tell if you read through the reviews. I am somewhat in the middle. I'd give the footage an 8 and everything else a 1...and an overall score of 3. Believe me, among those who didn't enjoy it, a 3 is VERY positive and I don't use the unnecessarily abusive and anti-rich people comments some used in describing and attacking this movie.

A wonderful sampling of life on the trail

[crtant3 · 9/10 · 2 July 2015]

As an avid hiker I was a little hesitant to hit play on this one. The film screen captures made me think I was about to watch a documentary about a bunch of novice, out of shape, middle aged hikers slog the JMT. What I found was a heartwarming and inspiring chronicle of a group of friends/artists sharing their collective experience unplugging from the world for 25 days and immersing themselves in the back country.

When I was 19-25 years old with no wife, kids or job it would be easy to dismiss this as not a big deal. However, at 45 I have a lot more appreciation for someone stepping away from it all and taking the time out do a hike like this.

I thought the scenery and images filmed during the trip were amazing and showing the dynamics of friendships that started the trip and the ones developed along the way really showed the bond that exists among hikers. I think I have watched about every Everest, Eiger and K2 documentary around and as good as they are, they all lacked the soul and cheerfulness of this film. The story follow the hikers as they settle into their routine surviving through the early physical adjustment (Feet), letting go of their life back home and settling in to appreciate the beauty around them.

Interesting from beginning to end.

[smiledaydream · 9/10 · 12 June 2022]

Great movie about hiking the John Muir Trail. One thing I feel good about is not all of them look healthier than me. I could do this. Inspired. Interesting from beginning to end. Hi I am reviewing this movie from the perspective of a non-fiction movie about nature or sport. In that category it could not be much better.

Excellent

[kebarberyl · 9/10 · 22 September 2021]

Amazing views, well edited, feel like in the mountains! One of the best movies ever made.

Dull ... Dull and a Half

[wricketts · 3/10 · 14 July 2015]

This film is advertised as a documentary, but I actually experienced it as a low- budget horror film along the lines of The Blair Witch Project. In fact, I wasn't sure whether it was more terrifying to imagine being forced to go on a 225-mile hike in the company of this insufferable coven of Starbucks yuppies or being on an innocent walk in the woods, stumbling across the filmmakers, and having to listen to them play finger-cymbals and talk about kale. The fact that none of them can stay off their freaking cell phones for more than an hour at a time is almost enough reason to leave them on the trail as bear chum (yes, these are the guys you come across on the banks of the most gorgeous lake you've ever seen who celebrate the occasion by calling someone in another state to talk about espresso capsules). If that doesn't do it for you, the documentary also features the Most Irritating White Man In North America (you'll recognize him by his hipster hat, his hipster beard, and his hipster humor-- he's so ironic that even his irony is ironic). Though the filmmakers quote John Muir incessantly, you can't help feeling Muir would have chosen to become a bricklayer if he'd known the trail that bears his name would one day be traversed by people like these.

Nice nature views - otherwise terribly self-indulgent

[jeasonfamily · 2/10 · 24 May 2015]

Having viewed Ken Burns' National Parks again recently this film was recommended to me. I was disappointed. Its clear the John Muir Trail has some nice scenery - but this poorly made movie and the people in it are ridiculous Supposedly these people are all AMAZING artists gathered to have an AMAAAAAZING adventure and along they way they meet other people who are....(wait for it...) AMAZING!. Apparently some people are are easily amazed. Too much time is spent having them interview each other, hug each other and say AMAZING about things about each other than the trail itself. Actually its amazing you can having this many people in a movie and none of them are either interesting or talented.

Prior to viewing this film I was interested in hiking the trail. Now, maybe I'd rather not. Would like to see the sights. Would rather not spend time running into an assortment of misfits trying to convince themselves they are doing something important. When the bear shows up at one point I was really rooting for an attack - but like everything else in this movie, the bear let me down too.

Think creativity is always a good thing? This movie can make you think otherwise.

Worst Doc I've seen in a long time.

[titus227 · 1/10 · 1 February 2015]

Everyone hiking in this doc is a snooty rich jerk with no sense of humor. They are so corny and stupid, it makes me a little embarrassed to be a white American. There is nothing hard about what they did. They were going at the pace of 8 miles a day, which can easily be covered in about four hours through the manicured trails these people were traversing. They also broke trail and hit up a burger joint along the way. There is no substance here, nothing happens the entire time, there is no character development at all, just rich jerks snapping photos like Japanese tourists and pretending that they are 'roughing it.'

John Muir's quotes are excruciating and if he saw this documentary, he would be rolling over in his grave. I'm sure he never envisioned pioneering a joy walk for rich douche bags.

The story of people making a big deal out of a hike

[contactdavid-175-182942 · 1/10 · 1 December 2014]

This is the story of a group of people who have done a hike that literally thousands of people have done before. They then present it in Reality TV fashion, so that every moment is reviewed over and over again from different people's "reflection time".

Favorite moments include: - Doing laundry in the river - Realizing there is a lot of walking to do - Admiring the scenery - Talking about doing laundry - Listening to another person's take on the laundry - Talking about the long walks - Hearing someone else tell us what the long walks were like - Deciding to not walk the more difficult route - Talking about that person's decision to choose the quicker route - Another person's reflection on the walk - Recap on the laundry - Time-lapse video of tents being erected - More commentary on how long they are walking - More commentary on how long they are walking

Literally, THOUSANDS of people have done this hike, and continue to do so annually. This is not in any way a groundbreaking feat. This is not a documentary, it is a Reality TV take on basic Boy Scout curriculum, but it is presented as though the participants are doing something outrageous. Sure, it is a long time to be out there, but it is in no way out of the realm of many high school outdoor education programs, and none of the kids on those trips make such a big deal out of it (and yes, those trips can last just as long).