Kings' Peak is a 2012 Loviann disaster-drama film, produced by Lovilago Film, based on the book, Kings' Peak - Avalanche, by Matt Richards, who also served as the film's executive producer.
The film is set in a small village called King Abby, which was built in a "safe place", according to its residents. A small-time writer and divorced man named Andrew (Phil Martinez) lives in the town, with his 22-year old daughter Sally (Melania Condottori) and 19-year old son James. When an avalanche hits the town, he must choose whether to escape or to rescue his family. He chooses the latter, being a skilled mountaineer.
The movie, when it was released on the 22nd of November 2012, received critical acclaim, with critics praising the storyline and the visual effects of the film. It was released onto DVD in January 2013 and was rated PG-13. It also was the highest grossing Lovian film of 2012 and gained $302.85 million.
Synopsis[]
The story is set in a small village and ski resort known as King Abby, which lies between The Abby and the foot of Kings' Peak. According to the villagers, and a know-it-all mayor (Pierlot McCrooke), the village was built in a "safe place". However, nature is about to prove it isn't really built in one. As rising temperatures begin to melt ice and snow at the summit of Kings' Peak, a massive avalanche forms and crashes down the mountain, bringing chaos and destruction to the village. A small-time novelist and a divorced man, must make a very hard choice: to evacuate, or to stay behind and rescue his family. He risks his life, choosing the latter.
Production[]
Filming[]
Filming begun in June 2011 and lasted until August 2011. Due to the film being filmed during the summer months, computer-generated imagery was used to create a snowy landscape. A large set was built around 3.5 km (2 miles) from the foot of the real Kings' Peak, which was used to create King Abby. The set was ultimately bulldozed, or blown up, to create a post-avalanche King Abby.
Visual effects[]
Three visual effects companies worked on the film from mid-August 2011 to early February 2012. However, the visual effects were not all produced by computers as the director, Arthur Jefferson, wanted to use more authentic special effects, to give the film a more realistic feel. A 1.2 km (0.75 mile) long set was built near the foot of Kings' Peak to create King Abby, but was later bulldozed or blown apart, to give the village a more post-apocalyptic look once the village is hit by the wall of ice and snow. The snow covering was added in by computers.
Computers were used to create a large part of the visual effects in this movie, for example, when the wall of snow tears through the town, several parked cars are crushed by the weight of the snow. This scene was accomplished by placing three parked cars on a real tarmac road and dropping weights on them, to make it look like the cars were being crushed. There was also a green screen behind the cars. The avalanche was added in using computers.
The avalanche was created using both computers and real snow.
Release and reception[]
The movie has received very positive reviews at the time of its release, scoring 92% on RottenTomatoes.com. Critics praised the film's action-packed storyline and the amazing visual effects, which were produced by three companies. Critics have commented that the film is "amazing" and "unbelievably realistic", and the fact that the film lasted 119 minutes was the thing that the critics enjoyed the most.
The film did exeptionally well at the box office when it was released, and gained over $300 million, making it the highest grossing Lovian film of 2012.
Crew[]
- Directed by - Arthur Jefferson
- Produced by - Arthur Jefferson
- Written by - Arthur Jefferson, Matt Richards (story)
- Cast:
- Phil Martinez - Andrew Martin, an ex-mountaineer turned struggling writer, after a near-fatal accident left his leg destroyed. He must save his daughter and her husband after an avalanche destroys the town.
- Melania Condottori - Sally Desmont (nee Martin), Andrew's estranged 22-year old daughter, who is left trapped inside a collapsed building, after an avalanche hits the town. Several actresses were considered suitable for the role, but none of them were interested, so the studio chose Melania Condottori.
- Jhon Lewis - Bill Desmont, Sally's husband, who is also trapped with her inside an elevator.
- William Harris - Daniel E. King, Martin's boss, who is killed when an armed thug shoots him down during the avalanche.
- Pierlot McCrooke - Mayor Whitley, the town mayor, who believes that nothing will destroy the town because it was built in a safe place.
- Matt Richards - Sargeant Anderson, a soldier forced to rescue any remaining inhabitants and helps Andrew to find his daughter.
- Music by - Edward Hannis
- Editing by - Marion Nelson
- Visual effects by - Lewis Media (special effects branch) and Digifilm Lovia
- Distributed by - Lovilago Film